Chapter 6
I stared at the phone.
"What do you mean the account wasn't closed?"
Mark was crying.
I had heard him angry.
Defensive.
Arrogant.
But I could barely remember the last time I'd heard him cry.
"Elena, the account still exists."
I gripped the edge of the table.
"How much is in it?"
He hesitated.
"I don't know the current balance."
I closed my eyes.
"Mark."
"I found old statements. There were withdrawals."
My heart pounded.
"What withdrawals?"
"Several."
I stood.
"From whose account?"
"Ours."
I felt sick.
When Noah was three, Mark and I opened a college savings account.
I contributed whatever I could.
Sometimes fifty dollars.
Sometimes twenty.
One Christmas, I deposited money instead of buying myself a new winter coat.
After the divorce, Mark told me the account had been addressed in our settlement.
I remembered arguing about it.
I remembered him saying there wasn't enough money to fight over.
I remembered signing papers while exhausted and frightened.
Had he lied?
"Mark, did you know?"
Silence.
"Did you know someone was withdrawing money?"
He whispered, "Not at first."
My stomach dropped.
"At first?"
"I found out later."
I closed my eyes.
"How much later?"
He didn't answer.
"Mark, tell me."
"About four years ago."
I nearly dropped the phone.
Four years.
For four years, he had known something was wrong.
And he hadn't told me.
"Why?"
His voice cracked.
"Vanessa said she was borrowing temporarily."
I stared at the wall.
"Borrowing from our son's education account?"
"She promised to replace it."
I felt tears rising.
"Did she?"
"I don't know."
I laughed once.
A bitter sound.
"Of course you don't."
Noah appeared beside me.
"Mom?"
I looked at him.
His face was pale.
"Is that about my college money?"
I closed my eyes.
"Sweetheart, let me finish this call."
He nodded.
But I could see the fear in his eyes.
I turned away.
"Mark, I need copies of everything."
"I'll send what I have."
"And you need to tell Olivia what you know."
"I will."
I ended the call.
Then I sat down.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Rachel moved beside me.
"Elena?"
I looked at her.
"I think someone took money from Noah's education savings."
Her face changed.
"What?"
I nodded.
She covered her mouth.
Noah sat opposite me.
"Mom, is my scholarship in danger?"
I immediately shook my head.
"No, sweetheart."
I reached for his hand.
"Your university scholarship is secure. We confirmed that."
He exhaled.
Then his eyes filled.
"But the money you saved?"
I couldn't answer immediately.
He looked devastated.
"Mom, you worked so hard."
I pulled him close.
"We'll find out what happened."
He whispered, "I'm so sorry."
I held his face between my hands.
"Don't apologize."
"But you sacrificed everything."
I shook my head.
"I saved that money because I loved you. You are not responsible for what anyone else did."
He started crying.
I held him tightly.
And quietly, I made myself a promise.
I would not let the truth disappear again.
The following morning, Olivia requested the relevant account records through the appropriate legal process.
She also reviewed our divorce settlement.
I brought every document I could find.
Old bank statements.
Deposit receipts.
Copies of checks.
A faded notebook where I'd recorded the money I saved.
Olivia examined everything carefully.
Then she looked up.
"Elena, the settlement documents do not clearly establish that this account was closed."
My heart jumped.
"Then why did Mark tell me it was?"
She shook her head.
"That's something we need to investigate."
I swallowed.
"Could there still be money?"
"Possibly."
I stared at the table.
For years, I had believed the account was gone.
I had accepted it as one more loss from my marriage.
Now I realized that accepting someone's explanation wasn't the same as verifying the truth.
Several days later, Mark provided additional documents.
The records showed that the account had remained open.
It also showed several transfers over a period of years.
Some were ordinary investment transactions.
Others required explanation.
And several large withdrawals appeared to have been authorized through Mark's access.
I stared at the records.
"How much was withdrawn?"
Olivia reviewed the figures.
"Approximately eighty-six thousand dollars."
My chest tightened.
Eighty-six thousand.
More than I had ever earned in an entire year during the early days of my career.
Money meant for my son.
I covered my mouth.
"Where did it go?"
Olivia pointed toward the transaction details.
"Some payments appear connected to accounts associated with Bennett Family Enterprises."
I closed my eyes.
Vanessa's family business.
Again.
Olivia continued.
"We still need to establish what was authorized and whether the withdrawals violated the account's rules or the divorce agreement."
I nodded slowly.
"What should I do?"
"Continue preserving your records. Let the investigation proceed."
I looked at her.
"Will Noah get his money back?"
She hesitated.
"We'll pursue every lawful option available."
I left her office feeling both frightened and determined.
That afternoon, Mark asked to meet me.
I agreed to speak with him at Olivia's office.
When he entered, he looked exhausted.
His eyes were red.
His once-perfect hair was disheveled.
He sat opposite me.
"Elena."
I didn't answer.
He swallowed.
"I owe you an apology."
I looked at him.
"For which part?"
He lowered his eyes.
I continued.
"For leaving me to raise our son?"
"Elena—"
"For allowing Vanessa to humiliate me?"
He flinched.
"For changing school records without reading what you signed?"
Tears filled his eyes.
"Or for knowing money was being taken from Noah's account and saying nothing?"
He covered his face.
"I'm sorry."
I stared at him.
"Mark, sorry doesn't restore eleven years of trust."
He nodded.
"I know."
"Then tell me why you stayed silent."
He took a shaky breath.
"Vanessa said the withdrawals were temporary loans to her family's business."
I waited.
"She promised the money would be returned with interest."
I felt sick.
"Did you sign authorizations?"
He nodded.
My eyes filled.
"Then you participated."
He began crying.
"I know."
I looked away.
For years, I had made excuses for him.
He was busy.
He was overwhelmed.
He was influenced by Vanessa.
But now I understood something.
His decisions belonged to him.
No one had forced him to sign those forms.
No one had forced him to remain silent.
"Mark," I said quietly, "you need to take responsibility."
He nodded.
"I will."
Then he reached into his briefcase.
"I brought something."
He placed a sealed envelope on the table.
Olivia opened it with his permission.
Inside were copies of account correspondence and an email exchange.
Vanessa had written to Mark three years earlier.
I read the message slowly.
"We cannot let Elena discover the withdrawals. She will make Noah question everything."
My stomach turned.
Then I read Mark's reply.
"Just make sure the money is returned before college."
I stared at him.
He was crying.
I didn't comfort him.
I couldn't.
Then Olivia turned to the final page.
Her expression changed.
"Mark, what is this?"
He looked down.
"A loan agreement."
I leaned forward.
The document listed Bennett Family Enterprises as the borrower.
And beneath the signature section were two names.
Mark Brooks.
And Elena Brooks.
I froze.
"That's not my signature."
Olivia looked at me.
"Are you certain?"
I stared at the paper.
"Absolutely."
Mark covered his face.
Then whispered, "Vanessa told me you'd already agreed."
I felt the room spin.
May you like
Because someone had used my name to support a financial agreement involving my son's education savings.
And I had never known it existed.
