Chapter 3 - The TrapThe next morning, Emily called Daniel.
She sounded frightened.
“I want to come home.”
He immediately agreed.
“Good.”
“But I need to talk.”
“Of course.”
“Can we have dinner tonight?”
There was a pause.
“Where?”
“At home.”
Daniel's voice softened.
“I knew you'd come around.”
Emily ended the call.
Then she looked at me.
“I feel sick.”
“You're doing fine.”
“What if he knows?”
“He won't.”
“How do you know?”
“Because arrogant people rarely believe they're being watched.”
That evening, Emily returned home.
I stayed across the street.
The police were nearby.
Michael had arranged for a forensic specialist to monitor the property records.
Emily wore a hidden recording device.
Daniel opened the door.
His smile was enormous.
“I knew you'd come back.”
Emily stepped inside.
“Where's your mother?”
“At her house.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to give us privacy.”
Emily sat down.
Daniel poured her wine.
She didn't drink it.
“I want to fix this,” she said.
He smiled.
“We can.”
“But the house…”
He sat opposite her.
“The house is going to solve everything.”
Emily looked at him.
“How?”
“I'm refinancing it.”
She swallowed.
“You already filed paperwork.”
His expression changed slightly.
“You know about that?”
“My mother found it.”
He leaned forward.
“She doesn't understand finances.”
“She understands documents.”
“She'll ruin everything.”
Emily stayed quiet.
Daniel continued.
“The loan closes Friday.”
“What happens then?”
“We pay off everything.”
“Everything?”
“Our debts.”
Emily stared at him.
“And what's left?”
“A new beginning.”
“With what?”
He smiled.
“About four hundred thousand.”
Emily's stomach turned.
“And what happens to the house?”
“It stays with us.”
She looked down.
“Us?”
“Yes.”
“Daniel…”
“What?”
“You mean me and you?”
He laughed.
“Obviously.”
She looked at him.
“And your mother?”
His expression changed.
“She'll get what she deserves.”
Emily frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“She gets part of it.”
There it was.
Another piece.
Patricia wasn't just helping.
She expected payment.
Emily asked:
“How much?”
“Two hundred thousand.”
Emily nearly stopped breathing.
“For what?”
“For helping arrange the lender.”
“Your mother did that?”
Daniel nodded.
“She knows people.”
Emily stared at him.
“So you planned this together.”
He shrugged.
“You're my wife.”
He said it as if that explained everything.
Emily's voice became quiet.
“You don't love me.”
Daniel laughed.
“Don't be dramatic.”
The recording captured every word.
Outside, I closed my eyes.
My daughter finally understood.
Then Daniel made one mistake.
He said:
“Once the closing is done Friday, your mother can't stop us.”
Emily looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because by then the title will be transferred.”
“Transferred to whom?”
He smiled.
“To my company.”
My heart stopped.
The house wasn't just being refinanced.
He intended to transfer ownership.
And he had already created the paperwork.
May you like
I whispered into my phone:
“Michael, we've got him.”
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