Chapter 4 - Derek’s Final Threat at the Driveway
Two police officers accompanied me to the house the following afternoon.
Dad drove behind us in his truck. Robert had advised him to remain outside unless the officers requested his help.
Derek opened the door before we knocked.
He had changed clothes and combed his hair. His angry husband act had been replaced by the wounded family man.
“Claire,” he said softly. “You brought police?”
Officer Ramirez stepped forward.
“Mrs. Bennett is here to collect personal belongings for herself and her daughter.”
Derek looked past him toward Dad’s truck.
“Of course Richard is here.”
I entered without answering.
The house smelled like takeout food. Two pizza boxes sat on the counter beside several beer bottles.
The refrigerator was now full.
Milk. Meat. Juice. Fruit. Yogurt.
Derek noticed me staring.
“I went shopping.”
“After my father saw the empty fridge.”
“I told you it was temporary.”
Officer Ramirez remained near the doorway.
“You have thirty minutes, ma’am.”
I went upstairs and began packing Lily’s clothing, school materials, medicine, and favorite books.
Derek followed me.
“Can we talk privately?”
“No.”
“Claire, stop acting like I’m dangerous.”
I turned to him.
“You stole my identity.”
His eyes flickered.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“There are cards in my name.”
“We’re married.”
“That doesn’t give you permission to forge my signature.”
“I was building something for us.”
“What?”
“A business.”
“What business?”
“A sports marketing company.”
I stared at him.
“You don’t have experience in sports marketing.”
“I know people.”
“You spent thirty-four thousand dollars.”
“It takes money to start something.”
“Then why didn’t you use your name?”
His jaw tightened.
“My credit wasn’t strong enough.”
“So you used mine.”
“I was going to pay it back.”
“With what income?”
“The business needed time.”
I zipped Lily’s suitcase.
“Did your mother know?”
“She believed in me.”
“Did she know the money was stolen?”
“Don’t use that word.”
“What word would you prefer?”
Derek lowered his voice.
“You think your father is going to save you? He’s going to make everything worse.”
“My father didn’t forge my name.”
“He has always wanted to break us apart.”
“You did that yourself.”
I picked up Lily’s suitcase.
Derek grabbed the handle.
Officer Ramirez immediately entered the room.
“Sir, release the bag.”
Derek let go.
“I’m trying to speak to my wife.”
“She has asked you to stop.”
Derek stepped back.
For the first time, I saw uncertainty in his face.
He was beginning to understand that his words no longer controlled the room.
I continued packing.
In the home office, I found several folders missing. Bank statements, tax records, and my employment documents were gone.
“Where are the financial files?” I asked.
Derek leaned against the doorframe.
“I don’t know.”
“You kept them in the bottom drawer.”
“Maybe you moved them.”
Officer Ramirez looked at him.
“Sir, she asked a simple question.”
Derek exhaled.
“My mother has some paperwork.”
“What paperwork?”
“Things related to the business.”
“Documents with my name on them?”
He did not answer.
I opened the desk drawer and found a small flash drive taped beneath it.
Derek saw it.
His entire expression changed.
“Give me that.”
Officer Ramirez stepped between us.
“Stay where you are.”
“That belongs to me.”
I held the flash drive tightly.
“It was inside my desk in my house.”
“Our house.”
“My name is on the deed.”
Derek’s voice rose.
“You think that means you can throw me into the street?”
“No. The court will decide when you leave.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You’ve become brave since your father showed up.”
“No. I’ve become informed.”
I packed the drive with the other documents.
As I carried the final bag outside, Derek followed us to the driveway.
Dad stepped out of his truck.
“Stay back,” Officer Ramirez warned him.
Dad remained beside the vehicle.
Derek pointed at him.
“You’re enjoying this.”
Dad said nothing.
“You’ve wanted Claire to leave me since the wedding.”
Still nothing.
Derek turned toward me.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“I made the mistake seven years ago.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You leave now, and I promise you’ll lose more than money.”
Officer Ramirez’s hand moved toward his radio.
“Is that a threat, sir?”
Derek forced a smile.
“No. It’s reality.”
I opened the truck door.
Then Derek said, “Ask your father what happened to the money your mother left you.”
Dad’s face changed.
I looked at him.
“What is he talking about?”
Derek smiled.
“You never told her?”
Dad stepped forward.
“Do not involve her mother.”
“Why not? Claire should know you’ve been controlling money too.”
I turned to Dad.
“What money?”
He looked older suddenly.
“Your mother left a trust.”
My breath caught.
“What trust?”
“She wanted it held until you were thirty-five.”
“I’m thirty-four.”
“I was planning to explain next year.”
Derek laughed.
“Your heroic father has been sitting on nearly two hundred thousand dollars while you struggled to buy groceries.”
Dad’s eyes never left mine.
“The trust is intact. Every dollar.”
“How does Derek know about it?”
Dad looked toward him.
“I don’t know.”
Derek’s smile vanished when he realized Dad was telling the truth.
“I found the paperwork,” he muttered.
“In my office?” Dad asked.
“At Christmas.”
“You went through my files?”
“I was looking for an insurance document.”
Dad’s voice hardened.
“You were planning to get Claire’s trust.”
Derek said nothing.
The truth became clear.
The credit cards.
The forged deed.
The business.
He had expected the trust to cover everything before anyone discovered what he had done.
Dad looked at the police officer.
“I believe he has just admitted to accessing private financial documents in my home.”
Derek backed toward the porch.
“I admitted nothing.”
I closed the truck door.
As Dad drove away, I looked back once.
Derek stood alone in the driveway beside the house he had tried to steal.
May you like
For years, I had believed leaving him would destroy my life.
Now I understood that staying had been destroying it piece by piece.
