Chapter 2 - My Husband Thought the Mansion Would Save Him—Until I Showed Him Whose Name Was on Every DocumentThe next morning, Mark called twenty-three times.
I didn't answer.
Eleanor called seventeen times.
I didn't answer her either.
My mother slept for almost eleven hours.
The twins slept beside her in the guest room.
I sat outside the door for most of the night.
I couldn't stop thinking about the bruises.
At seven in the morning, my attorney arrived.
His name was Daniel Brooks.
He had represented me for years.
He knew exactly how much I owned.
He also knew something Mark didn't.
The mansion wasn't my only asset.
The house where Mark and Eleanor had been living wasn't even technically ours.
I had purchased it before our marriage.
The mortgage had been paid using my investment income.
Mark had never contributed a dollar.
But I had allowed him to believe otherwise.
Daniel placed a folder on the table.
“Do you want to proceed?”
“Yes.”
“With everything?”
I nodded.
“Everything.”
He opened the folder.
“Property ownership.”
He slid the deed toward me.
“Your name.”
“Business.”
Another document.
“Your company owns sixty-eight percent.”
“Bank accounts.”
“Separate.”
“Vehicles.”
“Most are registered under your holding company.”
I stared at him.
“Then why did I let Mark control everything?”
Daniel sighed.
“Because you loved him.”
I looked toward the bedroom.
“I did.”
“Do you still?”
I thought about my mother's bruises.
“No.”
Daniel nodded.
Then he gave me another folder.
“This is the important one.”
Inside were medical records.
My mother's rheumatoid arthritis.
Her prescriptions.
Her previous mobility issues.
Then photographs.
Bruises.
Cuts.
Swelling.
Daniel looked at me.
“These were taken by the clinic this morning.”
I stared at the images.
My stomach turned.
“Did she tell them who caused them?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Your mother-in-law.”
I closed my eyes.
Eleanor.
The woman who had attended my wedding.
The woman who had held my newborn twins.
The woman I had trusted enough to leave my children with.
She had hurt my mother.
Then Daniel said:
“There is more.”
He pulled out a bank statement.
“Your mother has been transferring money to Eleanor.”
“What?”
“Not voluntarily.”
I looked closer.
Every month.
Thousands of dollars.
I felt sick.
“Where did this money come from?”
“Her pension.”
My mother had been giving Eleanor her pension.
For months.
I stood.
“I need to talk to her.”
Mom was awake.
I sat beside her.
“Mom.”
She looked at me.
“I know.”
She started crying.
“I didn't want you to know.”
“Why?”
“Because I was afraid you'd fight with Mark.”
“He's my husband.”
“He's still your husband.”
I shook my head.
“Not anymore.”
She looked at me.
“What?”
I held her hand.
“I am done.”
She started crying again.
Then she told me everything.
Eleanor had slapped her once.
Then twice.
Mark had grabbed her arm.
They had threatened to send her away.
They had taken her bank card.
They had told her that if she complained, she would never see the twins again.
My mother had endured everything because she was afraid of losing her grandchildren.
I couldn't breathe.
I left the room.
Mark was standing outside the mansion gate.
I walked toward him.
He smiled.
“I knew you'd come around.”
I stopped.
“Did you hurt my mother?”
His smile vanished.
“No.”
“Did Eleanor?”
He looked away.
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“She fell.”
I nodded.
“Then explain this.”
I showed him the medical report.
His face went pale.
“I didn't know.”
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You knew enough to stay silent.”
He stared at me.
“Sarah, we can fix this.”
“No.”
“I love you.”
“You love the house.”
He looked toward the mansion.
I smiled.
“You don't even know the worst part.”
“What?”
“The mansion isn't the only thing you don't own.”
I turned around.
He followed me.
“Sarah!”
I kept walking.
“Sarah!”
I stopped at the gate.
He stood outside.
I looked at him through the bars.
May you like
“You should have treated my mother like family.”
Then I closed the gate.
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