Chapter 4: The Money He Stole From Our Future
Savannah read the document a third time, hoping the words would somehow rearrange themselves into something harmless.
They didn't.
Her name appeared near the top, beside Brandon's, on a financial agreement connected to the house they had planned to purchase after their wedding.
Below that were figures she recognized.
Her savings.
The money she had accumulated over seven years of working as a marketing consultant, saving bonuses, taking extra projects, and refusing to spend beyond her means.
She had been proud of that money.
Not because it made her wealthy, but because it represented independence. Her mother had taught her never to enter a marriage believing love alone would protect her.
“Always know what belongs to you,” her mother used to say.
“And never sign something you don't understand.””
Savannah had followed that advice.
Until Brandon.
She looked at the signature at the bottom of the document.
It resembled his handwriting.
The sharp angle of the B.
The long, sweeping line beneath his surname.
But the signature wasn't the only thing that frightened her.
A clause near the bottom referenced a transfer of funds connected to a property transaction.
And beside that clause was a handwritten amount that matched nearly every dollar she had set aside for their future home.
Her throat tightened.
“Why is my money on this document?””
Brandon stood in front of her, his wedding suit suddenly looking too formal for the wreckage surrounding them.
“Savannah, I can explain.””
“Then explain.””
He glanced at Kelsey.
Savannah noticed.
“Stop looking at her,” she snapped.
“I'm asking you.””
Brandon swallowed.
“The house required a larger deposit than we expected.””
“I know how much the deposit was. I helped calculate it.””
“We were short.””
“We?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was short.””
Savannah stared at him.
That was the first honest sentence he had spoken since she discovered the affair.
“How much money did you need?””
He hesitated.
“Brandon.””
“About forty thousand dollars.””
Savannah felt a cold wave move through her.
Forty thousand dollars.
She had saved more than that for the house, but she had never agreed to let him use her money for anything beyond the purchase they had discussed together.
“You told me the deposit was covered.””
“I thought I could replace it.””
“Replace what?””
He looked at the document.
Savannah followed his gaze.
The amount marked beside the transfer was forty thousand dollars.
Her money.
Forty thousand dollars she had believed was safely sitting in an account reserved for their future.
She gripped the paper so tightly that it bent between her fingers.
“You took forty thousand dollars?””
“I borrowed it.””
“From whom?””
He stared at her.
“You.””
A bitter laugh escaped her.
“You didn't borrow it from me. I never gave it to you.””
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
“After we got married.””
Savannah shook her head.
There it was again.
After the wedding.
After she had promised to love him in front of everyone.
After she had legally tied her life to his.
After he believed she would be less likely to leave.
“Where is the money?””
Brandon looked away.
“It's not gone.””
“Then where is it?””
“I used some of it to cover expenses.””
“What expenses?””
He didn't answer.
Savannah turned toward Kelsey.
“Did you know about this?””
Kelsey looked stricken.
“Not until recently.””
“How recently?””
“About two weeks ago.””
Savannah's eyes narrowed.
“And you kept quiet?””
“I didn't know the details. Brandon said he was dealing with a financial problem.””
“A financial problem involving my savings?””
Kelsey began crying again.
“I should have told you.””
“Yes,” Savannah said.
“You should have.””
Brandon reached for the document.
“Let me take that. We can discuss this somewhere private.””
Savannah pulled it against her chest.
“No.””
“Savannah, please. There are things you don't understand.””
“Then help me understand.””
He took a deep breath.
“I had some business expenses.””
“What business?””
“An investment.””
“What investment?””
He hesitated.
She stared at him.
“Did you lose the money?””
His silence answered before he did.
Savannah closed her eyes.
For months, she had listened to Brandon talk about how they would furnish their new home.
He wanted a large kitchen.
She wanted a sunroom.
He wanted a garage.
She wanted a garden where she could grow roses.
They had debated paint colors, neighborhood schools, and whether they should adopt a dog before having children.
All those conversations had felt like promises.
Now she wondered whether he had been building a future with her or simply using her future to finance his mistakes.
“How much is left?”” she asked.
“I can recover it.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
“Savannah—”
“How much?””
He finally looked at her.
“About twelve thousand.””
The beach seemed to go silent.
She did the calculation automatically.
Forty thousand taken.
Twelve thousand remaining.
Twenty-eight thousand dollars missing.
She stared at him, unable to comprehend how someone could take that much from the person he claimed to love and still look her in the eyes every morning.
“You lost twenty-eight thousand dollars of my savings?””
