Chapter 9 - THE REAL SIGNATURE

The signature was mine.

That was the problem.

Two years earlier, Daniel had brought home a stack of documents while I was cooking dinner.

“Insurance renewal,” he had said.

I signed where he pointed.

One page had apparently been removed and attached to a financing package months later.

My real signature.

A false document.

Laura examined it.

“They’ll argue you knew.”

“I didn’t.”

“I believe you.”

“Will a judge?”

“We need context.”

There was no camera in our kitchen from two years earlier.

No recording.

No witness.

Just my word against Daniel’s.

Unless Daniel admitted it.

Laura hated the idea.

“You cannot secretly record him without understanding how it may be used.”

“So what do we do?”

“We get him to put it in writing.”

Daniel was desperate to see me.

I sent one message.

IF YOU WANT ME TO CONSIDER HELPING WITH RODRIGO, TELL ME EVERYTHING FIRST.

His response came thirty seconds later.

WHERE?

We met in Laura’s office.

Daniel looked ten years older.

No expensive watch.

No arrogance.

Just exhaustion.

Laura sat beside me.

“Start with the signed page.”

Daniel looked at me.

“I took it from the insurance packet.”

“Why?”

“I needed proof of consent.”

“You needed a lie.”

“Yes.”

“Say it clearly.”

He closed his eyes.

“You did not know about DVA.”

“Did I authorize the loans?”

“No.”

“Did I authorize you to use my company information?”

“No.”

“Did I authorize transfers to your mother?”

“Not all of them.”

“How many?”

He hesitated.

Laura leaned forward.

“Daniel.”

“Maybe thirty percent.”

I stared at him.

“So seventy percent were stolen.”

“Yes.”

My chest tightened.

“And the signed page?”

“You signed it for insurance.”

“Not DVA.”

“No.”

Laura typed calmly.

“Continue.”

Daniel rubbed his palms together.

“Rodrigo invested because I told him Mariana would eventually join the company.”

“Why?”

“Because he didn’t trust me.”

That almost made me smile.

“At least one person had good instincts.”

Daniel accepted the insult.

“I thought if I could make DVA profitable, I’d put everything back.”

“You stole money like a gambler.”

“I know.”

“You left our daughter with a woman who punished her for eating.”

His face broke.

“I know.”

“No.”

I leaned toward him.

“You know now.”

He looked down.

“You didn’t care then.”

His eyes filled.

“I hated feeling useless.”

I stared at him.

“That’s your explanation?”

“You were successful. Everyone respected you. I was your husband and people treated me like an accessory.”

“So you stole from me?”

“I wanted something that was mine.”

“You had a daughter.”

Silence.

“You had a family.”

He cried harder.

“And you burned both down trying to prove you were a man.”

He covered his face.

For several seconds, no one spoke.

Then Laura asked,

“What does Rodrigo have?”

Daniel slowly lowered his hands.

“Client proposals.”

“What else?”

“Contracts.”

“What else?”

He looked at me.

“Emails.”

My stomach tightened.

“What emails?”

“I created an account.”

“What kind of account?”

“In your name.”

Laura stopped typing.

Daniel whispered,

May you like

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“I sent messages pretending to be you.”

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