Chapter 5
I met Vanessa Reed in a private conference room at Evelyn's Savannah office.
Patrice came with me.
Evelyn joined by video.
I refused to meet the woman who'd been sleeping with my husband without witnesses or legal support.
When Vanessa entered, she looked nothing like the confident woman I'd seen beside Marcus.
Her hair was tied back.
Her face was pale.
She wore a plain black blouse and carried a thick folder.
She stopped near the door.
"Nia."
I didn't stand.
"Sit down."
She obeyed.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered, "I'm sorry."
I looked directly at her.
"Did you know Marcus was married?"
Her eyes filled.
"Yes."
My stomach tightened.
She continued quickly.
"But he told me you were separated."
I folded my arms.
"Did you ever verify that?"
She looked down.
"No."
I nodded.
"Then you believed what you wanted to believe."
She began crying.
"I know."
I didn't comfort her.
Not because I wanted to be cruel.
Because I was still trying to hold myself together.
I pointed toward the folder.
"Show me why you asked to meet."
Vanessa opened it.
Inside were copies of contracts, emails, and financial statements.
She explained that she worked in commercial real estate consulting.
Her company, Reed Property Holdings, had joined a development project with several other investors.
Marcus had approached her eight months earlier.
At first, their relationship was professional.
He claimed to have access to a promising property deal outside Atlanta.
Then they became romantically involved.
He told Vanessa he was separated.
He said our marriage existed only on paper.
And he claimed I had agreed to support his business ambitions.
I stared at her.
"Did you ever see me sign anything?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Did Marcus tell you the townhouse belonged to both of us?"
"Yes."
"Did he say I agreed to use it as collateral?"
She nodded.
"He said you were fully involved."
My hands tightened.
Vanessa continued.
"Last month, I started noticing inconsistencies."
"What kind?"
"Payments that didn't match the project budget. Loan proceeds transferred into accounts that weren't listed in the original agreement."
Evelyn leaned forward on the screen.
"Do you have records supporting that?"
Vanessa nodded.
She placed several statements on the table.
"I requested an accounting. Marcus kept delaying."
I studied the documents.
More than ninety thousand dollars had been transferred from the project account into another entity.
The recipient was called Southern Crescent Advisory.
I frowned.
"Who owns this company?"
Vanessa looked uncomfortable.
"That's part of what I wanted to tell you."
She handed me a corporate filing.
I read the registered agent's address.
Then I froze.
I recognized it.
It belonged to Gloria Bennett.
My mother-in-law.
I looked up.
"Gloria?"
Vanessa nodded.
"I believe the company is connected to Marcus's mother."
My stomach tightened.
I thought about Gloria's voice on the phone.
The way she had cried.
The way she'd said they never intended to hurt me.
Suddenly, her words sounded different.
"Did she receive the money?"
Vanessa took a breath.
"That's what the records suggest, but I haven't been able to establish who ultimately controlled the funds."
Evelyn nodded.
"We'll need independent verification."
I looked back at Vanessa.
"Why are you helping me?"
She swallowed.
"Because Marcus lied to me too."
I stared at her.
She continued.
"He said the project was almost finished. But last week, I discovered he had been trying to secure another loan."
My heart quickened.
"Using what?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"Your business."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
She opened another folder.
Inside was a draft financing proposal.
It listed my interior design company as a potential guarantor.
I felt sick.
I had worked seven years to build that business.
I had started with one client.
One borrowed desk.
One laptop.
And more determination than experience.
Now Marcus had been using its financial strength to support a project I knew nothing about.
I stared at the document.
"Did he submit this?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"I don't know whether it reached a lender. I found it in the project files."
Evelyn spoke firmly.
"Nia, we'll review whether any authorization was actually made. A draft doesn't create a valid obligation by itself."
I nodded.
That mattered.
I needed to separate what Marcus had attempted from what had legally taken effect.
But the pattern was frightening.
An affair.
Secret debt.
Unauthorized credit.
My signature appearing on loan documents.
And now my business name appearing in financing proposals.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Did you know about the credit card?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Did you know Marcus was using my identity?"
"No."
I studied her expression.
I couldn't know everything she had understood.
But the documents she brought were real enough to demand investigation.
I turned toward Evelyn.
"What happens next?"
"We preserve the records, notify the relevant financial institutions, and review potential fraud claims. We may also need to involve law enforcement."
I nodded.
Vanessa looked frightened.
"Will I be in trouble?"
Evelyn answered carefully.
"That depends on your conduct and the evidence. You should obtain independent legal advice."
Vanessa swallowed.
"I understand."
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
By the end, I felt exhausted.
Vanessa gathered her things.
Before leaving, she stopped beside me.
"Nia?"
I looked up.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
I stared at her.
For a moment, I wanted to tell her exactly how much she had.
Instead, I said quietly, "Then don't make the same choice again."
She nodded.
And left.
Patrice sat beside me.
"How are you feeling?"
I looked at the empty chair.
"Angry."
She nodded.
"Good."
I glanced at her.
She smiled sadly.
"Anger can help you protect yourself when you stop using it to hurt yourself."
I leaned against her shoulder.
For the first time since arriving in Savannah, I felt something other than helplessness.
I had information.
I had support.
And I had a plan.
The next morning, Evelyn called.
She had reviewed the property records more closely.
A document had been recorded against the townhouse.
But there were irregularities requiring formal challenge.
She had also discovered that the lender's file contained a scanned identification document supposedly belonging to me.
I stared at the wall.
"What kind of identification?"
"A copy of your driver's license."
My stomach tightened.
I remembered losing my wallet briefly six months earlier.
Marcus had said he found it beneath the passenger seat of his car.
At the time, I was relieved.
Now I wondered whether that incident mattered.
Evelyn continued.
"We can't assume how the copy was obtained. But we're preserving everything."
I nodded.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Marcus.
NIA, MOM IS IN THE HOSPITAL. PLEASE CALL ME.
My heart tightened.
Despite everything, Gloria had been part of my life for eleven years.
I didn't want her harmed.
I called Marcus.
He answered immediately.
"Nia."
"What happened?"
He sounded shaken.
"Mom collapsed this morning."
"Is she okay?"
"She's conscious. They're running tests."
I closed my eyes.
"Which hospital?"
He gave me the name.
Then he said something unexpected.
"She asked for you."
I stared at the phone.
"Why?"
Marcus hesitated.
"She says she needs to confess something."
My stomach tightened.
"Confess what?"
He swallowed.
"Nia, she says the money wasn't supposed to go where it went."
I felt cold.
Then he added, "And she says Vanessa isn't the person who started this."
I gripped the phone.
"Who did?"
May you like
Marcus went silent.
Finally, he whispered, "My mother."