“I didn't lose it all. Some of it went toward other expenses.””
“What other expenses?””
He looked at Kelsey again.
Savannah felt her stomach twist.
“Brandon.””
He lowered his head.
“Some of it went toward medical bills.””
Kelsey covered her mouth.
Savannah turned toward her.
“Your medical bills?””
Kelsey nodded faintly.
“I didn't know he was using your money.””
Savannah's heart hammered.
“Did you know he was paying for your appointments?””
“Not at first.””
“And when you found out?””
Kelsey looked down.
“I told him he needed to stop.””
“But you accepted the money.””
“I was scared about the baby.””
Savannah let out a trembling breath.
She could understand fear.
She could understand the terror of an unexpected pregnancy and the uncertainty of what came next.
But understanding Kelsey's fear didn't make the betrayal less cruel.
“You could have told me,” Savannah whispered.
“You could have told me anything.””
Kelsey cried harder.
“I know.””
“No. You don't. I would have helped you if you'd come to me honestly.
I might have been angry. I might have needed time. But I would never have wanted you to go through something frightening alone.””
She looked at Brandon.
“And you used my money to keep her quiet?””
“No!”” he said sharply.
The sudden force in his voice startled her.
He immediately softened.
“I wasn't trying to buy her silence.””
“Then why pay her bills secretly?””
“I was trying to take responsibility.””
“For your child?””
“Yes.””
Savannah nodded slowly.
“And what responsibility did you plan to take for me?””
He stared at her.
“What about the money you took? The wedding you let me plan? The life you promised me?””
“I was going to fix everything.””
“How?””
He had no answer.
Savannah looked at the document again.
At the figures.
At the signature.
At the language suggesting that the funds were connected to their shared property plans.
A new possibility occurred to her.
“Did you use my signature?””
Brandon went completely still.
Savannah's pulse began to race.
“Did you sign my name?””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
She held up the paper.
“This document says the transaction was authorized.””
“I handled the paperwork.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
He swallowed.
“I thought you would agree.””
“You thought I would agree to what?””
“To help me cover the investment.””
Savannah stared at him.
“So you submitted financial paperwork using my money without asking me?””
“I was going to explain.””
“After the wedding.””
He looked down.
She felt tears burning behind her eyes again, but this time anger held them back.
“You didn't just betray me with Kelsey. You made decisions about my money, my future, and my marriage without giving me the chance to choose.””
“I made mistakes.””
“You made choices.””
He stepped closer.
“Savannah, please. I can get the money back. I can end things with Kelsey. I can make sure the baby is taken care of without disrupting our marriage.””
She looked at him as though he had spoken in another language.
“Without disrupting our marriage?””
He nodded desperately.
“I know it sounds terrible, but I can fix it. We can still have the house. We can still have the life we planned.””
Savannah looked at the man who had once knelt before her with a ring and promised never to make her question her worth.
Then she looked at the money he had taken.
The woman he had betrayed her with.
The child he had hidden.
And the wedding that was supposed to begin their future.
“You still think this is about saving the wedding,” she whispered.
Brandon's face crumpled.
“I don't want to lose you.””
Savannah slipped the document into her small bridal bag.
“You should have thought about that before you decided my future belonged to you.””
She turned toward her father, who was waiting a short distance away.
“Dad, I need you.””
He came immediately.
He didn't ask questions.
He simply placed an arm around her shoulders.
Savannah leaned into him for one brief moment, allowing herself to feel the safety she had desperately needed.
Then she straightened.
“I'm not getting married today.””
Her father nodded once.
“Then you're not getting married today.””
Behind them, Brandon made a broken sound.
“Savannah, don't do this.””
She turned.
“You already did.””
She started walking away with her father.
But before they reached the ceremony area, Kelsey called out.
“Savannah, wait!””
Savannah stopped without turning.
Kelsey's voice trembled.
“There's one more thing about the money.””
Her father tightened his arm around Savannah.
Savannah slowly looked back.
Kelsey stood beside the floral wall, holding her phone against her chest.
“I found out where most of it went,” she whispered.
Brandon's expression changed.
“Don't.””
Kelsey looked at him through her tears.
“You told me she deserved the truth.””
Savannah's blood ran cold.
“Where did it go?””
Kelsey glanced toward Brandon.
Then she spoke the words that made his face turn white.
“He didn't lose all of it in an investment.””
May you like
She took a shaking breath.
“Some of that money went toward something he bought for himself.””
