Chapter 16 - Two Million Dollars
Ryan had always told me he was bad with money.
That was another lie.
He was not bad with money.
He was very good at taking mine.
Detective Bell called while Martin’s team traced the wire.
“We recovered messages from your husband’s second phone under warrant.”
I put him on speaker.
“Anything useful?”
“Yes.”
That one word made everyone in the room quiet.
Bell continued. “Your husband appears to have planned to leave the country tomorrow. There are messages with Madison Vale discussing travel, the Cayman account, and a property in Costa Rica.”
My throat tightened.
“With Madison?”
“Yes.”
“So Grant wasn’t the only one planning to run.”
“No.”
I looked at the fake passports again in my mind.
One for Ryan.
One for Grant.
None for Diane.
None for Brooke.
And obviously none for me.
Bell said, “There’s one message you should know about.”
Martin leaned closer.
Bell read it.
“From Madison to Ryan: Once the transfer clears, Claire gets the papers. If she refuses, use the doctor letter. She’ll fold when you threaten custody.”
My hand went to my belly.
Custody.
There it was.
The final weapon.
Ryan knew money could not scare me enough.
But our daughter could.
For five seconds, I could not speak.
Then I asked, “What doctor letter?”
“We’re investigating.”
Martin’s face went grim.
I remembered something.
Three months earlier, Ryan insisted I see a psychiatrist after I cried during an argument.
I had refused.
Two weeks later, he encouraged me to talk to a wellness consultant recommended by his friend.
I went once.
Her questions had felt strange.
Not therapeutic.
Legal.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
Do you sometimes fear you cannot manage work and pregnancy?
Have you ever wanted to leave everything behind?
Normal questions, maybe.
But not in context.
I grabbed my phone and searched the name.
Dr. Lillian Cross.
Martin searched too.
He went silent.
“What?” I asked.
He turned his screen toward me.
Lillian Cross was not a psychiatrist.
She was a licensed clinical social worker employed by a private custody-evaluation firm.
And one of that firm’s listed legal clients was Hawthorne Private Capital’s in-house counsel.
My phone buzzed.
An email from an unknown address.
May you like
Subject: I WAS PAID TO WRITE THE LETTER.
The House He Thought Was His
