Chapter 8: Vanessa's First Husband
The photograph stayed in my hand throughout the drive home.
Vanessa.
Standing beside an unknown man.
Both smiling.
Both wearing wedding rings.
The date printed on the back was eight years earlier.
I had known Vanessa for eighteen months.
She had told me she had never been married.
She had said she had spent most of her twenties caring for her younger brother and building her career.
Now I was beginning to understand that almost everything she had told me about her past might have been a lie.
Maya sat beside me in the back seat.
Noah was leaning against her shoulder.
Neither child spoke.
When we reached Daniel's house, I helped them inside.
Rebecca was waiting.
She immediately examined the children for injuries and arranged for a family counselor to speak with them.
I was grateful.
Because I didn't know how to explain any of this.
Maya approached me before going upstairs.
“Dad?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Was that woman really Mom's sister?””
“Yes.””
“Why did Mom tell us she was dead?””
I looked at her carefully.
“Sometimes adults make decisions because they're frightened. Your mother may have believed it was the safest thing to do.””
Maya looked down.
“Would Mom have liked me to meet her?””
I swallowed.
“I think your mom would have wanted you to be safe first.””
She nodded and hugged me.
Then she whispered:
“I miss her.””
I held her for a long time.
“So do I.””
The next morning, Rebecca arrived with an update.
Ethan had been taken into custody for questioning.
Olivia had agreed to cooperate with investigators.
But Vanessa was missing.
Her phone was switched off.
Her apartment had been emptied.
And the financial records showed that someone had withdrawn a substantial amount from one of the accounts connected to Reed Family Holdings.
“She's running,” I said.
Rebecca nodded.
“Possibly. But there's another issue.””
She placed a printed report on the table.
“Vanessa's previous marriage.””
I looked at the photograph.
“Can you identify the man?””
“His name is Gregory Hale. He married Vanessa eight years ago.””
“Where is he now?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“He died six years ago.””
I stared at her.
“How?””
“An accident.””
“What kind?””
“A fall from a hotel balcony.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Was Vanessa investigated?””
“Yes. Initially, the police considered it suspicious. But the investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence.””
I looked at the report.
“What did Claire know?””
Rebecca opened a second folder.
“According to Olivia, Claire believed Gregory had discovered Vanessa was moving money from his business accounts.””
I sat down.
“Was that proven?””
“No. But there were financial irregularities shortly before his death.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Why would Vanessa target me?””
Rebecca looked directly at me.
“Because you have access to something she wants.””
I thought about the engagement.
The wedding.
The trust.
The money.
Then I remembered the property document in Claire's black box.
There was an old estate in Vermont that Claire had inherited from her parents.
It had been left untouched for years.
I had always assumed it was simply a family property.
“Could it be the inheritance?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“The estate is worth considerably more than the amount listed in the trust.””
I looked at her.
“How much?””
“Approximately six million dollars, depending on the valuation.””
I stared.
Six million.
Claire had never mentioned that amount.
Rebecca continued.
“There is a company attached to the property. The ownership structure is complicated, but Maya is listed as the primary beneficiary.””
I thought about Vanessa's obsession with the place card.
Her fury at the word MAMA.
Her desperation to keep Claire's name out of the celebration.
She hadn't simply been competing with a dead woman.
She had been trying to erase the person who stood between her and a fortune.
“Can Vanessa access the estate?””
“Not without the original documents.””
“Where are they?””
Rebecca turned a page.
“They were stored in a private safe.””
“Where?””
She looked at me.
“Claire's old family home.””
That afternoon, Olivia came to Daniel's house.
She looked exhausted.
I met her in the kitchen.
“Why did you disappear?””
Olivia stared at her hands.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Ethan?””
“Of Ethan, Vanessa, and the people they worked with.””
“What people?””
She took a breath.
“Gregory wasn't Vanessa's first husband.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“Before Gregory, she was married to a man named Paul Whitmore.””
I leaned against the counter.
“How many husbands did she have?””
“Three, including Gregory.””
My stomach tightened.
“What happened to Paul?””
“He disappeared.””
I stared at her.
“Disappeared?””
“He was declared missing after a business trip. His company was later dissolved, and Vanessa received control of several assets.””
“Did Claire know?””
Olivia nodded.
“Claire began investigating after Gregory died. She found a connection between all three men.””
“What connection?””
Olivia looked directly at me.
“Every one of them had access to a substantial inheritance or business asset. And every time, Vanessa was involved in the financial arrangements shortly before the man disappeared or died.””
I felt sick.
“Why didn't Claire report her?””
“She tried.””
“And?””
“Vanessa found out.””
Olivia reached into her bag and removed a small recorder.
“Claire made this before she died. I was supposed to give it to the authorities, but I couldn't.””
I took it.
“What's on it?””
“A conversation between Claire and Vanessa. It happened two weeks before Claire entered the hospital.””
I pressed play.
Claire's voice came through first.
“Vanessa, I know about Gregory.””
Vanessa laughed.
“You know nothing.””
“I found the accounts.””
“You should worry about your health.””
“I'm worried about my children.””
Then Vanessa spoke.
“Your children? Marcus isn't even the problem anymore. Once the wedding happens, everything will be easier.””
Claire answered sharply.
“You will never get your hands on Maya's money.””
There was a pause.
Then Vanessa said something that made my blood run cold.
“Then perhaps Maya shouldn't be the one who inherits it.””
The recording ended.
I looked at Olivia.
“What did she mean?””
Olivia shook her head.
“I don't know.””
I played the final seconds again.
Vanessa's voice was unmistakable.
Perhaps Maya shouldn't be the one who inherits it.
Rebecca entered the kitchen.
She had been listening.
“There's another possibility,” she said.
I turned.
“What?””
“Someone may have attempted to change the beneficiary designation.””
She opened her laptop.
“I'm checking the estate records now.””
A few minutes passed.
Then she stopped typing.
“Marcus?””
“What?””
She turned the screen toward me.
The current beneficiary listed on the six-million-dollar estate was no longer Maya.
It was a company called Whitmore Legacy Partners.
I looked at Olivia.
She covered her mouth.
“That was Paul's company.””
Rebecca nodded.
“And the company is currently controlled by Vanessa Reed.””
I stared at the screen.
My fiancée hadn't just stolen money.
She had somehow arranged to replace my daughter as the beneficiary of Claire's family estate.
But how?
The answer arrived in a message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of a legal document.
At the bottom were two signatures.
One belonged to Vanessa.
The other belonged to Claire.
And the date was three days after Claire's death.
Underneath the photograph was a message:
*Your wife signed away Maya's inheritance before she died. Ask Olivia why she helped.*
I slowly turned toward Claire's sister.
Olivia's face had gone white.
May you like
“Marcus,” she whispered.
“I can explain.””
