Chapter 4: The Secret Hidden in the Court Records
Margaret Ellis placed the court document on the champagne table, directly beside my wedding bouquet.
I stared at my name beneath the seal.
“What does it mean?”” I asked.
Margaret adjusted her glasses.
“It means the divorce proceedings were more complicated than the original filing suggested. There is a recorded financial claim associated with the separation, and the court never resolved it.””
Daniel's expression remained unreadable.
“What kind of claim?””
Margaret turned another page.
“An ownership interest in Brooks Innovations, the company that eventually became the foundation of Brooks Capital.””
My stomach dropped.
Brooks Innovations.
The name brought back the cramped apartment, the secondhand laptop, and the nights Daniel spent hunched over spreadsheets while I watched television alone.
He had started the company during our marriage.
At the time, I thought it was another one of his unrealistic projects.
“You told me I had no interest in your company,” I said.
Daniel looked at me.
“I told you I wasn't giving you ownership in a business you hadn't helped build.””
“That isn't what I remember.””
“Then perhaps you should read the agreement you signed.””
Margaret slid a copy toward me.
I recognized the signature immediately.
Mine.
The document stated that I had waived any voluntary claim to Daniel's business interests in exchange for a clean financial separation. But beneath the signature was a paragraph I had never noticed.
It referenced a separate investment contribution.
My investment contribution.
“I put money into your company?”” I whispered.
“You transferred money from our joint savings account to cover its initial expenses,” Daniel replied.
“You insisted it was a loan. I insisted it was an investment. We never resolved the disagreement.””
I remembered that argument.
We had been sitting at the kitchen table, a stack of overdue bills between us. Daniel had asked for twelve thousand dollars to pay a software developer and keep the company operating for another month.
I had cried.
He had promised to repay me.
Then I had transferred the money.
“You said you'd pay me back,” I reminded him.
“I also offered to document your ownership interest. You refused because you wanted the money returned immediately.””
“Because we needed it!””
“I know.””
His answer was quiet, almost unbearably gentle.
Margaret cleared her throat.
“The difficulty is that the funds were transferred from a joint account. Without a final settlement and a clear accounting, the legal status of that contribution may require review.””
I gripped the table.
“How much could I be entitled to?””
Daniel's gaze sharpened.
“That's your first question?””
I felt heat crawl up my neck.
“No. I mean—”
“You spent years telling people I was a failure. Tonight, you called me worthless in front of two hundred guests. Now you're asking how much money you might receive from my company.””
“I didn't know!””
“Exactly.””
Ryan returned before I could answer.
His tie hung loose around his collar, and his face looked exhausted. He stopped when he saw Margaret.
“Please tell me there's a way to fix this.””
Margaret closed her folder.
“Mr. Mitchell, I recommend that you and Emily obtain independent legal advice. We cannot determine the validity of your marriage without reviewing the applicable records and circumstances.””
Ryan looked at me.
“Did you know the divorce wasn't final?””
“No.””
“Did you ever check?””
I lowered my eyes.
“No.””
He laughed once, without humor.
“We booked a wedding venue, sent invitations, hired a photographer, and signed a marriage license. Not once did you think to verify that the first marriage had legally ended?””
“I trusted my lawyer.””
“Then where was the final decree?””
I had no answer.
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
“My employer has just been acquired by your ex-husband, and now I find out my marriage may be legally complicated because you couldn't finish a divorce four years ago.””
“Ryan, please don't make this about your job.””
He stared at me.
“My job? Emily, Daniel is the person conducting your interview on Monday. He is also the person who will determine whether my current role survives the acquisition. You humiliated him in front of every important person in this room.””
Daniel interrupted.
“Ryan, your position will be evaluated on its merits. I won't punish you for your wife's conduct.””
Ryan looked embarrassed.
“I appreciate that, sir.””
“Don't thank me yet. You still have a company to help integrate.””
Margaret's phone vibrated. She checked the screen, then turned to Daniel.
“There's another matter. Mr. Whitmore's office has confirmed that the original correspondence came from Emily's account. They also sent the attached note.””
Daniel's face changed.
“What note?””
Margaret handed him a printed email.
He read it in silence.
Then he looked at me.
“Emily, did you ever meet Richard Whitmore in person?””
I shook my head.
“No. Why?””
“Because he says someone came to his office shortly after receiving your letter.””
I felt a chill run down my arms.
“Who?””
Daniel turned the page around.
There was a handwritten visitor log attached to the email.
A date.
A time.
And a name.
Jessica Moore.
My maid of honor.
I stared at the paper.
“That can't be right.””
Ryan frowned.
“Jessica? Your best friend?””
“She didn't know Daniel's investor.””
Margaret spoke carefully.
“Mr. Whitmore remembers a woman asking him to reconsider funding Brooks Innovations. He says she presented herself as someone who knew the company personally.””
Daniel folded the paper.
“And she apparently left him with information he couldn't verify.””
I shook my head.
“No. Jessica wouldn't do that.””
But a memory surfaced before I could stop it.
Jessica sitting across from me in a coffee shop four years earlier, asking whether Daniel's company was about to receive a major investment.
I had told her everything.
Every fear.
Every accusation.
Every private detail of our marriage.
I'd trusted her because she had been my closest friend.
Daniel watched my expression.
“You seem to remember something.””
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“Jessica was trying to protect me.””
“Perhaps.””
His phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, then answered.
“Brooks.””
A pause.
His face went completely still.
“What do you mean she has the original?””
My fingers went numb.
Daniel listened for several seconds before ending the call.
Then he looked at me.
“Jessica just contacted my office. She says she has evidence that could settle the ownership dispute.””
I swallowed.
“What evidence?””
Daniel slipped his phone into his pocket.
“She says you gave her the original agreement before our separation.””
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Because I remembered exactly where I had put that agreement.
And I knew Jessica had never returned it.
