Chapter 2 - The Secret Account Derek Never Wanted Me to See
Hannah spent the next four days in the hospital.
Derek came twice.
The first time, he brought flowers.
The second time, he brought an apology.
She rejected both.
Not because she no longer loved him.
That would have been easier.
She rejected them because for the first time she understood something painful about herself.
She had been loving a version of Derek that existed mostly in her memories.
The man who used to bring her coffee before work.
The man who danced with her in the kitchen during their first Christmas.
The man who once drove three hours because she mentioned that she missed the lake.
Maybe that man had been real.
Maybe he had not.
But whoever he had become, Hannah could no longer pretend not to see him.
On the fifth morning, Robert arrived with a folder.
He sat beside her bed.
“You don't have to look at this today.”
Hannah looked at the folder.
“What is it?”
“Financial records.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What did you find?”
Robert opened it.
“Three accounts.”
She stared.
“All connected to you.”
“I don't understand.”
“You don't need to. I'll explain.”
He placed the first page in front of her.
The account had been opened twenty-two months earlier.
Her name was listed as the owner.
But the signature was not hers.
Hannah's breathing stopped.
“That’s not my signature.”
“I know.”
The second document showed money transfers.
The amounts grew over time.
Ten thousand.
Twenty-five thousand.
Forty thousand.
Then eighty thousand.
“These were transferred from a joint investment account.”
Hannah stared at the numbers.
“I didn't authorize that.”
“I know.”
“And where did the money go?”
Robert pointed to a company name.
“Calloway Holdings.”
Hannah looked up.
“That’s Derek's father’s company.”
“Yes.”
“Why would they move our money into his company?”
Robert turned another page.
“That's what I'm trying to determine.”
Hannah stared at the paperwork.
Then she remembered something.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“There was an envelope.”
“What envelope?”
“A few months ago, Derek gave me papers to sign.”
Robert's eyes narrowed.
“What kind of papers?”
“I don't know. He said they were routine refinancing documents.”
“Did you sign them?”
“Yes.”
“What did they look like?”
“I was pregnant. I was exhausted. I trusted him.”
Robert's face softened.
“That does not make you foolish.”
“It makes me careless.”
“No. It makes you human.”
Hannah pressed her hand against her forehead.
“What did I sign?”
Robert turned to the next document.
“Power of attorney.”
Her eyes widened.
“For what?”
“Financial matters.”
Hannah felt dizzy.
“I never agreed to that.”
Robert nodded.
“Which is why we're going to have every document reviewed.”
A nurse came in with Hannah's breakfast.
Robert closed the folder.
Hannah stared at him.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Is my house safe?”
Robert didn't answer immediately.
“No.”
Her heart sank.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don't know yet.”
That afternoon Hannah was discharged into Robert's care.
She refused to return home.
She had nowhere else to go.
So Robert took her to the guesthouse on his property, a small cottage beside the workshop where he spent weekends restoring wooden boats.
It was not luxurious.
But it was safe.
For the first time in months, Hannah slept with a locked door between herself and fear.
Three days later, Courtney called.
Hannah almost hung up.
Instead, she answered.
“What do you want?”
Courtney's voice was quiet.
“I need to talk to you.”
“I don't want to hear excuses.”
“I am not calling about Derek's affair.”
“Then why are you calling?”
“Because you are in danger.”
Hannah went completely still.
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard he was at the hospital.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me.”
Hannah laughed bitterly.
“Of course he did.”
Courtney took a breath.
“I didn't know he was hurting you.”
“You knew he was married.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he was lying.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he was planning to replace me.”
Courtney's voice cracked.
“Yes.”
Hannah shut her eyes.
“At least you're honest.”
“I was selfish.”
“You were.”
“I don't expect forgiveness.”
“I don't have any to give.”
“I understand.”
Hannah waited.
Courtney continued.
“The project wasn't the reason he needed me.”
“What?”
“The development project.”
“What about it?”
“It was never about investors.”
Hannah felt cold.
“Then what was it?”
“Money.”
Hannah's fingers tightened around the phone.
“How much?”
“Millions.”
Silence.
Courtney continued.
“Derek's company has debts. Massive ones. Your husband's family has been moving assets around for months.”
Hannah thought of the accounts.
“Why?”
“Because Derek planned to sell properties before the creditors could reach them.”
“And my money?”
Courtney hesitated.
“Your money was supposed to be part of the transfer.”
Hannah nearly dropped the phone.
“What?”
“He used your name.”
“Why?”
“Because he needed the accounts to look legitimate.”
Hannah stood.
The room spun.
“Courtney, why are you telling me this now?”
“Because Derek told me last week what he planned to do once the baby was born.”
Her blood went cold.
“What?”
“He wanted you declared emotionally unstable.”
Hannah froze.
“He said you were becoming difficult. He said you were obsessed with controlling his work and jealous of me.”
“That is a lie.”
“I know.”
Courtney's voice dropped.
“He had conversations with a private investigator.”
Robert entered the room.
He saw Hannah's expression.
“What happened?”
She put Courtney on speaker.
“Courtney is telling me Derek planned to make me look unstable.”
Robert's eyes narrowed.
“Let her speak.”
Courtney continued.
“He recorded your arguments.”
Hannah's face drained.
“Why?”
“To use them later.”
Robert asked, “Do you have proof?”
There was a pause.
“Yes.”
Hannah looked at her father.
“What kind?”
“A recording.”
Robert motioned toward the phone.
“Can you send it?”
“Yes.”
Minutes later, a file appeared.
Hannah stared at it.
Robert played it.
Derek's voice filled the room.
“She will break eventually.”
Another voice answered.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“What about the baby?”
“The baby gives me leverage.”
Hannah's hand flew to her mouth.
Robert stopped the recording.
“Who is that second man?”
Courtney answered.
“Derek's attorney.”
Hannah felt as if the world had tilted.
Her husband wasn't simply cheating.
He had planned an exit.
He had planned to make her the villain.
He had planned to use their unborn child as a weapon.
But there was more.
Courtney said quietly, “There’s one other thing.”
“What?”
“Derek doesn't know I kept copies.”
“Copies of what?”
“Everything.”
The silence that followed was enormous.
Then Courtney whispered the sentence that would change Hannah's life.
“He wasn't preparing to divorce you, Hannah.”
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“What was he preparing to do?”
“He was preparing to take everything.”
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