Chapter 2 - WHAT MY LAWYER FOUND
I stood inside the narrow passage with my phone lighting the dusty staircase.
My attorney, Martin Shaw, called immediately.
I answered in a whisper.
“What did you find?”
His voice was clipped.
Controlled.
The voice he used when something was very wrong.
“Do not confront Derek alone.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“We ran the standard post-marriage asset review this morning.”
Martin paused.
“Derek has been making inquiries about your property for weeks.”
I leaned against the wall.
“What kind of inquiries?”
“Ownership structures.”
“Trusts.”
“Beneficiary rights.”
“Spousal claims.”
“And life insurance.”
The passage suddenly felt colder.
I continued slowly down the stairs.
Martin kept talking.
“Someone using an account linked to Derek requested copies of your corporate registration records three times.”
“He also contacted a private asset researcher.”
“When?”
“Six weeks ago.”
Six weeks ago.
We had still been planning floral arrangements.
Choosing music.
Arguing about seating charts.
Derek had kissed my forehead every night and told me he could not wait to be my husband.
Meanwhile, he was investigating what my death might be worth.
“Martin.”
My voice barely worked.
“Is the beneficiary request legal?”
“No.”
“It was blocked.”
“Your corporate passwords have also been frozen.”
“Your accounts are safe.”
I reached the bottom of the stairs.
A narrow door opened into the old laundry room beside the kitchen.
Through the cracked doorway, I could hear voices.
Derek's relatives were laughing.
Brenda was telling someone I needed discipline.
My humiliation had already become entertainment.
I tightened the straps of my backpack.
“I'm leaving.”
“Good.”
“Where are your keys?”
My heart sank.
My purse had been downstairs.
My car keys were inside it.
Derek probably knew that.
“I don't have them.”
“Then don't go through the front.”
A sound came from the hallway.
I slipped behind an old linen cabinet.
Two women entered the laundry room.
I recognized Derek's aunt Linda and his sister, Mallory.
Mallory laughed.
“She lasted longer than I expected.”
Linda snorted.
“She'll fall in line.”
“They all do.”
My body went still.
They all do.
Mallory lowered her voice.
“Mom said Derek picked this one because she's worth something.”
Linda replied immediately.
“More than something.”
I stopped breathing.
“She owns commercial property.”
“How much?”
“Mom doesn't know exactly.”
“But Derek thinks it's eight figures.”
The room tilted around me.
Mallory continued.
“That's why Mom told him not to scare her off before the wedding.”
Linda laughed again.
“Well, they're married now.”
“She can't just leave.”
My fear disappeared.
In its place came rage.
Clean.
Focused.
Useful.
They had not suddenly revealed who they were fourteen hours after the wedding.
They had been hiding it until the legal paperwork was signed.
I quietly activated the recorder on my phone.
Mallory kept speaking.
“Derek says if she files for divorce, he'll drag it out until she gives him something.”
“Mom thinks Chloe will cave.”
“She looks soft.”
Linda answered.
“She won't stay soft after a few months with this family.”
They left the laundry room.
I remained frozen for several seconds.
Then Martin's voice whispered through the phone.
“Please tell me you recorded that.”
“I did.”
“Good.”
I opened the laundry door.
The back entrance was thirty feet away.
Between me and freedom stood a hallway filled with Derek's relatives.
I could either hide.
Or walk directly through them.
I chose the second option.
The first person who noticed me was Brenda.
Her smile vanished.
Derek turned.
His eyes dropped to my backpack.
Then to the open laundry door behind me.
“How did you get out?”
I kept walking.
He stepped in front of me.
“Where do you think you're going?”
“Home.”
“This is your home.”
“No.”
I looked around at the staring faces.
“This is a crime scene with expensive wallpaper.”
Someone gasped.
Derek grabbed my wrist.
I looked down at his hand.
Then back at him.
“Remove it.”
He smiled.
“No.”
Behind him, Brenda crossed her arms.
“Stop being dramatic.”
I lifted my phone.
“Martin.”
My attorney answered loudly through the speaker.
“Yes, Chloe.”
“Did you hear that?”
“Every word.”
Derek's hand released me instantly.
I walked past him.
But before I reached the back door, Brenda said something that made me stop.
“You really think your little lawyer can save you?”
I turned.
She smiled.
May you like
“You signed more yesterday than you realized.”
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