Chapter 4

Alexis lowered her voice and warned, "Move. Don't make me call security."

I gripped the doorframe. "Give me my ID and my mother's bracelet, and I'll leave right now."

Molly walked out of the living room without a trace of panic on her face. "Recording us won't help you. We were just organizing documents. Nothing we said shows that we're trying to take what's yours."

She opened the safe and took out a folder. "If you want them, sign this first."

The agreement was four pages long. I only read the first clause, and my blood ran cold.

It stated, "Emmett Selcer acknowledges that the down payment on the marital home was a personal gift to Alexis Lomb."

The second clause stated that I would waive my right to any division of marital assets. The third said I would assume full responsibility for any accidents that occurred while caring for Robert.

The final clause required me to withdraw my divorce lawsuit.

"Sign it, and I'll give you the bracelet and your ID." Alexis placed a pen on the table. "I'm not going to leave you with nowhere to go. I'll give you five thousand dollars every month, and Vincent's insurance will be reinstated."

I asked, "What is this supposed to be?"

She replied, "Divorce compensation."

I found it ridiculous. "You're using my money and my house to compensate me?"

Molly sneered. "You just took care of Robert for a few years. Do you think you're some kind of selfless hero just because you did that? A live-in caregiver only makes about four thousand a month. You ate and lived under our roof. We didn't even charge you for that. We've been more than generous."

I looked at Alexis. "Do you think so too?"

She avoided my eyes. "Things were bound to get ugly when you turned a marriage into a financial transaction. You're the one who took us down this road."

My phone suddenly rang. It was Dad's neighbor.

"Em, your dad fell down the stairs. He can't move his leg. The ambulance is already here."

I turned to leave immediately, but Alexis grabbed my arm. "You haven't signed the agreement."

Anxiously, I said, "Dad is injured."

"You can't treat him yourself, even if you go there." She pressed the pen into my hand. Her voice was calm and almost gentle. "Sign it, and I'll restore your card immediately. I can take care of the hospital deposit and surgery costs."

I pulled free from her grasp. "He doesn't need you to take care of his treatment."

Alexis taunted, "Then, how are you going to pay for it?"

She picked up my ID and casually waved it between her fingers. "Without your ID, you can't even withdraw money from the bank."

I stared at her.

This was the woman who had shared my bed for seven years. She knew every one of my weaknesses, which meant she never needed to draw blood to hurt me.

My neighbor was still urging me through the phone. "The doctor thinks it might be a hip fracture. You need to get here."

I reached for the pen.

Alexis finally relaxed. "That's more like it. There's no need to let outsiders decide what happens in our marriage."

Just before the tip of the pen touched the paper, I asked, "Where's the bracelet?"

Molly took it from her purse and casually placed it on the corner of the table. One of the gold beads had been slightly crushed, and there was a deep scratch across the surface.

"How did it get damaged?" I asked.

Molly frowned and answered impatiently, "They scratched it during the appraisal. It doesn't affect its wearability."

I ran my fingers over the scratch without saying anything.

Alexis urged, "Sign it."

I picked up the agreement and tore it straight down the middle in front of her.

Once. Twice. All four pages fell to the floor in pieces.

Molly shrieked, "Have you lost your mind, Emmett?"

I slipped the slightly misshapen gold bracelet back onto my wrist and said, "If you won't give me my ID, I'll call the police."

Alexis' expression turned frigid. "Fine."

She threw my ID onto the floor. "Walk out that door today, and don't ever come crawling back to me."

I bent down and picked up my ID.

Just as I reached the doorway, I received a photo on my phone. A court clerk had sent me supplementary documents and was asking whether the signature on them was mine.

It was a consent form for a mortgage. The property being mortgaged was the marital home where Alexis and I had lived for seven years. In the section for the spouse's signature, two neat words had been written—Emmett Selcer.

However, on the date shown at the bottom, I'd been out of town with Robert for his rehabilitation treatment.

I turned the phone toward Alexis. "Who signed this?"

She glanced at it once and quickly composed her expression. "I had someone sign it for you."

I asked in disbelief, "You forged my signature?"

Alexis replied defensively, "The loan was just for cash flow. As long as the payments are made on time, what's the problem?"

I pressed, "Where did the money go?"

Molly hurriedly cut in, "Alexis, don't explain yourself to him."

I looked down at the loan amount and saw that it was 3.8 million dollars. The day after the loan was disbursed, a waterfront condo was purchased in full. The buyer was Wesley Leach.

Right away, I called the police.

Alexis lunged forward and tried to snatch my phone. "Emmett, it was just a document signed on your behalf. This is between us as husband and wife. Do you really have to take this to the police?"

The call had already connected.

I stepped back and gave them the address. "I want to report a crime. Someone forged my signature, mortgaged our marital home, and transferred my marital assets away."