Chapter 9: The Money That Started Everything
I stared at the transfer record.
My name was there.
Emily Bennett.
The amount:
$75,000.
Date:
One day before my wedding to Richard.
I looked at him.
“I never received this.””
Richard looked confused.
“I know.””
“Then why is my name on it?””
Nobody answered.
Daniel examined the document.
“This transfer appears to be the beginning of everything.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She looked away.
That was enough.
“You know.””
She stayed silent.
“Vanessa.””
She finally looked at me.
“Yes.””
The word came quietly.
I felt numb.
“You knew about this money.””
“Yes.””
“And you never told me?””
She shrugged.
“I didn’t think it mattered.””
I almost couldn’t believe her.
“Seventy-five thousand dollars doesn’t matter?””
She looked frustrated.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“I don’t.””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“That money was part of a deal.””
Richard immediately looked at her.
“What deal?””
She smiled.
“The one you made.””
I turned to Richard.
He looked pale.
“Richard?””
He closed his eyes.
“I made a mistake.””
I felt my heart sink.
“What mistake?””
He looked at me.
“Before we married, I was trying to settle everything with Vanessa.””
“Everything?””
“Our divorce.””
“And?””
“And Chloe.””
I waited.
Richard swallowed.
“Vanessa wanted security.””
I laughed.
“So she got my money?””
“No.””
“Then whose?””
He didn’t answer.
Daniel did.
“The transfer originated from a joint investment account.””
Richard looked at him.
“That’s impossible.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No. It’s not.””
He showed another document.
“The account was connected to both Richard Bennett and Vanessa Carter.””
I stared at Richard.
“You had a joint account after divorce?””
“It was supposed to be temporary.””
“How temporary?””
He looked away.
“Until Chloe turned eighteen.””
My chest tightened.
“So when we married…”
“I closed it.””
“But?””
Daniel pointed at the records.
“The account wasn’t fully closed.””
Silence.
I looked at Vanessa.
“And you used it.””
She shook her head.
“I didn’t.””
Daniel interrupted.
“The withdrawals began shortly after the wedding.””
Everyone turned.
“To where?”” Richard asked.
Daniel looked at the records.
“Multiple accounts.””
He paused.
“Most connected to Chloe.””
Chloe gasped.
“What?””
I looked at her.
She looked terrified.
“I didn’t know.””
Again.
Those words.
I didn’t know.
I was starting to hate them.
Daniel continued.
“The money was moved slowly over several years.””
Richard stared at his daughter.
“Chloe?””
She shook her head.
“I swear.””
Brandon suddenly spoke.
“She’s telling the truth.””
Everyone looked at him.
He laughed bitterly.
“I know more than I wanted to.””
Richard stepped toward him.
“Explain.””
Brandon looked exhausted.
“Vanessa controlled everything.””
Vanessa’s face changed.
“Don’t.””
Brandon ignored her.
“She told Chloe that if she wanted the life she dreamed of, she needed access to family money.””
Chloe started crying.
“You told me it was normal.””
Vanessa looked at her daughter.
“It was.””
“No.””
Chloe shook her head.
“You told me Emily had more than enough.””
I closed my eyes.
That sentence hurt.
Because it revealed how they saw me.
Not as a person.
As a resource.
Richard looked at Vanessa with disgust.
“You poisoned your own daughter.””
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“I protected her.””
“No.””
His voice was cold.
“You taught her how to use people.””
Chloe broke down.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at her.
This time, she wasn’t crying because she was caught.
She was crying because she finally understood what she had become.
Daniel gathered the documents.
“There is still one unanswered question.””
Everyone looked at him.
“Who created the first forged signature?””
I frowned.
“The first?””
He nodded.
“The divorce filing, the business documents, and the transfer forms were all copies of an older forgery.””
Richard looked confused.
“What older forgery?””
Daniel pulled out a final document.
“This.””
He placed it on the table.
I looked down.
A signature.
My signature.
But not on a divorce paper.
Not on a bank form.
It was a document from six years ago.
The day before my wedding.
And the title at the top made my breath stop.
*Prenuptial Agreement Waiver.*
I looked at Richard.
“You told me we never signed one.””
His face went completely white.
May you like
Because he knew exactly what I was holding.
And he knew exactly who had created it.
