Chapter 1 - The Injunction
My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Natalie’s words echoed in the small, silent apartment as my phone vibrated relentlessly in my hand.
"Caused what?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"The emergency injunction," she replied, staring at her screen.
"The judge signed it ten minutes ago."
"Every single one of Grant's accounts is now frozen."
"He just tried to wire the down payment for that commercial property."
"The transaction was declined, and the bank flagged him for suspicious activity."
I looked down at the caller ID flashing Grant's name.
He didn't just want me out of the house.
He needed me distracted and panicked so he could move his hidden assets offshore.
"Don't answer it," Natalie warned, moving to draw the blinds.
"Let him leave a voicemail so we have more evidence of his state of mind."
I watched the screen go dark, only for it to immediately light up again with a text message.
My hands shook as I opened it.
He wasn't angry, and there were no threats of canceling my credit cards.
Instead, it was a picture of my open bedroom safe.
The safe where I had kept the birth certificates, my passport, and the emergency cash I had saved.
I had emptied it this morning, packing everything into my purse before the dinner.
"Natalie," I gasped, dumping my purse onto the kitchen table.
My wallet was there.
The kids' birth certificates were there.
But my passport was gone.
Another text chimed.
Grant's message read: "Looking for this? Check the diaper bag in the trunk of the SUV."
May you like
The SUV that I had left parked in the driveway.
He had somehow switched the documents before the dinner even started.
