Chapter 1 - The Shadow Account
I sat there,
staring at the screen,
my fingers frozen,
my mind racing.
The clock ticked,
loudly,
in the dead silence.
It was midnight,
the start of a new day,
the start of a nightmare.
Noah stirred upstairs,
in his sleep,
but he did not wake.
Thank God,
he was safe,
for now.
My husband,
the man I trusted,
was a thief.
He was a liar,
a betrayer,
a complete stranger.
I clicked the link,
the mouse clicked,
the screen refreshed.
River Stone Property Holdings,
an anonymous company,
registered in Delaware.
Who owned it,
I wondered,
as my heart pounded.
I knew the truth,
deep down,
it was him.
It was Ethan,
and my sister,
working together.
They stole my money,
my future,
my life.
Seventy-two thousand dollars,
gone,
just like that.
And the house,
our home,
was at risk.
Three hundred and fifty thousand,
a massive loan,
pending approval.
I had to stop it,
before morning,
before it was too late.
I stood frozen.
My heart stopped.
Headlights cut through the darkness.
They swept across the ceiling.
They illuminated the empty room.
I held my breath.
Noah was asleep upstairs.
I couldn't let Ethan near him.
Not tonight.
Not ever again.
I quickly shut the laptop.
I ran to the front door.
I turned the deadbolt.
Click.
I locked him out.
Footsteps approached the porch.
Heavy.
Familiar.
Terrifying.
A key inserted into the lock.
It turned.
But the deadbolt held.
The door didn't open.
A pause.
Then,
a soft knock.
"Emma?"
His voice came through the wood.
Muffled.
Strained.
"Emma, please open the door."
I stepped back.
I didn't answer.
"I know you're in there,"
he said.
"Your car is outside."
I remained silent.
I clutched my phone tightly.
"We need to talk,"
he pleaded.
"It's not what you think."
The classic lie.
The golden rule of cheaters.
"Go away,"
I whispered.
But the door blocked my voice.
He knocked harder.
The wood rattled.
"Emma, let me in."
"Noah is sleeping,"
I yelled back.
"Go away, Ethan."
"I'm not leaving,"
he said.
"This is my house too."
Technically,
it was.
But legally,
he was a criminal.
"I called the bank,"
I shouted.
"I know about River Stone."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The knocking stopped.
The handle stopped rattling.
Through the peephole,
I saw him step back.
His face was dark.
The panic was gone.
Replaced by something cold.
Something calculating.
He looked directly at the door.
"You shouldn't have done that,"
he murmured.
"Emma,"
"you have no idea,"
"what you just started."
He turned around.
He walked off the porch.
His footsteps faded.
The car door slammed.
The engine started again.
He drove away.
I sank to the floor.
My back against the door.
My chest heaving.
I survived the first night.
But the war was far from over.
I needed to protect my son,
secure my assets,
and uncover the rest of the lies.
I stayed awake,
May you like
watching the driveway,
until the sun finally rose.
