Chapter 5: The Signature My Husband Never Knew He Gave Away
I didn't sleep that night.
Nick and I sat on the edge of our bed, still wearing parts of our wedding clothes.
My dress was stained from champagne, and my shortened hair looked uneven in the bathroom mirror.
The photograph on my phone kept staring back at me.
Martha outside our apartment.
Two days before the wedding.
"Nick," I whispered, "what did your mother want you to sign?""
He rubbed his forehead.
"I don't know.""
I turned toward him.
"Think carefully.""
He stared at the floor.
Then his expression changed.
"Wait.""
"What?""
"She brought something to our apartment last Thursday.""
I sat straighter.
"What was it?""
"She said it was paperwork for the wedding insurance. She told me Dad had asked her to collect my signature.""
My stomach tightened.
"Did you sign it?""
Nick nodded slowly.
"She had several pages. I was working, and she kept saying it was urgent. I signed where she pointed.""
I felt cold.
"Did you read them?""
"No. I trusted her.""
He stood up and began pacing.
"God, Emily. What have I done?""
I reached for his hand.
"We don't know what you signed yet.""
But neither of us could ignore the possibility.
Nick called his father.
Richard answered immediately.
"Nick?""
"Did Mom bring you any documents last week?""
There was a pause.
"Why?""
"She told me she needed my signature for wedding insurance. I want to know what she was actually doing.""
Richard exhaled heavily.
"Don't sign anything else. I'm coming over.""
Twenty-five minutes later, Richard arrived carrying a leather briefcase.
He looked exhausted.
He hadn't changed out of his wedding suit, and his tie was hanging loosely around his neck.
He placed the briefcase on our dining table.
"I spent the last hour searching the home office.""
"What did you find?"" Nick asked.
Richard opened the briefcase.
Inside were copies of property documents, bank statements, and several envelopes.
"I found these hidden behind a drawer.""
Nick picked up the first document.
It was a financial authorization.
His name appeared near the bottom.
My heart began racing.
Richard pointed to a paragraph.
"This authorizes Martha to act on your behalf regarding certain family assets.""
Nick shook his head.
"That isn't what she told me.""
Richard examined the signature.
"Unfortunately, it looks like yours.""
Nick looked sick.
"But I didn't know what I was signing.""
Richard sat down.
"That may matter. But we need an attorney to review everything.""
He turned to another document.
"This one is worse.""
It was a preliminary agreement involving the property trust.
According to the document, Nick had supposedly agreed to support transferring certain assets into a private company controlled by Martha.
The company's name was printed at the top.
Whitmore Family Holdings.
Nick looked at Eleanor's business connection immediately.
"Why is the Whitmore name here?""
Richard explained that Martha had been discussing a joint property venture with Eleanor's late husband.
But the venture had never been completed.
"She told me the deal fell through," Richard said.
"Apparently, she continued working on it without telling me.""
I looked at Nick.
"Does this mean she was trying to give the house to Eleanor's company?""
Richard nodded.
"Possibly.""
Nick dropped the document onto the table.
"She was planning to take Grandma's house and use my signature to do it.""
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Richard opened a smaller envelope.
Inside was a printed email.
The sender was Martha.
The recipient was an attorney whose name I didn't recognize.
Richard read the message aloud.
Once Nicholas signs, the transfer should be straightforward. He trusts me completely. Emily will never understand what happened until it's too late.
I felt my stomach twist.
Nick closed his eyes.
"She used me.""
Richard placed the email on the table.
"There's something else.""
He pulled out a second message.
This one was addressed to Martha from Eleanor.
It contained a short exchange about Victoria.
Eleanor had written:
My daughter will not be used as a bargaining chip. I agreed to discuss the investment, not arrange a marriage.
Martha's reply was chilling.
Nick will eventually understand that Emily isn't suitable. Once the financial situation is settled, he'll have no reason to stay with her.
Nick stood up so abruptly that his chair fell backward.
"She was planning to separate us.""
I picked up the paper.
The message was dated six months earlier.
Before the wedding.
Before Martha had pretended to accept our relationship.
Before she had started talking about family traditions.
It suddenly made sense why she'd been so determined to make me feel small.
She didn't simply dislike me.
She believed I was an obstacle standing between her and the future she'd designed.
My phone vibrated again.
Another unknown message.
This time, it was a voice recording.
I pressed play.
Martha's voice filled the room.
"Once the wedding is over, Emily won't have the confidence to challenge me. She'll be too busy dealing with the embarrassment. Nick always gives in eventually.""
A second voice responded.
It was Victoria.
"You're making a mistake. He loves her.""
Martha laughed.
"Love is temporary. Money is permanent.""
The recording ended.
Nick stared at my phone.
"Where did you get that?""
"I don't know. The same number sent the photograph.""
Richard took out his phone.
"I'm calling our attorney.""
Before he could dial, another call came through.
It was Helen.
Nick answered immediately.
"Grandma?""
Her voice sounded urgent.
"Nicholas, I need you and Emily to come to the old family house tomorrow morning.""
"Why?""
"I found something in your grandfather's study. Something I didn't know was still there.""
Nick looked at Richard.
"What is it?""
Helen paused.
"Your grandfather kept a private recording. It concerns the original inheritance agreement.""
Richard leaned toward the phone.
"Helen, what does it say?""
"I haven't listened to all of it yet.""
"Why not?""
Her voice dropped.
"Because the first few minutes mention Martha's name, and I believe she was involved in something much worse than a fraudulent property transfer.""
The call ended.
Nick stared at the phone.
Then Richard quietly said, "I think we need to contact the police.""
I looked at my husband.
For the first time since the wedding, he seemed completely certain about something.
"Tomorrow," Nick said, "we find out exactly what she did.""
But at 2:13 a.m., someone knocked three times on our apartment door.
Nick checked the security monitor.
His face went pale.
May you like
Martha was standing outside.
And she wasn't alone.
