Chapter 2 - “Most of Her Paycheck Went to My Mother”
“Hang up the phone,” Derek said.
Dad turned slightly away from him and continued speaking to his attorney.
“Yes, the house is in Claire’s name. It was purchased before the marriage.”
Derek froze.
I did too.
Dad looked at me.
“You never changed the deed, did you?”
“No.”
Derek stared at me. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Dad said, ending the call, “you don’t own this house.”
Derek gave a nervous laugh. “We’re married. It’s marital property.”
“Not necessarily.”
“You’re not a lawyer.”
“No. That’s why I called one.”
Derek turned toward me.
“You told your father our financial business?”
“I didn’t tell him anything.”
“He opened the fridge,” Lily said from the table.
No one answered her.
Dad walked to the counter and picked up the bank statement that had been partially covered by mail.
“May I?”
I nodded.
Derek reached for it, but Dad pulled it away.
The statement showed repeated transfers from my checking account to another account under the name Linda Porter—Derek’s mother.
Five hundred dollars.
Nine hundred.
Twelve hundred.
Then the transfer from three days earlier: two thousand six hundred and forty dollars.
Dad held up the page.
“How long has this been happening?”
Derek pointed at me. “She knew.”
“I knew you were sending your mother some money,” I said. “I didn’t know how much.”
“That’s not true.”
“You changed the online password.”
“Because you kept questioning every transaction.”
“It was my paycheck.”
“And I’m your husband.”
Dad placed the statement down carefully.
“A husband is not an owner.”
Derek’s face reddened.
“You’ve always hated me.”
“No,” Dad replied. “I distrusted you. Today, you proved I was right.”
Lily began crying quietly.
The argument stopped.
I hurried to her and crouched beside the chair.
“It’s okay, baby.”
“Is Daddy mad?”
“No one is mad at you.”
Derek softened his voice.
“Lily, go upstairs.”
She held on to my sleeve.
“I want Mommy.”
Dad walked over and knelt beside her.
“Why don’t you get your rabbit and some clothes? You’re coming to my house for a few days.”
“Can I bring my star blanket?”
“Absolutely.”
Lily looked at me.
I nodded.
She slid off the chair and ran upstairs.
Derek waited until she was gone.
“You are not taking my daughter.”
“I’m taking her somewhere she can eat,” I said.
He stared at me as though I had struck him.
“You think I don’t provide for her?”
“The refrigerator is empty.”
“It’s empty for one day.”
“It’s been like that for a week.”
“You could have asked me for money.”
“I did.”
“You asked at the wrong time.”
Dad’s expression changed.
“How does someone ask for grocery money at the wrong time?”
Derek ignored him.
He stepped closer to me.
“Claire, don’t make a stupid decision because your father likes playing hero.”
I backed away.
He noticed.
His anger briefly gave way to alarm.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m starting to see what this has become.”
“What has what become?”
“My life.”
I moved toward the hallway.
Derek blocked me.
“You’re upset. Fine. But you’re not taking Lily and walking out.”
Dad stepped between us.
“You will not block her.”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“It became my business when I found my granddaughter hungry.”
“She is not hungry!”
From upstairs, Lily called, “Mommy, can I pack crackers?”
The silence that followed was brutal.
Derek looked toward the stairs.
I covered my mouth.
Dad’s face hardened.
“Pack everything she needs,” he told me.
I went upstairs.
Lily had placed her stuffed rabbit, two shirts, one pair of pajamas, and three individually wrapped crackers inside her backpack.
“Why the crackers?” I asked.
“For later.”
“There will be food at Grandpa’s.”
She studied my face.
“Can I eat whenever I’m hungry there?”
The question broke something inside me.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Whenever you’re hungry.”
She smiled as though I had promised her a vacation.
I packed our clothes with shaking hands.
In my bedroom, I opened the small safe inside the closet and removed our birth certificates, Lily’s medical records, my passport, and the emergency cash Dad had once insisted I keep.
Only sixty dollars remained.
There had been five hundred.
Derek had known the combination.
I took a photograph of the empty safe with my phone.
Then I removed my wedding ring.
For several seconds, I held it between my fingers.
I remembered the day Derek had placed it there. He had been charming, attentive, and ambitious. He had promised we would build a life together.
Somewhere along the way, “together” had come to mean I worked while he decided how my money was spent.
I placed the ring on the dresser.
Then I changed my mind.
I carried it downstairs and set it on the kitchen table where he would have to look at it.
Derek stared at the ring.
“You’re being dramatic.”
“No,” I said. “I’ve spent years trying not to be dramatic.”
Dad loaded our bags into his truck.
Before leaving, he opened his banking app and transferred money directly to my personal account.
My phone chimed.
“Dad, that’s too much.”
“It’s enough for groceries, clothing, and anything Lily needs.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“You’ll rebuild first.”
Derek stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.
“You’re going to regret this, Claire.”
I took Lily’s hand.
We walked toward Dad’s truck.
Behind us, Derek called out.
“You think you can just leave? You have no idea what I’ve done for this family!”
I turned.
“What have you done?”
His face twisted into a smile that frightened me more than his anger.
“I’ve been preparing for this.”
Dad stopped beside the truck.
“What does that mean?”
Derek leaned against the doorframe.
“It means Claire should check the debt attached to her name before she starts celebrating.”
The blood drained from my face.
Dad looked at me.
“What debt?”
“I don’t know.”
May you like
Derek’s smile widened.
“You will.”
