Chapter 7: The Signature That Wasn't His
David didn't sleep that night.
At 2:13 a.m., he sat alone in his home office, staring at the loan application Christopher Bennett had described. The house was silent except for the ticking clock on the wall and the occasional creak of the floorboards upstairs.
On his desk lay three documents.
The first was Jasmine's scholarship statement, showing the $18,600 that had disappeared.
The second was the loan application bearing what appeared to be David's signature.
The third was the lease agreement for the apartment Jessica had intended to rent.
Together, they told a story David had never imagined his wife was capable of creating.
He picked up the loan application again.
The document listed his annual income, the estimated value of their house, and details about his employment. All of it was accurate.
That made the signature even more disturbing.
Someone had taken the time to gather his financial information, reproduce his signature, and submit a loan application without his knowledge.
And according to Christopher Bennett, Jessica had intended to leave with Cameron once the money became available.
David rubbed his eyes.
He had to be careful. He couldn't afford to let anger dictate his next move. If he accused Jessica without securing the records, she might destroy evidence or attempt to move more money.
He opened his email and wrote to Bennett.
Please send me copies of every document you are legally able to provide concerning the loan application, the $3,200 payment, and any agreements involving Jessica Carter. Do not alter or destroy any records.
Then he forwarded the suspicious application to his bank and requested that the relevant accounts be reviewed for unauthorized activity.
He didn't know whether the signature constituted forgery under the applicable law, and he wasn't going to make that determination himself. But he knew it was serious enough to require professional investigation.
At 6:30 a.m., he heard Jasmine moving around upstairs.
He went to the kitchen and found her standing beside the coffee machine, wearing the same university sweatshirt she had worn the previous day.
She looked exhausted.
“Morning, Dad.””
“Morning, sweetheart.””
She reached for a mug.
“Did you sleep?””
“A little.””
She gave him a look that made it clear she didn't believe him.
“What's happening?””
David considered telling her everything immediately. But he didn't want to burden her with every detail before he understood what it meant for her.
“There are signs that Jessica planned to move out before the scholarship money disappeared,” he said.
“I'm getting advice and checking the records.””
Jasmine's hand froze around the mug.
“She was going to leave?””
“It appears that way.””
“With Cameron?””
“That's what the documents suggest, but I haven't confirmed every detail.””
Jasmine stared at the coffee machine.
“So she was planning to leave, and she took my money first.””
David moved closer.
“We're still establishing exactly what happened. But whatever her intentions were, your scholarship will not be abandoned.””
Jasmine nodded slowly.
Then she asked something that caught him off guard.
“Do you think she ever planned to tell me?””
David had no answer.
At eight o'clock, Jessica came downstairs dressed for work. She carried her handbag and wore a pale blue blouse that David had bought her for their anniversary.
She looked perfectly composed.
“Good morning,” she said, as though nothing had happened.
David sat at the kitchen island with a folder beside him.
“We need to talk.””
Jessica stopped.
“David, I have an appointment.””
“Cancel it.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“You don't get to order me around.””
“Then stay long enough to answer a few questions.””
She glanced at Jasmine.
“Can we have this conversation privately?””
“No,” David replied.
“Not when it concerns money taken from her.””
Jessica put down her handbag.
“Fine. What now?””
David slid a copy of the loan application across the counter.
Jessica looked at it.
For a moment, her expression remained blank.
Then the color drained from her face.
“Where did you get this?””
“That's not the question.””
She picked up the document and scanned the first page.
“You had no right to obtain my private financial information.””
“Why is my signature on a loan application I never signed?””
Jessica's fingers tightened around the paper.
“I can explain that.””
“I'm listening.””
She looked at Jasmine.
“Not in front of her.””
David's voice became colder.
“You had no problem taking her money in front of nobody. You had no problem telling her to figure something else out. You had no problem putting our financial information on a loan application without asking me. You don't get to decide who can hear the truth now.””
