Chapter 2 - The Money Trail
My breath caught in my throat as I stared at my own stolen signature.
Daniel was using my excellent credit score to secure a luxury home for his pregnant mistress.
I quickly pulled my cell phone from my damp purse.
My hands were shaking so violently I almost dropped it on the floor.
I opened my camera app and began taking crystal clear photos of the laptop screen.
I photographed the forged lease agreement first.
Then I scrolled back up and took pictures of every single confession, every romantic promise, and every financial transfer he had sent her.
I realized I needed to check our joint bank accounts immediately.
I opened a new tab on his browser and navigated to our primary banking portal.
His password was auto-saved on the computer.
I clicked login and watched the dashboard load.
My heart plummeted into my stomach.
The savings account we had built specifically for our daughter's delivery and emergency fund was completely drained.
I clicked on the transaction history.
Thousands of dollars had been withdrawn over the last few months.
There were direct transfers to Chloe's checking account.
There were massive payments to a high-end baby boutique downtown.
While Daniel had been lecturing me about sticking to a strict budget, he was funding her lavish lifestyle.
He had even suggested we buy a used stroller to save a few hundred dollars.
By the time I finished tallying the unauthorized transfers, the total had surpassed fifteen thousand dollars.
I heard the distinct sound of a car door slamming in the driveway.
Daniel was home.
Panic surged through my veins like ice water.
I quickly closed the banking tab and minimized the chat window.
I turned off the laptop screen, plunging the office back into darkness.
I grabbed my purse and hurried into the kitchen, pretending to pour myself a glass of water.
The front door unlocked and Daniel walked in, shaking the rain from his expensive coat.
He looked surprised to see me home so early.
He smiled his perfect, charming smile and walked over to kiss my forehead.
He asked how my day was, acting like the most loving husband in the world.
I forced myself to smile back and told him I just had a slight headache.
He wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace.
As he held me, his suit jacket pressed tightly against my chest.
I could feel a small, hard object hidden inside his inner breast pocket.
It felt exactly like a velvet jewelry box.
He kissed my cheek and whispered that he had a special surprise planned for me later.
But as he pulled away, a small paper receipt slipped out of his pocket and fluttered to the kitchen floor.
I stepped on it quickly, hiding it beneath my shoe before he could notice.
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When he finally went upstairs to change his clothes, I slid my foot back and picked up the paper.
It was a receipt from a luxury jeweler for a diamond engagement ring, sized for a woman with much smaller fingers than mine.
