Chapter 6: The Man Who Was Supposed to Marry Rachel
Daniel arrived at the hospital forty minutes later.
He looked nothing like the confident man I'd seen at family gatherings.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His eyes were bloodshot.
And he carried a thick brown envelope under one arm.
Marcus opened the door.
“You wanted to speak with Claire?””
Daniel nodded.
“Please. I think she deserves to know everything.””
He entered and placed the envelope on the table.
I looked at him.
“What's going on?””
Daniel pulled out a chair.
“First, I need to apologize.””
“For what?””
“For standing there at the cookout and doing nothing.””
He looked down.
“I saw Rachel kick you. I saw you fall. And instead of immediately helping, I froze.””
I swallowed.
“Daniel, you didn't kick me.””
“But I should have helped.””
He rubbed his face.
“I've been thinking about that moment ever since.””
Marcus remained standing.
“What did you find?””
Daniel opened the envelope.
Inside were printed emails, bank statements, and copies of several contracts.
“I found these on Rachel's laptop last night.””
“Did she give you permission to look through her files?”” Marcus asked.
“No. I was looking for a wedding invoice we'd been discussing. I found a folder labeled Family Property.””
He slid a document toward us.
It was a property sale agreement.
Grandma's house.
The buyer was Bennett Property Holdings.
The proposed sale price was $410,000.
I stared at the page.
“That's not possible. My parents told me the house was worth less than half that.””
Daniel nodded.
“I know. I checked the recent property valuations.””
Marcus leaned closer.
“Who authorized the sale?””
Daniel pointed to the signature section.
“My name is here.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He nodded.
“Rachel forged my signature too.””
The document listed him as a financial co-signer.
He pulled out another sheet.
“This is the email I found.””
The message had been sent by Rachel to my father.
*Rachel:* Once the sale is complete, Claire won't have any reason to come after the house. The debt will be settled, and we can finally move forward.
My father's response was below it.
*Robert:* Make sure she doesn't discover the transfer before closing.
Rachel replied:
*Rachel:* Don't worry. Mom says she'll keep her distracted.
I felt Marcus's hand tighten around mine.
Daniel continued.
“There were several messages about the cookout.””
He pulled out another printed email.
My sister's words were clear.
*Rachel:* She'll be there with everyone. If she causes a scene, nobody will believe her. Mom will take my side.
My throat tightened.
Daniel looked sick.
“I thought she was talking about an argument. I didn't understand what she meant until I saw the video.””
Marcus asked, “Did you find anything about the loan?””
Daniel nodded.
He handed over another document.
It showed a series of transfers from Bennett Property Holdings into Rachel's personal account.
One transfer was for $32,000.
Another was for $18,500.
A third was for $11,000.
The descriptions were labeled wedding expenses.
I looked at Daniel.
“Did you know she was using this money?””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“I thought her parents were paying for the wedding. She told me they had saved for years.””
He paused.
“Apparently, they weren't paying. They were borrowing against your inheritance.””
I closed my eyes.
My grandmother's house was supposed to be my future.
A place where my daughter could spend summers.
A place where she could learn to ride a bicycle in the backyard.
Now it had become a financial weapon.
“Why are you helping me?”” I asked.
Daniel looked genuinely surprised.
“Because what happened to you was wrong.””
“Rachel is your fiancée.””
He removed his engagement ring and placed it on the table.
“Not anymore.””
Nobody spoke.
Daniel stared at the ring.
“I proposed to a woman I thought I knew. I didn't propose to someone who would hurt her pregnant sister and steal her identity.””
Marcus examined the documents.
“Did you make copies of everything?””
“Yes. I also preserved the original emails.””
“Good. Don't alter anything.””
Daniel nodded.
Then he reached into the envelope again.
“There is one more document.””
He placed a folded sheet on the table.
At the top was the name of a bank.
Below it was an application for a line of credit.
The applicant was Claire Bennett.
My address.
My date of birth.
My Social Security number.
And a signature that looked almost exactly like mine.
I shook my head.
“I never applied for this.””
Daniel pointed to the date.
“It was submitted three weeks ago.””
Marcus looked at me.
“Three weeks ago?””
I nodded slowly.
Three weeks ago, I'd been working from home.
I'd spent most of my time preparing for the baby.
I'd barely left the house.
Then I remembered something.
My mother had visited that week.
