Chapter 5
I thought betrayal had a limit.
I was wrong.
Every time I believed I understood what Marcus and Diane had done, another secret appeared.
The next morning, Olivia arrived with a financial investigator named Daniel Price.
Daniel was a quiet man who carried a thick folder and a laptop.
He didn't smile.
He didn't waste words.
And the moment he opened his notes, I understood that this was more serious than a family argument.
"We've reviewed the records available so far," he explained.
I sat beside Dad in the private residence.
The twins were sleeping in their bassinets.
I could hear their gentle breathing from the nursery.
Daniel looked directly at me.
"Marcus's company received several large payments from clients over the past eighteen months."
I nodded.
"That's normal, isn't it?"
"Yes."
He turned the laptop toward us.
"The problem is what happened afterward."
I stared at the numbers.
There were transfers.
Dozens of them.
Some small.
Others enormous.
All sent to a company called Whitmore Strategic Holdings.
I recognized the name.
"Diane's business?"
Daniel nodded.
"She controls it."
Dad leaned forward.
"How much?"
Daniel looked at his notes.
"Approximately nine hundred thousand dollars transferred over sixteen months."
My mouth fell open.
"Nine hundred thousand?"
Daniel nodded.
"Not all of it is necessarily improper. We need the contracts and supporting records to determine what services were actually provided."
I stared at the screen.
"But Marcus told me his business was losing money because clients weren't paying."
Daniel nodded.
"That doesn't appear to explain the full situation."
I felt sick.
Had Marcus been lying about everything?
Daniel continued.
"Several transfers were labeled consulting fees."
I frowned.
"What consulting?"
"That's one of the questions we're investigating."
Dad looked furious.
"Diane has been taking money from his business while presenting herself as the person rescuing him."
Daniel nodded carefully.
"That is one possible explanation. We don't have enough evidence yet to establish her intent."
I looked at Dad.
"Why would Marcus let her do that?"
He didn't answer.
But I already knew.
Marcus had spent his entire life trying to please Diane.
He told me she had raised him alone after his father died.
He said she sacrificed everything for him.
Whenever they argued, she reminded him of that sacrifice.
Whenever he made a decision she disliked, she accused him of being ungrateful.
I used to think their relationship was complicated.
Now I wondered whether it had been controlling him for years.
That afternoon, Marcus called.
I almost ignored it.
Then I remembered how much I needed answers.
I answered.
"Nia?"
His voice sounded exhausted.
"What do you want, Marcus?"
"I need to see you."
"Why?"
"Because everything is getting worse."
I closed my eyes.
"Everything is worse because you lied."
He was silent.
Then he whispered, "I know."
For a moment, he sounded like the man I had married.
The man who used to bring me soup when I was sick.
The man who rubbed my swollen feet during pregnancy.
The man who held my hand when doctors told us we were expecting twins.
But then I remembered the forged signature.
And his silence in the lobby.
"What do you need to tell me?"
He swallowed.
"My mother says your father is trying to destroy us."
I almost laughed.
"Your mother tried to use my house as collateral."
"I know."
"She threw your daughters out of a hotel."
His voice cracked.
"I know."
"Then why are you still listening to her?"
He didn't answer.
I waited.
Finally, he whispered, "Because I'm scared."
I felt something shift.
"Scared of what?"
He began crying.
"She says if I don't do what she wants, she'll make sure I lose everything."
I sat down.
"What does she have on you?"
Marcus was silent for so long that I thought he'd hung up.
Then he whispered, "I signed more than the loan documents."
My heart began pounding.
"What else?"
"Mom had me sign an agreement making her company the controlling creditor if my business defaulted."
I stared at the wall.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because she told me it was the only way to save the company."
I closed my eyes.
He had handed her his business.
Then tried to hand her my home.
And somehow, he still believed she was protecting him.
"Marcus, you need your own attorney."
"I know."
"No. You need someone who doesn't work for your mother."
He began crying harder.
"She's going to ruin me."
I felt tears rising.
"You've already done terrible damage to our family."
"I know, Nia."
I took a breath.
"But if you want to make things right, you need to tell the truth."
He was quiet.
Then he said, "There's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Mom knew the twins were coming before I told her."
I frowned.
"Of course she knew. Everyone knew I was pregnant."
"No."
His voice shook.
"I mean she knew about the delivery complications."
My blood ran cold.
I remembered the final weeks of pregnancy.
The blood pressure problems.
The emergency monitoring.
The terrifying moment when my doctor said we might need to deliver early.
I had asked Marcus to keep those details private.
I didn't want Diane interfering.
"What are you saying?"
Marcus whispered, "I told her you might need extra care after delivery."
I closed my eyes.
"And?"
"She said the timing was perfect."
My stomach dropped.
"Perfect for what?"
He began crying.
"For getting you to sign whatever we needed."
I could barely breathe.
The twins had been born earlier than expected.
I spent several days recovering in the hospital.
Diane knew I would be exhausted.
She knew I would be physically vulnerable.
And she had used that moment to push through financial documents.
"Marcus..."
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
"Did you know what she was planning?"
He sobbed.
"Not at first."
I stared at the floor.
"That isn't an answer."
He took a shaking breath.
"I knew she wanted to use the house."
"Did you know she was going to sign my name?"
Silence.
I pressed the phone against my ear.
"Marcus."
Finally, he whispered, "Yes."
I closed my eyes.
For a long moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I said something I never imagined saying to my husband.
"I don't know who you are anymore."
He started pleading.
"Nia, please don't take my daughters away."
I began crying.
"They aren't things I can take from you. They're children you were supposed to protect."
He sobbed.
"I'm sorry."
I wiped my face.
"Then prove it."
I ended the call.
Dad found me sitting on the floor beside the nursery.
He knelt next to me.
I told him everything.
When I finished, he looked devastated.
Not surprised.
Devastated.
I leaned against him.
"Dad, why did I marry someone who could do this?"
He put his arm around me.
"Because you loved someone who wasn't honest about who he was."
I cried harder.
He held me until I could breathe again.
That evening, I made a decision.
I called an independent family lawyer.
Her name was Rebecca Mills.
I told her about the twins.
The house.
The financial documents.
And the hotel lobby.
She listened carefully.
Then asked me one question.
"Nia, what do you want most right now?"
I looked toward the nursery.
"I want my daughters safe."
She nodded.
"Then we'll begin there."
After the call, I checked my messages.
There was one from Marcus.
A photograph.
It showed a document bearing Diane's signature.
Underneath, he had written:
I found the agreement Mom made me sign. She's been planning this much longer than I realized.
Then another message appeared.
Nia, please don't tell her I sent this. She's threatening to destroy the evidence.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
And suddenly, I realized the fight was no longer only about my marriage.
It was about what Diane had been hiding from everyone.
