Chapter 3 - The Secret Account Under My Name
Abigail spent the night changing every password she had.
Email.
Banking.
Cloud storage.
Security system.
She also called her attorney.
By morning, the attorney had discovered something alarming.
“Someone attempted to transfer funds from one of your investment accounts.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars.”
Abigail's blood ran cold.
“Did the transfer go through?”
“No.”
“Who attempted it?”
“We're investigating.”
She looked at the security footage.
Logan had been in her home the previous night.
But he hadn't touched her laptop.
Then she remembered something.
His phone.
He had left it charging in the bedroom.
She opened the footage.
At 2:17 a.m., Logan woke up.
He walked into the study.
He stayed there for eleven minutes.
Then he returned to bed.
Abigail zoomed in.
He was holding her laptop.
She watched him type.
Then he opened something.
A banking website.
Her bank.
Abigail felt betrayed all over again.
But there was something else.
At 2:29 a.m., Logan received a message.
He looked at his phone.
Then immediately left the room.
Abigail froze the frame.
The sender was saved as:
RICHARD
She knew no Richard.
She called Logan.
“Who is Richard?”
There was silence.
“What?”
“Richard. Who is he?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“I saw the messages.”
“Abby, please.”
“Who is Richard?”
Logan finally said,
“My financial advisor.”
“Why is your financial advisor texting you at two in the morning?”
“He works late.”
“Does he know my bank information?”
“No.”
“You're lying.”
He hung up.
Abigail knew then that the wedding was over.
But she wanted to know how deep the deception went.
She hired a private investigator.
Two days later, the investigator returned with a file.
“Richard Hale is not a financial advisor.”
“Who is he?”
“He's a bankruptcy consultant.”
Abigail stared.
“And he has worked with Bernice.”
“Recently?”
“For years.”
The investigator opened another file.
Bernice had been facing foreclosure for eight months.
Logan had known.
Then another document appeared.
A life insurance policy.
Logan was the beneficiary.
Abigail's name was on the policy.
Her heart stopped.
She hadn't signed it.
Her investigator pointed to the signature.
“It's a forged signature.”
Abigail felt sick.
“How long has this been going on?”
“According to our records, about seven months.”
Seven months.
That was when Logan moved into her apartment.
That was when he began talking about marriage.
That was when Bernice started insisting they combine finances.
It had never been love.
It had been a plan.
But there was one thing Abigail still didn't understand.
Why the urgency?
The investigator answered.
“Your fiancé has significant debts.”
“I know.”
“More than you think.”
He handed her another file.
Logan owed nearly $300,000.
Abigail stared.
“Three hundred thousand?”
“Yes.”
“And Bernice?”
“Another $180,000.”
Abigail looked at the numbers.
Together, they were drowning.
And Abigail was their escape route.
Then the investigator added:
“There's one more thing.”
“What?”
“Logan isn't the first man Bernice has tried to marry off to a wealthy woman.”
Abigail looked up.
“What?”
“There were two previous engagements.”
“Who were the women?”
“Both wealthy.”
“What happened?”
“One broke off the engagement.”
“And the other?”
“She died.”
Abigail's blood ran cold.
“How?”
“Car accident.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
Abigail looked at the photograph.
The woman smiled warmly.
Then Abigail noticed something in the background.
A man.
Standing beside a black car.
The same man appeared in another photograph.
Richard Hale.
Abigail whispered:
“This isn't about money anymore.”
Her investigator nodded.
“We don't know what it's about yet.”
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He listened.
May you like
Then looked at Abigail.
“Someone just broke into your apartment.”
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