She'd brought a bag of baby clothes and asked to use my laptop to print some wedding invitations.
I'd given her the password.
I'd even left her alone in the living room while I took a shower.
My stomach turned.
“Mom had access to my computer.””
Daniel nodded.
“Rachel sent her an email about the application.””
He showed us the message.
*Rachel:* Mom, make sure Claire doesn't receive any bank notifications. Once the property transfer goes through, we can use the new credit line to cover the remaining expenses.
My mother had been involved from the beginning.
Not just in the property sale.
Not just in the loan.
In the attempt to open another account in my name.
I covered my mouth.
Marcus stood up and walked toward the window.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he turned around.
“Daniel, I need you to understand something. These documents could be important evidence. We'll have them reviewed by the proper authorities.””
“I understand.””
“I also need you to stop communicating with Rachel about this until you've spoken with the detective.””
Daniel nodded.
“Already done.””
He looked at me.
“Claire, there's something else I haven't told you.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“What?””
“Rachel called me this morning.””
“What did she say?””
“She said if I didn't stop helping you, she'd tell everyone that I was the one who arranged the loan.””
Marcus frowned.
“Why would she say that?””
“Because she has a document with my signature.””
“But you said it was forged.””
“It is. But she's threatening to use it anyway.””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“She's trying to make sure nobody believes either of us.””
I stared at him.
Then I understood.
Rachel wasn't simply trying to avoid consequences.
She was building a story in which everyone else would be responsible.
My father would blame Marcus.
My mother would blame me.
Rachel would blame Daniel.
And somehow, the person who had kicked a pregnant woman would become the victim.
A knock interrupted us.
Detective Morgan entered with another officer.
“Claire, we need to speak with you.””
She glanced at Daniel.
“Mr. Hayes, we were hoping you'd come in today.””
Daniel nodded.
“I brought the documents.””
Detective Morgan looked through the envelope.
Her expression grew increasingly serious.
“Where did you obtain these?””
Daniel explained.
She examined the property agreement, the loan documents, and the emails.
Then she looked at me.
“Claire, based on what we're seeing, this may involve more than the original assault investigation.””
“What does that mean?””
“We may be looking at suspected financial fraud, identity misuse, and possible forgery. We'll need to verify the documents and coordinate with the relevant investigators.””
I nodded.
“Can you stop the sale of my grandmother's house?””
“An attorney can advise you on urgent civil remedies. We can also document the suspected fraud and preserve the evidence.””
Marcus immediately picked up his phone.
“I'll contact a property attorney today.””
Detective Morgan nodded.
Then her phone rang.
She stepped outside to answer.
A minute later, she returned.
Her expression had changed.
“Claire, I need to ask you something.””
“What?””
“Did your sister know you were coming to the hospital yesterday?””
I frowned.
“Yes. She came to the emergency department.””
Detective Morgan nodded slowly.
“We've just received information that someone attempted to access your medical records using your personal information.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
“The hospital's security team blocked the request because the verification details didn't match.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Who tried to access them?””
The detective looked at her phone.
Then she answered.
“Your mother.””
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.
My mother had tried to access my medical records.
Why?
What was she looking for?
The detective continued.
“There's something else. The hospital reported that the caller specifically asked whether your pregnancy had been classified as high-risk and whether any complications had occurred.””
I stared at her.
“Why would she ask that?””
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel, who had been silent for several minutes, slowly reached into his jacket.
He pulled out his phone.
“Claire,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“I think I know why.””
He opened a message Rachel had sent him the previous night.
The message contained a photograph of a document.
At the top were the words:
*BENEFICIARY CHANGE REQUEST.*
Below them was Marcus's name.
And beneath his name was mine.
Daniel looked at us.
“Rachel told me this was supposed to be part of their financial arrangement.””
Marcus took the phone.
His face went pale.
Because the document wasn't about Grandma's house.
It was about our life insurance policies.
And the date beside the request was two days before the cookout.
Rachel hadn't only been interested in our money.
She had been trying to change who would receive it.
And according to the document, the person she wanted listed as the primary beneficiary was Linda Bennett.
My mother.
I looked at Marcus.
He looked back at me.
Neither of us spoke.
Then Detective Morgan quietly asked:
“Claire, have you ever given your mother permission to make changes to your financial or insurance accounts?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
May you like
She closed the folder.
“Then I think we need to find out exactly how far this goes.””
