Chapter 2: The Signature That Wasn't Mine
Christopher tapped the signature with his index finger.
“Last month. You signed it when we discussed selling the property.””
I didn't touch the document.
“Last month, I was in the hospital twice because of complications with my pregnancy.””
“You were home between appointments.””
“I was on bed rest.””
“You were perfectly capable of signing a document.””
I lifted my eyes to his.
“Then why don't I remember it?””
His fingers tightened around the folder.
“Because you were distracted. You had a million things on your mind.””
Brenda stepped into the kitchen behind him, carrying a cup of coffee.
“Honestly, Nora, this is ridiculous. You're acting as though Christopher broke into a bank.””
“He may have committed fraud.””
Brenda nearly spilled her coffee.
“Don't you dare accuse my son of a crime.””
“Then explain the signature.””
Christopher slammed the folder shut.
“I don't have to explain anything. We discussed this. You agreed that selling the house was the best way to get us out of debt.””
“We?””
“Yes, we!””
“I never agreed to sell.””
He stared at me for several seconds, then lowered his voice.
“Look, the deal is done. The buyers have already transferred the money. If you start making accusations now, you're going to complicate everything.””
“Where did the money go?””
“Into the business.””
“Which account?””
He didn't answer.
I waited.
He rubbed his forehead and turned away.
“God, Nora. Must every conversation be an interrogation?””
“No. Just the ones where my husband sells my property without my permission.””
Brenda put her coffee down so hard that some splashed over the rim.
“You should be ashamed of yourself. Christopher has spent years sacrificing for this family.””
I looked at the woman who'd spent the last seven years treating my inheritance as an inconvenience to her son's ambitions.
“Name one sacrifice.””
Her mouth fell open.
“What?””
“One. Name one thing Christopher sacrificed for this family that I didn't help pay for.””
“That's enough,” Christopher snapped.
“No, it's a reasonable question.””
He stepped closer to the table.
“You think money makes you better than everyone else.””
“No. I think a marriage requires honesty.””
“You've always held that house over my head.””
“I never held anything over your head. You asked to borrow against the property. I said no because your company was losing money faster than it earned it.””
“And you never let me forget it!””
“I paid your employees when you couldn't make payroll.””
“That was different.””
“How?””
He opened his mouth, then shut it.
Brenda moved to his side.
“Stop explaining yourself to her. She wants to make you feel small.””
I almost smiled.
Christopher didn't need my help feeling small. He'd spent years measuring himself against a woman who'd never asked him to compete.
But there was something else now.
Fear.
It flickered across his face whenever I asked about the sale, the buyers, or the money.
He knew something about that transaction that he didn't want me to discover.
I closed the folder.
“I'm not signing anything.””
Christopher grabbed the folder back.
“You don't have a choice.””
“I always have a choice.””
“Not anymore.””
He snatched the envelope from the table and shoved it into my hospital bag.
“Take your money. Take your child. Be gone by Friday.””
Brenda nodded approvingly.
“That's the most sensible thing he's said all morning.””
I rose carefully, holding Harper close.
“You're both making a serious mistake.””
Christopher laughed.
“You've been saying that for years.””
“And you've been ignoring me for years.””
I walked past him toward the staircase.
He caught my arm.
The movement sent a sharp pain through my abdomen, and I gasped.
“Don't walk away when I'm talking to you,” he said.
I looked down at his hand.
Then back at his face.
“Let go.””
For one ugly second, he didn't.
Harper began to cry.
I saw Christopher glance at the baby, and something cold settled in my chest.
He wasn't thinking about the pain he'd caused me. He was thinking about how inconvenient the crying was.
“Let go of me,” I repeated.
He released my arm.
Brenda folded her arms.
“See? This is what happens when you provoke him.””
I didn't answer.
I carried Harper upstairs, shut the bedroom door, and locked it.
My hands trembled as I laid her in the bassinet.
Then I called Daniel again.
He answered immediately.
“Tell me you haven't signed anything.””
“I haven't.””
“Good. Describe the document.””
I read the title, the paragraph beneath it, and the statement declaring that I'd received a portion of the sale proceeds.
Daniel interrupted me.
“Stop. Read that last sentence again.””
I did.
He was silent for a moment.
“Did you receive any money?””
“Two hundred dollars. Christopher says that's my share.””
Daniel made a sound I'd never heard from him before.
