Chapter 4: The Signature That Wasn't Mine
I didn't sleep that night.
Piper and Poppy were finally resting in their hotel cribs, but I sat beside the window with my laptop open, staring at the photograph Rebecca had sent me.
My signature.
My name.
My house.
Everything looked legitimate until I noticed one tiny detail.
The signature was dated three weeks after I had given birth.
I remembered that day perfectly.
Piper had developed a fever. Poppy had refused to take her bottle. I'd spent six hours in the pediatric emergency department, holding both babies while a nurse checked their temperatures.
I hadn't signed anything.
I hadn't even left the hospital.
At 8:17 the following morning, I called an attorney named Sarah Mitchell, whose number a friend had given me months earlier when I was updating my estate documents.
She answered on the second ring.
"Emily? What's going on?""
"I think my husband forged my signature.""
There was silence.
Then Sarah said, "Don't confront him yet.""
I swallowed.
"He's already trying to sell our house.""
"Then we need to establish exactly what he's done before he has another opportunity to move money.""
By ten o'clock, I was sitting in Sarah's office with Piper sleeping in her carrier and Poppy lying across my lap.
Sarah examined the documents on her computer.
"Who sent you this?""
"My husband's girlfriend's wife.""
Sarah stopped scrolling.
"His girlfriend's wife?""
I gave her a tired smile.
"It's been a complicated week.""
She didn't laugh.
Instead, she enlarged the signature.
"Emily, this document appears to authorize Tyler to transfer your ownership interest. But I see a problem.""
"What?""
"The notary information.""
She pointed to a small stamp near the bottom.
"This notary's commission number belongs to someone in Jacksonville. The document says it was signed in Miami.""
"Could that be normal?""
"Not impossible. But the notary's name is listed as Daniel Price. I checked the commission record before you arrived. His license expired eleven months ago.""
My stomach tightened.
"So the document is fake?""
"Potentially fraudulent. We'll need the original and confirmation from the notary, but this is enough to raise serious concerns.""
She printed a copy.
Then she asked, "Did Tyler have access to your personal identification?""
I thought about our bedroom.
The small fireproof box in the closet.
Our passports.
Our marriage certificate.
The folder containing my birth certificate and Social Security information.
"Yes.""
Sarah leaned forward.
"Did he ever ask you to send him copies of your identification while he was aboard the ship?""
I remembered a conversation from two months earlier.
Tyler had called me during the evening.
"Hey, babe. Can you send me a picture of your driver's license?""
"Why?""
"Company paperwork. They're updating emergency contact information.""
I had sent it without questioning him.
Sarah wrote something down.
"That's important.""
My phone buzzed.
A message from Tyler.
We need to talk. I'm coming home tomorrow. Don't involve lawyers in this.
Sarah read it over my shoulder.
"He's not coming into your home without your permission.""
I looked at her.
"He still has a key.""
"Then we'll address that.""
Before I could respond, another notification appeared.
This one was from my bank.
<text weight="semibold" color="danger">Unusual account activity detected.</text>
I opened the alert.
A transfer request for $42,000 had been initiated from our joint savings account.
The recipient was an unfamiliar business.
*V. Sterling Consulting LLC.*
I stared at the screen.
"Sarah?""
She looked up.
I turned my laptop toward her.
She read the notification twice.
"Call your bank. Now.""
I made the call.
The representative confirmed that Tyler had initiated the transfer using his authorized login credentials.
Fortunately, the bank had flagged the transaction for additional verification.
I requested an immediate freeze on outgoing transfers.
Then Sarah asked me to forward the alert.
"Do you recognize that company?"" she asked.
I shook my head.
"No.""
She searched the business registry.
A moment later, her expression changed.
"Emily, I think you should see this.""
She turned her monitor toward me.
The registered owner of V. Sterling Consulting LLC was Vanessa Sterling.
Tyler's girlfriend.
I felt sick.
Sarah clicked another record.
The business had been established only four months earlier.
Its registered mailing address was a private mailbox in Fort Lauderdale.
And its listed business activity was property investment consulting.
"Why would Tyler send her forty-two thousand dollars?"" I whispered.
Sarah didn't answer.
She was looking at a different document.
A corporate filing.
The company had recently acquired an interest in a property.
My property.
My house.
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
"How is that possible?""
Sarah enlarged the document.
"Because someone appears to have entered into a private agreement involving your home.""
Then she looked directly at me.
"Emily, I don't think Tyler was planning to leave you after his cruise assignment.""
She paused.
"I think he was preparing to leave with your money.""
My phone rang.
Tyler.
This time, I answered and put it on speaker.
"Emily," he said, sounding irritated.
"Where are you?""
"Why did you try to send Vanessa forty-two thousand dollars?""
Silence.
Then he said, "Who told you that?""
I looked at Sarah.
"Does it matter?""
Tyler's voice dropped.
"Listen carefully. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.""
I felt my fingers tighten around the phone.
"Then explain it.""
He exhaled.
"Vanessa and I were supposed to start over. But there's a reason she approached me in the first place.""
My heart began pounding.
"What reason?""
He hesitated.
May you like
Then he said, "Because she knew something about your family.""
And before I could ask what he meant, the call disconnected.
