Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN AT THE DOOR
Three knocks sounded behind me.
Not frantic.
Not uncertain.
Three measured knocks.
Victoria stopped talking.
Julian looked toward the door over my shoulder.
I smiled wider.
“There she is.”
“Who?”
I opened the door.
Attorney Rachel Bennett stood on the porch in a navy pantsuit, carrying a leather briefcase in one hand and a document envelope in the other.
Behind her stood my father.
Julian’s expression changed instantly.
“Elena, what did you do?”
“Exactly what you told me.”
He stared.
“I made myself useful.”
Rachel stepped inside.
“Mrs. Mercer?”
“Elena Carter,” I corrected.
I had not legally changed my name yet.
Thank God.
Rachel nodded.
“Elena Carter. Do you have your passport?”
“Yes.”
“Financial instruments?”
“Yes.”
“Marriage certificate?”
I tapped my backpack.
“Personal electronics?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We leave now.”
Julian descended the final steps.
“You can’t just come into my house and remove my wife.”
My father finally spoke.
“Your wife has legs.”
Julian stiffened.
“She can remove herself.”
Victoria rushed forward.
“This is a private marital dispute.”
Rachel smiled.
“No. At the moment, it is a woman choosing to leave a residence. Whether it becomes a legal dispute depends largely on what your son does next.”
Julian looked at me.
“Tell them to leave.”
“No.”
He reached for my suitcase.
Dad stepped forward.
Rachel lifted one hand.
“Julian, touching her property after being told not to would be unwise.”
He released it.
Then Victoria laughed.
“You think this little performance scares us?”
Rachel opened her briefcase.
“No.”
She removed a white envelope.
“This might.”
She handed it to Julian.
He tore it open.
His face lost color.
“What is this?”
“A preservation notice.”
“For what?”
“Electronic records, financial documents, applications made in Elena’s name, communications concerning her employment, and any planned transfer of the cashier’s check currently in her possession.”
Silence.
I slowly turned toward Julian.
“Applications?”
Rachel looked at me.
“We’ll discuss it outside.”
“No.”
Victoria’s voice came too quickly.
Everyone looked at her.
Rachel narrowed her eyes.
Victoria recovered.
“I mean, this is absurd.”
I stared at my mother-in-law.
She knew.
The rag suddenly seemed almost childish compared with whatever was hiding underneath this marriage.
“Rachel.”
“Yes?”
“Tell me.”
She hesitated.
Then removed a document.
“A credit inquiry was submitted at 6:18 this morning.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
“In your name.”
My stomach dropped.
“For what?”
“An $80,000 personal credit line.”
I looked at Julian.
He said nothing.
The application listed the address of Victoria’s house.
And my annual salary.
Exactly.
Not approximate.
Exactly.
Rachel continued.
“Another application was drafted but not submitted.”
“For?”
“Joint debt consolidation.”
“How much debt?”
Julian finally shouted:
“Enough!”
My father moved.
I caught his arm.
No.
This would not become a physical fight they could use to blur what happened.
I looked at my husband.
“How much?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How much?”
Victoria snapped:
“Marriage means sharing burdens.”
I turned toward her.
“How much?”
She said nothing.
Rachel answered.
“Based on what we know so far? At least $280,000.”
My ears rang.
Julian had told me he owed twenty-six thousand in student loans.
That was all.
I laughed once.
“Two hundred and eighty thousand.”
“Elena, listen—”
“No.”
“You don't understand.”
“Correct.”
I picked up my suitcase.
“And I’m going to make sure I understand from somewhere you can’t throw garbage at me.”
Julian caught my arm.
Not hard.
Hard enough.
Rachel immediately said:
“Release her.”
He did.
I looked at the handprint beginning to form on my wrist.
Something inside me became very calm.
“Thank you.”
Julian frowned.
“For what?”
“Making the annulment easier.”
Then I walked through the door.
But as Rachel followed, Victoria called my name.
“Elena.”
I looked back.
Her face no longer held the victorious smile.
Only fear.
“You leave now, you lose everything this family was going to give you.”
I looked around the overmortgaged house.
Then at Julian.
Then at her.
“What exactly were you going to give me?”
Nobody answered.
That was the first time I understood the truth.
They had never expected to give me anything.
May you like
They had expected me to pay.
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