I thanked her.
After the call, I found Ethan watching me.
“Was that your lawyer?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head.
“You’re really doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“Destroying our marriage.”
I looked at him.
“Ethan, you tried to use my house to borrow three hundred and twenty thousand dollars without my consent.”
“I was going to fix it.”
“You used my signature.”
“I didn’t forge anything.”
“Then show me the original document you claim I signed.”
He looked away.
“It’s with the lender.”
“Then we’ll request it.”
He rubbed his temples.
“Claire, I made a mistake.”
“A mistake is forgetting to pay a bill. A mistake is buying the wrong groceries. You don’t accidentally submit a financial application using your wife’s property and a questionable authorization document.”
“I was under pressure.”
“From your mother?”
He didn’t answer.
I sat across from him.
“Tell me the truth. Did you ever intend to tell me?”
He stared at his hands.
“I thought I could get everything sorted out before you found out.”
I felt a bitter smile form.
“So you planned to surprise me with a debt attached to my house.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Neither was what you did.”
He stood up.
“I love you.”
I looked at him for a long moment.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you make decisions that could have cost me the one thing I worked my entire life to build?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I continued.
“Why did you let your mother believe she owned my home?”
“Because it made her feel comfortable.”
“Why did you let her insult me in my own kitchen?”
“I didn’t want conflict.”
“Why did you let her hit my brother?”
He lowered his head.
“I didn’t know what to do.”
I stared at him.
“You knew exactly what to do. You just didn’t want to upset her.”
He sat down.
For the first time, he looked genuinely defeated.
“Claire, please. I don’t want to lose you.”
I felt tears forming, but I refused to let them fall.
“You already lost the person who trusted you.”
Three days later, I received an unexpected visit.
It was Richard Cole.
Diane’s brother.
He stood outside my townhouse holding a leather folder.
“I think we should talk.”
I looked at him through the doorway.
“About what?”
“Ethan.”
“I have a lawyer.”
“This isn’t a legal discussion.”
“Then what is it?”
He glanced toward the street.
“Can I come inside?”
“No.”
He seemed surprised.
“Claire, I know you’re upset.”
“I’m not interested in discussing my feelings.”
He exhaled.
“Fine. I’ll get straight to the point. The business arrangement has fallen apart.”
I stared at him.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Ethan has made some mistakes.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Richard opened his folder.
“There are documents we need to recover.”
I didn’t move.
“What documents?”
“Original financial records. Some company paperwork. A few signed authorizations.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Why would those documents be in my house?”
“Ethan said he kept some of them in the study.”
I looked at him.
“Did you know about the loan application?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Did you know my signature was on it?”
He looked uncomfortable.
“I was told everything was authorized.”
“By whom?”
“Ethan.”
I nodded.
“Did you know I had never agreed to it?”
He didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
I started to close the door.
“Wait.”
He stepped forward.
“There’s something you need to know.”
I stopped.
“What?”
“Diane didn’t just owe two hundred and forty thousand dollars.”
I stared at him.
“How much did she owe?”
“Closer to four hundred thousand.”
I felt my heart sink.
“Four hundred thousand?”
He nodded.
“Some of it was personal borrowing. Some was related to the business. There were private lenders involved.”
I slowly opened the door again.
“Why did Ethan tell me two hundred and forty thousand?”
“Because he didn’t want you to panic.”
I almost laughed.
“Of course.”
Richard looked toward the street again.
“There’s another problem.”
“What?”
“The lenders have started contacting people connected to the business.”
I folded my arms.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because your address is on the company registration.”
“My name is not on the company.”
“No, but your property is listed as the mailing address.”
“And?”
“And some people may come looking for Diane.”
I stared at him.
“Then you should tell Diane to change her address.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is for me.”
I closed the door.
Before I could lock it, Richard called out:
“Claire, you need to check the storage room.”
I froze.
“What?”
“The storage room. Ethan kept a box there.”
“What box?”
“I don’t know exactly. But I saw him put documents inside it.”
Then Richard walked away.
I stood at the door for several seconds.
