Chapter 4: The Price Of Taking What Wasn’t Yours
The next hour was the first time I saw Diane afraid.
Not embarrassed.
Not angry.
Afraid.
She sat at my kitchen table, gripping her coffee cup with both hands.
The same woman who had pointed at my door the night before couldn’t even look me in the eye.
Eric stood by the window.
“Claire, we can fix this.””
I looked at him.
“Can we?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because there was no easy answer.
“You lied to me,” I said.
“I was trying to help my family.””
“No. You were trying to avoid disappointing them.””
His shoulders dropped.
That was the truth he didn’t want.
Diane suddenly spoke.
“You are destroying this family.””
I turned toward her.
“No, Diane.””
I placed the documents on the table.
“I’m protecting myself from people who thought they could take whatever they wanted.””
She stood up.
“You think you’re better than us?””
“No.””
I looked at her calmly.
“I think I deserve respect.””
She laughed bitterly.
“You always had an attitude.””
“And you always had a plan.””
Her expression changed.
“What does that mean?””
I opened another file.
“The bank records.””
Eric looked confused.
“What bank records?””
“The transfers.””
His face went pale.
“What transfers?””
I watched him understand.
Slowly.
Painfully.
“You checked?””
“I found money leaving our accounts.””
Diane looked at Eric.
“Tell her.””
I looked between them.
“Tell me what?””
Eric stayed silent.
And that silence was louder than any confession.
“You were paying her bills.””
“It wasn’t like that.””
“How was it?””
“She needed help.””
“How much?””
He didn’t answer.
I placed the printed records on the table.
“Twenty-eight thousand dollars.””
Diane immediately said:
“That was family money.””
I laughed.
“Family money?””
I looked at Eric.
“Our money?””
He looked ashamed.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
Another silence.
“After it was gone?””
Eric sat down.
For the first time, he looked like a man who understood he had lost control.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
“Hello?””
His expression changed.
“What?””
Everyone looked at him.
He stood slowly.
“They canceled the loan.””
Diane’s eyes widened.
“What loan?””
Eric looked at her.
“The one for Kyle’s motorcycle business.””
Kyle stopped moving.
“What?””
Eric stared at him.
“You said you were paying it yourself.””
Kyle looked away.
The room changed.
Suddenly, everyone was discovering secrets.
Everyone except me.
Because I had already found mine.
Kyle grabbed his jacket.
“This is ridiculous.””
“Where are you going?”” Diane asked.
“Out.””
“You can’t leave now!””
He looked at her.
“You said everything was handled.””
Diane’s face went blank.
And that was when I realized something.
She hadn’t moved in because she needed help.
She moved in because she thought Eric would protect her.
And Eric protected everyone except the person standing beside him.
Me.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from my attorney.
I opened it.
One sentence.
My heart stopped.
Because there was one more thing I didn’t know.
The trust protected my house.
But the investigation had uncovered something else.
Something Eric had been hiding.
I looked at him.
“Eric.””
He turned.
“Yes?””
I held up my phone.
May you like
“Why did your name appear on a property transfer document from last year?””
His face went completely white.
