Chapter 5: Friday
Grace filed the motion at 11:47 on Thursday morning.
By Friday at noon, Julian knew.
Lucy was at the hotel with Ethan — she had told her landlord she needed two days for a family matter, which was true in every way that counted — when her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Julian.
She let it ring four times.
Then she answered.
"Hey," she said.
"What did you do." Not a question.
His voice was flat in a way she had never heard before.
The warmth was gone entirely, like a switch thrown.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't." A pause.
"There's a legal freeze on the Pinecrest property.
Filed yesterday.
Under your name."
"Oh," Lucy said.
"That."
"Lucy." His voice dropped.
"I need you to call that off.
Right now.
I don't know who you've been talking to, but you don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it to me."
Silence.
"You transferred my house out of my name," she said.
"Using a signature that wasn't mine.
While I was in a cinderblock room with our son eating eggs three nights a week."
"That property was always going to be managed jointly — "
"My name came off the deed, Julian.
Fourteen months ago.
While you were calling me every night in a dirty shirt telling me how hard you were working."
"You need to listen to me." His voice shifted — softer now, almost gentle.
She recognized this too.
The reset.
The approach from a different angle.
"I made mistakes.
I know that.
But there are financial arrangements in place that you don't know about.
If you freeze that property, you could destroy something I've been building for both of us."
"For both of us," she repeated.
"For our family.
For Ethan."
"Ethan," she said.
"You used Ethan's name."
"He's my son."
"He did his homework on a soda crate, Julian."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
"Who have you been talking to?" he asked.
"Is it your grandfather?
Did Edward find you?"
She said nothing.
"Lucy." The gentleness was gone.
"Edward Vance is not the man you think he is.
He cut you off.
He disapproved of our marriage from the start.
Whatever he's told you — "
"He showed me the letter he sent when Ethan was born," she said.
"The one you hid."
The line went very quiet.
"I want to meet," Julian said finally.
"In person.
Just us.
Give me a chance to explain everything face to face."
"Where?"
"The Pinecrest house.
Tonight.
Come alone."
She looked across the hotel room.
Edward was sitting in the armchair by the window, watching her.
He had heard enough from her side to understand.
"I'll think about it," she said.
"Lucy — "
"I said I'll think about it." She kept her voice even.
"I'll call you back."
She ended the call.
Edward leaned forward.
"He wants to meet at the house," she said.
"I heard."
"He said to come alone."
"Of course he did." Edward's voice was dry.
"What are you thinking?"
Lucy looked at her phone.
"I'm thinking he needs me to come alone because there's something at that house he needs to control before Saturday." She set the phone down.
"The wedding is tomorrow.
If we're going to stop it — or at least make sure the right people know what he's done — we have one night."
Edward was quiet for a moment.
"Grace said not to confront him."
"Grace said don't give him a reason to move assets." Lucy looked at her grandfather steadily.
"I think he's already moving them.
I think that's why he wants me at the house tonight.
He wants to talk me into signing something."
Edward picked up his phone.
"I'll call Grace."
May you like
"Tell her I'm going," Lucy said.
"And tell her I won't be alone."
