Chapter 4

Once I had gathered all the evidence, I went back to Simon.

He laid out my credit reports, the property records, and the supporting evidence Kristin could provide, one document at a time.

“Mike, your entire case comes down to one thing: proving that you didn’t sign those documents.”

“How do we prove that?”

“Through a forensic handwriting analysis. We’ll collect samples of your usual signature and compare them with the signatures on those contracts.

“If the examiner concludes that they weren’t written by the same person, then with proof that you were away on an out-of-town assignment last September, we should be able to get your name off all those debts.”

“I can prove that. I have my work attendance records, travel authorization, and hotel receipts.”

“Then, half the battle is already won.”

Simon paused.

“But I need to warn you. Once we start legal proceedings, the other side will drag this out for as long as they can. You need to be prepared for that.”

“However long it takes, I’m not backing down.”

“One more thing. They didn’t manage to borrow against your condo this time, but you still need a full title search.

“Make sure no one has added another name to the deed or placed any other liens or claims against the property.”

My stomach tightened.

The next day, I went to the county property records office and requested the records for my condo.

After reviewing them, the clerk told me, “Everything is in order. You are the sole owner, there are no mortgages on the property, and no one else is named on the deed.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The bank’s fraud department also found a canceled application from the previous month.

Someone had tried to take out a home equity loan against my condo, but the application had been rejected because I had not appeared in person to verify my identity or sign the documents.

It matched everything Kristin had told me.

I stared at the canceled application, and a chill ran down my spine.

If Kristin had not been the one who recognized Mom that day…

If the bank’s procedures had been even slightly less strict…

If Mom had found someone willing to bend the rules…

If any of that had happened, my property might have slipped away from me by this point.

I told Simon what I had found.

After listening, he was quiet for a moment.

“Mike, do you realize how deliberate your mom has been about all of this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about the timeline. She took out the first personal loan last September and another one in November. By the end of the year, she had added you to the mortgage as a co-signer.

“This year, she used you as the guarantor for Duncan’s business loan, and three months ago, she tried to borrow against your condo.”

“None of that was impulsive. She has been stripping you of everything, one step at a time.”

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.

“Do you think she’s been planning this since I started college?”

Simon did not answer.

Instead, he asked, “How much does your mom know about your finances?”

I thought about it.

She knew how many bank accounts I had, how much I had in savings, how much my employer contributed to my retirement account, and exactly when I got paid.

I had never hidden anything from her.

I sent her pictures of my pay stubs. I sent her the purchase agreement for my condo because I wanted to share the good news. I told her about every dollar I managed to save.

I thought that was what it meant to be close.

Looking back, I had handed her everything she needed to destroy me.

“Mike,” Simon said.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll draft the complaint for you. We’ll handle the two loans, the business-loan guarantee, and your liability as a co-signer on the mortgage as separate claims.

“We need to get the handwriting analysis done as soon as possible and clear your name of every debt we can.”

“Okay.”

“There’s one more thing I need to ask you.” Simon looked at me.

“If this goes all the way and the mortgage falls into default, Duncan’s condo could be foreclosed on. Your parents could be caught up in it too. Can you really go through with that?”

I looked out the window.

Down below, a mother was walking with her child. When the child tripped, she immediately knelt beside him, lifted him into her arms, and brushed the dirt from his knee.

It seemed so natural.

It was as though that was simply what mothers did.

I could not remember ever being picked up like that.

Whenever I fell, Mom would only say, “It’s nothing. Get up and stop crying. You’re the older brother. You need to put Duncan first.”

“I can,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“Simon,” I turned back to him and said, “when they put more than 2,000,000 dollars of debt in my name, none of them stopped to ask whether they could really do that to me.”

Simon nodded and said nothing more.

He lowered his head and began writing in his notebook. His pen scratched softly across the paper.

At that moment, I felt strangely calm.

For the first time in more than twenty years, I felt the weight on my shoulders slowly begin to lift.