“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Lorraine gave me a smug little wave.
“Try not to spend the whole week sulking.”
I watched their SUV disappear down the street.
Then I locked the door.
And made two calls.
The first was to Elena Ruiz, the forensic accountant who had already been reviewing some of the files I had sent her.
The second was to my attorney, Priya.
Elena answered almost immediately.
“Claire, I was about to call you.”
My stomach tightened.
“What did you find?”
“The transfers weren’t investments.”
I sat down.
“What were they?”
“Mark has been moving money from your joint accounts into an LLC controlled by his mother.”
I went completely still.
Elena continued.
“And someone used your electronic signature to guarantee a business credit line.”
“How much?”
There was a short pause.
“Four hundred eighty thousand dollars.”
I looked toward the empty side of our bedroom closet.
Mark’s clothes were gone for Hawaii.
Apparently, so was any reason I had left to trust him.
By noon, my personal accounts were protected.
The disputed guarantee had been formally challenged.
Priya had filed emergency notices to preserve what remained of our marital assets.
Then I did something else.
At three that afternoon, I booked a month in Europe.
France.
Italy.
Austria.
Spain.
I paid for it with my own savings.