It wasn't anger.
It was disbelief.
“Send me photographs of every page. Don't let him know you're doing it.””
I photographed the folder from memory, using the pictures I'd taken while Christopher was downstairs. I hadn't managed to capture every page, but I had the signature and the document title.
Daniel called back ten minutes later.
“Nora, the signature isn't the only problem.””
“What do you mean?””
“The document references a power of attorney.””
I sat on the edge of the bed.
“I never gave Christopher power of attorney.””
“I'm aware. I've reviewed your estate documents for years.””
“Then how could he sell the house?””
“He may not have sold it legally. We need to verify the recorded deed and find out what was submitted to the county.””
I looked toward the bedroom door.
“Can you do that?””
“I'm already doing it.””
Daniel had been my father's attorney for twenty-three years. He'd helped draft the will, administer the estate, and transfer the property into my name.
More importantly, he'd been the only person who'd challenged Christopher when my husband first proposed borrowing against the house.
My father had trusted him.
So did I.
“There's something else,” Daniel said.
“What?””
“The trust your father established contains a provision that becomes relevant if someone attempts to transfer the property through fraud.””
My heartbeat quickened.
“What provision?””
“I don't want to speculate until I've reviewed the transaction. But I need you to tell me something honestly. Has Christopher ever asked you to sign blank documents?””
I thought back over the last year.
The paperwork Christopher brought home from his office. The envelopes he left beside my laptop. The forms he'd said were merely for tax purposes.
“Once,” I whispered.
“When?””
“About six months ago. He said he needed my signature on some insurance paperwork.””
“Did you sign?””
“I signed the last page. He told me the rest was standard.””
Daniel went quiet.
“Nora, listen to me. Do you still have those documents?””
“I don't know.””
“Look for them if it's safe. But don't confront him. And don't leave that house until we have a plan.””
I glanced at Harper.
“What if he tries to force me out?””
“Then he will have to explain to a judge why he's attempting to remove a postpartum mother and her newborn from a property she legally owns.””
For the first time that morning, I felt something other than exhaustion.
Hope.
A knock sounded at the bedroom door.
“Nora?”” Christopher called.
I didn't answer.
“I know you're in there. We need to talk.””
Daniel's voice sharpened through the phone.
“Don't open the door if you feel unsafe.””
Christopher knocked again.
“Your sister is coming over tomorrow. You can stay with her until you find something affordable.””
I stared at the door.
“My sister lives in Ohio,” I called back.
“You haven't spoken to her in three years.””
“Then perhaps it's time you called her.””
I heard Brenda laugh from the hallway.
“She'll be better off without you anyway.””
I walked to the door but kept the lock engaged.
“Christopher, who are the buyers?””
Silence.
Then he answered.
“That's not your concern.””
“Give me their names.””
“You're exhausting.””
“Names, Christopher.””
His voice dropped.
“Fine. Bennett Development Holdings.””
I froze.
“Your company?””
“It's a separate entity.””
“Who signed for the buyer?””
He didn't answer.
I heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway.
Daniel was still on the phone.
“Nora?””
“Did you hear that?””
“Yes.””
“Bennett Development Holdings bought my house.””
Daniel's voice became very quiet.
“That's not a buyer, Nora. That's a company controlled by Christopher.””
I gripped the phone.
“Can someone sell property to himself?””
“Not without the proper authority and documentation. And not by pretending the owner consented when she didn't.””
I looked at the folder on my bedside table.
“Then what happens now?””
“We establish the facts. We secure the records. And we make sure he can't move the property any further.””
I ended the call only after Daniel promised to contact the county recorder and prepare an emergency filing if the records supported it.
That night, Christopher didn't come to bed.
He slept in the guest room with Brenda, who'd apparently decided to stay indefinitely.
At two in the morning, I heard voices downstairs.
I got out of bed slowly, wrapped myself in a cardigan, and carried the baby monitor to the landing.
Their voices rose from the study.
“You said she would sign,” Brenda hissed.
“She was supposed to.””
“And now?””
“Now we make sure she doesn't get near the records.””
I pressed my hand against the banister.
Brenda spoke again.
“What about the original documents?””
“They're in the safe.””
“And the other thing?””
Christopher didn't answer immediately.
May you like
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“If Nora discovers what we did with her father's money, the house will be the least of our problems.””
