Chapter 7: The Offer He Shouldn't Have Made
Daniel called at four thirty that afternoon.
I was still at Carol's, going through the bank statements she'd helped me print from the shared online account.
Three years of records spread across her dining table, and Carol with a highlighter marking every month where the balance had dropped more than it should have.
I answered on the second ring.
"I heard you saw a solicitor," he said.
"News travels fast."
"Patricia Hale.
Really, Laura?"
"You know her?"
"Her reputation.
She's aggressive."
"Good."
A pause.
"I don't want this to become a war."
"You should have thought about that before you built a property company with another woman using our money."
Silence.
A longer one than I expected.
"Who told you about that?"
"Does it matter?"
"Karen." His voice had changed.
Flatter.
"She had no right—"
"She had every right.
You left your phone on your desk."
"I'm going to need to have a conversation with her."
"Don't." My voice came out very steady.
"Don't contact Karen.
Don't pressure her.
Don't make this harder for her than it already is."
"I'm not threatening anyone."
"Then don't sound like you are."
Another pause.
Carol had stopped highlighting.
She was watching me from across the table.
"I want to make you an offer," Daniel said.
"Before this gets expensive for both of us.
I'll sign the house over to you.
Full title.
No contest.
You keep everything in the joint account as of today.
I walk away clean."
I looked at Carol.
She shook her head slowly.
"And the property company?" I said.
"That's separate."
"It was funded with our money."
"That's a matter of interpretation—"
"Patricia Hale doesn't think so."
He was quiet.
"Daniel.
You moved money out of our shared income every month for over a year.
You used it to set up a business in another woman's name.
That's not a matter of interpretation.
That's a paper trail."
"I'll give you the house."
"You'll give me what's already mine.
That's not an offer.
That's a starting point."
"Laura—"
"I'm not settling for the house and walking away while you keep a property portfolio you built with my money.
That's not how this works."
His tone shifted.
The careful version of Daniel, the prepared version, slipping slightly.
"You're going to make this very difficult."
"No.
You made it difficult.
I'm just not making it easy."
"I have a child now.
I have responsibilities—"
"You had responsibilities.
To me.
For seventeen years.
You chose different ones."
"That's not fair."
"Probably not.
But it's true."
He was quiet for a moment.
When he spoke again, the flatness was back.
Controlled.
"I'll have my solicitor contact Patricia by end of week."
"That's fine."
"I hope you know what you're starting."
"I know exactly what I'm finishing," I said, and ended the call.
Carol set the highlighter down.
"He offered you the house," she said.
"And nothing else."
"He's scared."
"He should be." I looked at the statements spread across the table.
Fourteen months of small withdrawals.
Regular.
Patient.
"He's been planning this for over a year.
He just didn't plan on Karen."
Carol picked up the highlighter again.
"How many more months do you need me to go through?"
"All of them," I said.
"Every single one."
She nodded and bent back over the papers.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Karen.
*He just called me.
He asked me not to give a statement.
He said it would be better for everyone if I stayed out of it.*
I typed back: *What did you say?*
Her reply came quickly.
*I told him I'd think about it.*
My stomach dropped.
*Karen—*
*I'm not backing out.
I just wanted him to think I might.
I wanted to see what he'd do next.*
May you like
A second message followed immediately.
*He offered me a promotion.*
