Chapter 2 - The Ghost of David's Warning
Chapter 2 - The Ghost of David's Warning
They left. My father had to physically pull a screaming, confused Chloe out the door. The moment the lock clicked behind them, my knees gave out. I slid down the front door and sat on the cold hardwood floor, the heavy silence of the empty house crushing my chest.
No pitter-patter of my son’s feet. No deep, comforting voice from David asking what was for dinner. Just me, and a folder full of sins.
That night, I didn't sleep. I poured a glass of wine I couldn’t taste and spread the documents across the living room floor. I had found them purely by accident. When packing up David’s home office—a task that broke my heart into a million pieces—I found a locked drawer. Inside was a hard drive, taped to a notebook.
David had been a forensic accountant. It was what made him so brilliant, and it was why he had seen through my family long before I did.
"They don't love you, Elena. They manage you," he had told me once. I had fought with him over it. I had defended them.
Now, reading through his meticulous notes, I realized David had been investigating them for months. He had found the trust fund. He had found the shell companies my father set up. He had even found out that my parents were secretly funneling money from their own failing business into Chloe's accounts to avoid bankruptcy.
But the final page in David’s notebook was what made my blood run cold. It wasn't about the trust fund. It was a life insurance policy.
My parents had taken out a massive, seven-figure life insurance policy on me three years ago. And they were paying the premiums using my stolen trust fund money.
They weren't just stealing from me. They were betting on my tragedy.
I picked up my phone. It was 3:00 AM. I dialed a number David had written on a bright pink sticky note at the front of the folder.
"Vance Law Firm," a groggy voice answered.
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"My name is Elena," I said. "My fiancé, David, told me to call Marcus Vance if anything ever happened to him."
There was a long pause on the other end. "I'll be at your house at 7:00 AM. Have the coffee ready."
