Chapter 9: The Divorce Trap
The word felt impossible.
Divorce.
After everything we had discovered, I thought we had already reached the worst part.
I was wrong.
My father stared at the papers like they were written in another language.
“Denise filed for divorce?””
Thomas nodded.
“Yesterday.””
I looked at the date.
The same day I found my apartment.
The same day my father discovered the rent money.
She had planned for this.
My father slowly sat down.
“She knew.””
I understood immediately.
“She knew you would find out.””
Thomas nodded.
“She likely filed before confronting the situation.””
My father looked confused.
“Why?””
The attorney pointed at the documents.
“Because she may be trying to protect whatever she already moved.””
I felt anger burning.
“She was going to leave.””
“No,” my father said quietly.
We looked at him.
“She wasn’t leaving.””
He looked at the papers.
“She was escaping.””
The realization hit all of us.
Denise wasn’t surprised when we found out.
She was ready.
That was why she wasn’t begging.
That was why she wasn’t apologizing.
She had another plan.
My father called his bank immediately.
Within an hour, we learned something worse.
Several accounts had been frozen.
Not because of fraud.
Because Denise had filed claims during the divorce process.
She was trying to legally control the money.
My father sat in silence after the call ended.
“She’s trying to make me prove what belongs to me.””
I looked at him.
“She thought you would never fight back.””
He nodded.
“She was right.””
The sadness in his voice hurt more than anger.
Because my father wasn’t angry at losing money.
He was angry that he had ignored the signs.
When we returned home, Denise was there.
She stood in the driveway.
Waiting.
My first instinct was to walk away.
But my father stepped forward.
“What are you doing here?””
She looked at him.
“We need to talk.””
“You filed for divorce.””
Her expression didn’t change.
“I did what I had to do.””
My father laughed softly.
“No. You did what you planned to do.””
She looked at me.
“This is because of him.””
I almost couldn’t believe it.
After everything.
She still blamed me.
“My son had nothing to do with your choices.””
“He came back and changed everything.””
My father shook his head.
“No.””
He stepped closer.
“You were already doing this before he came home.””
For a moment, Denise said nothing.
Then she smiled.
A small, cold smile.
“You really think you know everything.””
My father’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
She looked at the house.
Then at him.
“You should ask your son where he was before he moved back.””
I froze.
“What?””
My father looked confused.
“What are you talking about?””
Denise picked up her purse.
“Ask him.””
She walked toward her car.
I stared after her.
“Dad, I don’t know what she means.””
But he wasn’t looking at me.
He was watching Denise leave.
Because something about her confidence scared him.
That night, after we returned inside, my father asked the question.
The one I never expected.
“Marcus.””
I looked up.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“Before you came home…”
A pause.
“Why did you really leave college?””
My heart sank.
Because suddenly, I realized Denise wasn’t just attacking my father.
She was attacking me too.
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And somehow…
She knew a secret I had never told him.
