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Chapter 3

Autor: Perfect Timing
Joel stared at me, his eyes turning ice-cold.

He lowered his voice.

"Lily, are you determined to let this spiral out of control?"

Vivian immediately pleaded with me through her tears.

"Lily, Joel's only trying to help you. Once the police get involved, there'll be an official record. What if it affects your credit, your job, or even your ability to buy or sell a house?"

Joel picked up where she left off, his voice gentle and full of hurt again.

"Lily, you have your whole life ahead of you. We can find a way to deal with $1.6 million. But if you keep this up and get yourself flagged as a risk, who'll want to do business with you?"

The people waiting in line nearby began to whisper.

"$1.6 million? That's terrifying."

"She took out the loan, then denied it and called the police?"

"Her husband seems pretty reasonable. Looks like she's dragged him into this."

"That young woman beside them is crying so hard. She must be really worried about her."

Joel looked at me, his voice hardening.

"I'll ask you one last time. Are you withdrawing the report?"

I met his gaze calmly.

"No."

The last trace of warmth vanished from his eyes.

By the time the police arrived, Joel was composed again.

He stood beside me, playing the husband burdened by his wife's outrageous behavior.

Vivian sat nearby, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Caleb pulled up the loan documents in front of the officers.

"Officers, here are Ms. Reed's identification documents, electronic signature records, and video authorization."

The video appeared on the conference room screen.

On-screen, "I" sat in a dim room with my head lowered.

Someone off camera asked, "Miss Lily Reed, please confirm that you are voluntarily applying for a personal loan of $1.6 million."

The woman in the video nodded.

"I confirm."

"Do you confirm that the loan will be used for home renovations and shared living expenses?"

"I confirm."

"Do you confirm that you understand your repayment obligations and the consequences of default?"

"I confirm."

The video lasted just over twenty seconds.

But the voice sounded like mine, and the profile looked like mine too.

Worst of all, the woman's left hand briefly came into view.

A wedding ring sat on her ring finger.

Joel looked utterly distraught.

He turned to the officers, his voice hoarse.

"Officers, I honestly don't know why she's doing this. She's been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe she took out the loan on impulse, and now she's too scared to admit it."

Vivian immediately nodded.

"Lily isn't a bad person. She just hates admitting she needs help."

"She wanted everything about the renovations to be perfect. Maybe she borrowed the money herself because she was afraid Joel would say no."

Joel briefly closed his eyes.

"Officers, this is a family matter. She's being unreasonable and has turned this into an ugly scene. We'll find a way to sort it out as soon as possible."

Vivian spoke through her tears.

"Yes, we'll talk some sense into her. She's just panicking."

I watched them back each other up.

One played the wronged husband.

The other played the concerned friend.

With just a few words, they painted me as a deranged woman who borrowed a fortune behind her husband's back, then lied to the police when she was caught.

Even the officers seemed uncertain.

"Based on the bank's records, all the required authorization steps do appear to have been completed."

Joel turned to me, his eyes full of hurt.

"Lily, after everything you've seen, are you still going to keep this up?"

Vivian spoke softly.

"Lily, just admit it. Joel won't leave you to deal with this alone."

I let out a short laugh.

"My loving husband and my dearest friend. Why are you both so eager to make me pay back this loan?"

Joel looked wounded.

"Lily, I'm trying to clean up your mess."

Vivian quickly spoke up.

"Lily, you've got him wrong. He doesn't want you flagged as a risk or to see this debt ruin the rest of your life."

Joel's voice grew hoarse.

"If you admit it now, we can take our time figuring out a solution. But if you keep acting like this, no one will be able to help you."

Everyone in the conference room stared at me.

I slowly raised my head and looked at the officers.

"Officers, I have evidence."

