Part 5
By late afternoon, the house was beginning to feel different.
Helen had spent two hours scrubbing the kitchen counters, erasing every trace of Lorraine's presence.
Delilah was in the living room, organizing the few items they had brought from the SUV.
Noah was fast asleep on his mattress, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster of the day, clutching his one-eared rabbit.
Helen walked into the dining room, carrying a fresh garbage bag to collect the papers Evan had left scattered on the floor.
As she bent down to pick up a handful of documents near the desk, something caught her eye.
It was an official-looking document with a gold seal, partially shredded but still legible.
She sat down at the table and began to piece the fragments together.
Her eyes narrowed as she read the words.
Notice of Intent to Foreclose.
Helen’s heart stopped for a beat.
She looked closer.
The document was addressed to Evan Mercer, but the property listed wasn't this house.
It was a luxury condominium downtown.
A property Helen knew nothing about.
She picked up another piece of paper from the floor.
It was a bank statement.
An account held jointly in the names of Evan Mercer and Lorraine Mercer.
The balance was over eighty thousand dollars.
But right next to it was a savings account statement in Delilah's name.
The balance on that account was exactly four dollars and twelve cents.
Helen felt a cold, righteous fury blooming in her chest.
Evan hadn't been struggling.
He hadn't been unable to afford things.
He had been systematically draining Delilah’s financial independence while hoarding wealth with his mother.
"Mom?"
Delilah stood in the doorway, holding a stack of Noah's coloring books.
She noticed the expression on Helen's face.
"What is it? Did they leave something else?"
Helen didn't want to hurt her daughter further, but Delilah needed to know the truth.
She needed to see the monster for what he really was so she would never doubt her decision to leave.
"Come sit down, Delilah," Helen said softly, gesturing to the chair beside her.
Delilah sat, her brow furrowing as Helen pushed the pieces of paper toward her.
As Delilah read the bank statements, the color drained from her face.
"Eighty thousand dollars?" Delilah whispered, her voice trembling.
"He told me we were on the verge of bankruptcy."
"He told me that if I bought extra milk for Noah, we wouldn't be able to pay the electric bill."
"He made me feel so guilty for not earning money, Mom..."
She stared at the foreclosure notice for the downtown condo.
"And what is this?"
Helen placed her hand over Delilah’s shaking ones.
"This, sweetheart, is called financial abuse. And it’s also a paper trail."
"Evan thought he was being clever by hiding this from you."
"But he forgot that when you throw someone out of a house, you lose control of the mailbox."
Delilah looked up, her eyes wide with a mixture of betrayal and sudden realization.
"He didn't just want me gone, Mom. He wanted me broken."
"He wanted me to leave with nothing so I could never fight him for custody of Noah."
"He wanted me to look like an unfit mother who couldn't even provide a bed for her son."
Helen nodded, her grip on Delilah’s hand tightening.
"But he made one critical mistake, Delilah."
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"He forgot that you have a mother who knows how to fight."
"We are taking this straight to Clara first thing tomorrow morning."
