Chapter 3 - Freezing the Assets
I walked out of the bank,
holding Noah’s hand tightly,
feeling the eyes of strangers on me.
Every shadow looked like Ethan,
every passing car looked like his SUV,
and panic gripped my throat.
I needed a lawyer,
someone who could fight dirty,
someone who could protect my son.
I called my friend Jessica,
who worked in family law,
and told her everything.
"Come to my office right now,"
she said,
without hesitation.
Her office was across town,
in a tall brick building,
surrounded by old trees.
Noah played with blocks on her floor,
while I explained the affair,
the cash,
and the forged signatures.
Jessica listened,
taking detailed notes,
her expression hardening with every word.
"This is criminal fraud,"
she said,
tapping her pen against the desk.
"We can file for an emergency custody order,"
"and a restraining order by tomorrow."
"Can he take Noah?"
I asked,
tears finally spilling over.
"Not if we get to the judge first,"
she reassured me,
handing me a tissue.
"But we need to find out,"
"what River Stone Property Holdings really is."
"It's a shell company,"
I said,
remembering the binder.
"They bought a condo,"
"Ethan and Claire."
Jessica frowned,
leaning back in her chair.
"If Claire is on the deed,"
"she is legally liable too."
My own sister,
the girl I watched grow up,
the girl I protected.
She had helped him rob me.
Suddenly,
my phone buzzed in my bag.
It wasn't Ethan.
It was my mother.
I hesitated,
then answered it.
"Emma!"
she screamed into the phone.
"What did you do?"
"What did I do?"
I asked,
utterly shocked.
"Claire is in the hospital,"
my mother wept.
"She took an overdose, Emma."
"She said you threatened her,"
"she said you went crazy."
My jaw dropped.
The room began to spin.
"Mom, no,"
I stammered,
"that's not true."
"Ethan told us everything,"
my mother shouted,
her voice full of anger.
"He said you've been unstable,"
"he said you're hallucinating an affair."
"Mom, listen to me,"
I begged.
"Goodbye, Emma,"
she said,
and hung up the phone.
I stared at the screen,
the betrayal spreading,
like poison through my family.
Ethan was rewriting history,
turning them against me,
making me the villain.
He was covering his tracks,
by destroying my sanity.
Jessica grabbed my hands.
"Don't fall for it,"
she commanded.
"This is a tactic."
"He is isolating you,"
"so you surrender."
"I won't surrender,"
I whispered,
May you like
wiping my face.
"I will fight."