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  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 8

    The divorce proceedings moved quickly.Joel refused to agree to a divorce.From the detention center, he sent word that he would walk away with nothing if I dropped the charges.I asked Simon to pass on my answer."I'll divorce you. I won't drop the charges."Later, he changed his story.He said he still loved me and Vivian seduced him.He said the $1.6 million was only meant to tide the company over, and he would pay it back once the business recovered.All of it made me sick.What he called love was stealing a copy of my ID from my safe.What he called a temporary loan would have left me paying off his and Vivian's debts for the rest of my life.His offer to walk away with nothing meant nothing, either. There was barely anything he could claim in the first place.My parents left me this house.I owned it before the marriage, and the title was clear.For all his scheming, he ended up with nothing.The sky was clear the day the court granted the divorce.Outside the courthouse, Simon h

  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 7

    The police quickly opened a criminal case.With Simon representing me, the bank could no longer brush me off by saying their system showed I personally authorized the loan.They suspended collection efforts against me, put any determination of my liability on hold, and provided the police with the complete system records.Every dollar of the $1.6 million could be traced.$600,000 went into Vivian's property escrow account.$400,000 paid off her old debts.$300,000 went into Joel's company.They split up the rest and transferred it elsewhere to cover various financial shortfalls.As for the supposed video authorization, the file’s creation date, the upload device, and the failed liveness checks all pointed to fraud.At first, Vivian tried to pin everything on Joel.Joel insisted she was the mastermind.But the chat logs, transfer records, and photos of the safe were right there.Neither of them could deny their involvement.On the third day, Joel's mother came to my door.She started cr

  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 6

    The officers accompanied me home to collect evidence.The safe Joel and Vivian mentioned was at the very back of the closet in the study.I entered the code, and my heart sank the moment the door sprang open.Someone went through the document envelopes inside.I always kept everything carefully organized, with each document labeled by year and purpose.Now, the envelope containing copies of my ID was clearly shoved back at an angle.The folder of old contracts and signature samples was disturbed too.The officers put on gloves, then removed and photographed the documents one by one.Simon stood beside them, his voice steady."These copies and old signature samples would be enough to forge an electronic signature and application documents."I said nothing.My eyes stayed fixed on the bottom shelf.That was where I kept my parents' property deed, their marriage certificate, and an old phone I no longer used.But the phone was gone.I jerked my head up."A phone is missing.""What phone?"

  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 5

    Simon placed his bar identification card on the table."I'm Simon Andrews, Lily Reed's attorney."Joel's expression darkened."Lily, when did you hire a lawyer?"I didn't answer.Simon turned to the officers."At 2:15 this afternoon, Lily came to my office for advice about suspected identity theft and unauthorized borrowing.""At 2:26, the time the bank says the video authorization was submitted, she was at my office."He opened his laptop and pulled up a timeline from preserved digital evidence."At 2:15, Lily entered my office.""At 2:19, she sat down in the conference room.""At 2:22, she began filling out a client intake form.""At 2:41, she called the bank's customer service line in front of me and asked them to flag her account for potentially unauthorized borrowing.""At 2:57, I secured her consultation notes, call log, customer service case details, and our office security footage as digital evidence."Simon slid the documents across to the officers."All these records have bee

  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 4

    At those words, the corner of Joel's eye visibly twitched.Vivian's hands clenched in her lap.First, I showed them the text from the bank with my customer service case number."At 2:41 this afternoon, I called the bank to report that I suspected someone was stealing my identity."The representative added a fraud alert and gave me a case number.""If I willingly applied for this loan, why would I contact the bank and put that concern on record before the money was disbursed?"Joel's expression shifted slightly.Vivian's sobs briefly stopped.But Joel quickly spoke up."That doesn't prove anything."He turned to the officers."She could easily have regretted taking out the loan and decided to cover herself in advance."Vivian quietly backed him up."Exactly. Lily was already acting strange last night. Maybe she did this because she was afraid Joel would find out."I looked at her.She immediately shrank back, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks."Lily, don't look at me like that. I'

  • My Husband Signed My Death Warrant. I Rewrote the Ending.   Chapter 3

    Joel stared at me, his eyes turning ice-cold.He lowered his voice."Lily, are you determined to let this spiral out of control?"Vivian immediately pleaded with me through her tears."Lily, Joel's only trying to help you. Once the police get involved, there'll be an official record. What if it affects your credit, your job, or even your ability to buy or sell a house?"Joel picked up where she left off, his voice gentle and full of hurt again."Lily, you have your whole life ahead of you. We can find a way to deal with $1.6 million. But if you keep this up and get yourself flagged as a risk, who'll want to do business with you?"The people waiting in line nearby began to whisper."$1.6 million? That's terrifying.""She took out the loan, then denied it and called the police?""Her husband seems pretty reasonable. Looks like she's dragged him into this.""That young woman beside them is crying so hard. She must be really worried about her."Joel looked at me, his voice hardening."I'll

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