Chapter 10: The Agreement With My Name on It

For a few seconds, I couldn't breathe.

I stared at the document like my eyes were refusing to understand what they were seeing.

My name was right there.

Elena Brooks.

Not typed into some harmless form.

Written into an agreement that Luke and Maya had both signed.

I picked up the pages with shaking hands.

The first paragraph described the purchase of the second house.

The second explained how the payments would be made.

Then I reached the section with my name.

It said that the funds being used for the purchase were to be treated as money available through Luke's household finances.

Household finances.

My stomach turned.

I had spent six years believing Luke and I were building one life together.

Apparently, they had been building another life with my money.

Ethan stepped closer.

"What does it say?"

I handed him the document.

His expression changed as he read it.

"Elena..."

"Don't soften it," I said. "Tell me exactly what you're seeing."

He looked at me.

"Your name is being used to justify the money going into this property."

I laughed once.

It wasn't funny.

It was the kind of laugh that came out when anger became too big for words.

"And I never signed this."

Ethan looked back at the page.

"Then Luke has a serious problem."

I took the document back.

There were dates beside the signatures.

The agreement had been prepared before the closing of the second house.

Before I knew anything.

Before Luke told me he needed financial help.

Before he stood in front of me and called his marriage to Maya nothing more than paperwork.

This wasn't an accident.

It wasn't desperation.

It was planned.

I turned to Ethan.

"When was this signed?"

He pointed to the date.

My heart dropped.

It was the same week Luke had told me he was working late every night.

The same week he had asked me to move money from our savings account because he said we were preparing for our future.

Our future.

I looked around the empty house.

For the first time, I understood something I hadn't wanted to admit.

The second house wasn't just a secret.

It was evidence.

And the document in my hand might be the proof I needed to show exactly how far Luke had gone.

My phone buzzed.

Luke.

I didn't answer.

Another message appeared.

"Please don't do anything until we talk."

I stared at the screen.

Then another message came through.

"You don't understand what that agreement means."

I looked at Ethan.

"He's right," I said quietly.

"I don't understand it yet."

I folded the document carefully and placed it in my bag.

"But I'm going to."