Jessica's lips trembled.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
“After everything was settled.””
“After you'd moved out?””
She looked down.
David felt the last fragile piece of trust between them begin to crumble.
“You were going to leave without telling me.””
“I thought it would be easier.””
“For whom?””
Jessica wiped her eyes.
“For everyone.””
Jasmine let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh.
“Everyone? You thought it would be easier for me to lose my scholarship, too?””
Jessica turned toward her.
“I wasn't trying to hurt you, Jasmine.””
“Then why didn't you ask me?””
“Because I knew you'd say no!””
The words escaped before Jessica could stop them.
Silence filled the kitchen.
Jasmine stared at her stepmother.
“Of course I would have said no. It was my money.””
Jessica pressed her hands against her forehead.
“I was desperate.””
David tapped the application.
“Did you sign my name?””
Jessica didn't answer.
“Jessica. Did you sign my name?””
She looked at him, tears running down her cheeks.
“I thought I could repay the loan before you ever knew about it.””
“That isn't an answer.””
“I signed it.””
Jasmine covered her mouth.
David remained motionless.
“Did you tell the lender I had agreed to the application?””
Jessica nodded.
“Did you use my personal information without permission?””
“I had access to the household documents.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“Yes,” she whispered.
David stood and walked to the window.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak. He had trusted this woman with his home, his family, and years of his life.
She had used that trust to make financial decisions in his name.
And when the situation became difficult, she had taken money from his daughter.
“I'm contacting an attorney,” he said finally.
“The lender and the bank will need to determine what happened with the application and the transfers. I'm not going to cover this up.””
Jessica's head snapped up.
“You can't do that!””
“I can seek legal advice about protecting myself and my daughter.””
“You'll ruin my life!””
David turned toward her.
“You were willing to jeopardize Jasmine's education and my financial security to protect yourself. Why should I pretend that didn't happen?””
Jessica's voice rose.
“Because I'm your wife!””
“And what does that mean to you? That I should ignore everything you've done?””
She looked at Jasmine.
“Please, sweetheart. Tell your father this has gone too far.””
Jasmine slowly lowered her hand.
“Don't call me sweetheart.””
Jessica froze.
“You're angry. I understand that.””
“No,” Jasmine said.
“You don't understand anything.””
Her voice shook, but she kept speaking.
“When I got my scholarship, I thought you were proud of me. I thought you finally saw me as part of this family. You hugged me and told me I deserved it.””
Jessica's face crumpled.
“I was proud of you.””
“Then why did you take it?””
“Because I needed the money!””
“And I needed it, too!””
Jasmine's voice broke.
“I needed it to go to college. I needed it to buy my books. I needed it to have a chance at the future I've been working toward since I was a child.””
She wiped her cheeks.
“You didn't just take money from me. You took away the feeling that I was safe in my own home.””
Jessica reached for her.
Jasmine stepped back.
“Don't touch me.””
David moved beside his daughter.
Jessica stood alone in the kitchen.
For the first time, she seemed to realize that tears and explanations weren't enough to undo what she had done.
Then her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen and immediately declined the call.
David noticed the name.
Christopher Bennett.
“Answer it,” he said.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because I don't want to talk to him.””
“Then put the call on speaker.””
Jessica clutched the phone.
“You have no right to control my calls!””
The phone rang again.
This time, a message appeared on the screen.
Jessica read it.
Her face went white.
David held out his hand.
“Let me see.””
She shook her head.
“Jessica.””
With trembling fingers, she turned the screen toward him.
The message was short.
*The original file is no longer secure. Someone else has requested a copy. Call me immediately.*
David looked at the message, then at his wife.
“Who else has requested the file?””
Jessica's eyes filled with fresh tears.
“I don't know.””
But David could see the truth in her face.
May you like
She was afraid of something beyond the scholarship money.
And whatever it was, it had just begun to unravel.
