Chapter 2 - The Account I Was Never Supposed to SeeMy father's house was twenty minutes away.
Lily fell asleep in the back seat before we reached the highway.
I kept staring through the passenger window.
Everything outside looked normal.
Traffic lights.
Gas stations.
People carrying groceries.
Families walking into restaurants.
Nobody knew that my entire marriage had just cracked open.
Dad didn't speak until we reached his driveway.
Then he said:
“You're not going back tonight.”
“I know.”
“You're not calling Derek.”
“He'll call me.”
“Let him.”
I looked at him.
“What if he needs Lily?”
Dad's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“He didn't seem concerned about her milk.”
That sentence hurt.
Because it was true.
Inside, Dad made Lily a grilled cheese sandwich.
She ate every bite.
Then she asked:
“Can I have another?”
Dad smiled.
“Of course.”
She looked at me.
“Mom, can we have milk tomorrow?”
I swallowed.
“Yes.”
Dad disappeared into the kitchen.
When he returned, he carried a folder.
“Your attorney sent this.”
I stared at it.
“My attorney?”
“I called one I trust.”
“I don't have money for an attorney.”
Dad sat across from me.
“You don't need to worry about that tonight.”
I opened the folder.
There was a financial authorization form.
My name appeared on it.
I frowned.
“I never signed this.”
Dad looked at the document.
“What is it?”
“A joint financial authorization.”
My heart began pounding.
It gave Derek authority to manage several accounts.
Including my personal savings.
I read the signature again.
It looked like mine.
But I didn't remember signing it.
Dad noticed my expression.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“I didn't sign this.”
Dad called his attorney.
The conversation lasted twenty minutes.
Then the attorney asked us to send copies of everything.
Dad looked at me.
“There's more.”
“What?”
“Your name was added as a secondary borrower on a personal loan.”
My stomach dropped.
“How much?”
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars.”
I couldn't breathe.
“What?”
Dad put his hand over mine.
“Claire, did you take out a loan?”
“No.”
“Did Derek?”
“I don't know.”
Dad nodded slowly.
“That is what we're going to find out.”
My phone buzzed.
Derek.
I didn't answer.
Another message appeared.
You embarrassed me in front of Lily.
Then:
Your father is making you paranoid.
Then:
Come home tonight and we'll talk like adults.
I stared at the messages.
I suddenly remembered every time Derek had told me:
“You don't need to understand the finances.”
“You'll only stress yourself out.”
“Trust me.”
“You're terrible with numbers.”
I had believed him.
Dad looked at me.
“Block him for tonight.”
I hesitated.
Then I did.
Ten minutes later, another number called.
I answered.
A woman's voice immediately exploded through the phone.
“How dare you embarrass my son?”
His mother.
I said nothing.
“You've always been selfish.”
I looked at Dad.
“Where is the money, Claire?”
I froze.
“What?”
“You know exactly what I'm talking about.”
“I didn't send you all that money.”
“You're married to Derek.”
“That doesn't mean you get my paycheck.”
She laughed.
“Your husband decides where your money goes.”
Dad took the phone from my hand.
“Mrs. Cole.”
Silence.
“This is Richard Bennett.”
Her voice changed.
“Richard.”
“Yes.”
“You're interfering in my son's marriage.”
“No.”
Dad's voice was cold.
“I'm interfering in fraud.”
She hung up.
I stared at him.
“Fraud?”
“We don't know yet.”
He handed me back the phone.
“But we're going to find out.”
That night, I barely slept.
At 2:13 a.m., I received an email.
It was from our mortgage company.
NOTICE OF DEFAULT
I opened it.
Our house was not merely two months behind.
It was four months behind.
And someone had recently attempted to refinance the property.
Using my name.
I woke Dad.
He read the email.
Then looked at me.
“Claire.”
“What?”
“The house isn't just in Derek's name.”
I felt sick.
“It isn't?”
“No.”
He pointed to the document.
“It's in yours.”
I stared at the screen.
Then I realized something even worse.
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If Derek had been using my identity to borrow money against the house, he hadn't simply been stealing my paycheck.
He had been using me as collateral.
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