Chapter 2 - The Tracker
I stared at her, my blood running cold as the implication of her words set in.
"A GPS tracker?" I repeated.
Vanessa tossed the piece of paper onto the hotel bed.
It was a printed log of my vehicle's coordinates, detailing every place I had been for the last ninety days.
"Daniel is a lot of things, but he isn't stupid," Vanessa sneered.
"He knew you were getting tired of footing the bill for our lifestyle."
She walked toward the window and looked out at the rainy Portland skyline.
"He wanted to make sure he knew exactly where you were hiding when you finally snapped."
I felt a sickening wave of betrayal wash over me.
The man I had supported through near-bankruptcy had been treating me like a flight risk.
"What do you want, Vanessa?" I demanded.
She turned to face me, her eyes hardening into dark, greedy slits.
"I want you to turn the credit cards back on," she ordered.
"Ethan and Lily called me crying, and I do not have the time to deal with their financial problems."
I let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"They are your children," I reminded her.
"They made it very clear that you are the only mother they recognize."
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"You have twenty-four hours to reinstate the tuition and the insurance," she threatened.
"If you don't, Daniel is going to the bank to call in the second mortgage."
My brow furrowed in confusion.
"There is no second mortgage on our house," I said firmly.
Vanessa smiled a terrible, victorious smile.
May you like
"There is as of last week," she whispered.
"And Daniel forged your signature to get it."
