PART 4 — THE NAME ON THE TRANSFERS
Catherine stared at the screen.
For several seconds, she couldn't understand what she was seeing.
There were dozens of transfers.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger ones.
$2,000.
$5,000.
$12,000.
$25,000.
All sent from accounts connected to Mark.
And every transfer had gone to the same person.
Catherine's breathing became shallow.
She whispered the name.
“Paula…”
Her own sister-in-law.
The woman who had been sitting at the dinner table that night, laughing while filming the expensive meal for social media.
Catherine opened the first transaction.
The money had been transferred six months earlier.
Then another.
Then another.
The total amount made her stomach turn.
$146,800.
She quickly opened the next folder.
There were screenshots of messages between Mark and Paula.
At first, they looked innocent.
Then Catherine found the conversation from three months earlier.
Paula: “Are you sure Catherine won't notice?”
Mark: “She trusts me. She never checks the small things.”
Catherine covered her mouth.
Another message appeared.
Paula: “And the house?”
Mark: “Teresa is handling that.”
Catherine's hands went cold.
She continued reading.
Paula: “Once the house is transferred, what happens?”
Mark had replied:
“We sell it. Catherine gets enough to keep her quiet. The rest is divided between us.”
Catherine stared at the sentence.
They had planned to sell her house.
Her house.
The house she had purchased years before they were married.
The house she had paid for with her own savings.
And they had already decided how to divide the money.
Catherine felt something inside her break.
Not her heart.
Something stronger.
Her last remaining trust.
She took screenshots of everything.
Then she noticed another message.
It was dated only two weeks earlier.
Paula: “What about Chloe?”
Catherine's eyes narrowed.
Mark's response appeared beneath it.
“Catherine will eventually leave her with me. She'll have no choice once we control the finances.”
Catherine stopped breathing.
They weren't only trying to take her money.
They were planning to separate her from her daughter.
She immediately copied the entire folder onto another encrypted drive.
Then she called her attorney.
The phone rang twice.
“Catherine?”
“I found everything.”
Her attorney's voice became serious.
“What did you find?”
“Transfers. Messages. Documents. They're trying to take my house, my money, and possibly use my daughter against me.”
There was silence.
Then her attorney said:
“Do not go back to that house.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
“Don't contact Mark. Don't confront Teresa or Paula. And don't delete anything.”
“I won't.”
“Catherine, listen carefully. If what you've found is authentic, we may be dealing with financial fraud and attempted property transfer.”
Catherine looked toward Chloe.
“What should I do?”
“Stay somewhere safe. Keep your daughter with you. And tomorrow morning, bring me every document you have.”
Catherine nodded even though her attorney couldn't see her.
“Tomorrow morning.”
After the call ended, Catherine sat beside Chloe.
Her daughter stirred.
“Mom?”
Catherine immediately softened.
“I'm here, sweetheart.”
“Are we going home?”
Catherine hesitated.
Then she gently brushed Chloe's hair away from her face.
“Not tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes home isn't the place where you feel safe.”
Chloe was quiet for a moment.
Then she reached for Catherine's hand.
“I feel safe with you.”
Those four words almost destroyed Catherine.
She kissed her daughter's forehead.
“I promise you, Chloe. I will protect you.”
Outside the hotel room, the hallway was silent.
But Catherine knew the night wasn't over.
At 3:02 a.m., her laptop suddenly displayed a security warning.
New login detected.
Catherine stared at the screen.
Someone was trying to access the encrypted drive.
Then another notification appeared.
Password attempt failed.
A second attempt.
Failed.
A third.
Failed.
Catherine quickly disconnected the laptop from the internet.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She didn't answer.
It stopped.
Then a message appeared.
Only five words.
“You don't know the whole story.”
Catherine stared at the screen.
Whoever had sent it knew about the investigation.
And then another message arrived.
This time, there was a photograph attached.
Catherine opened it.
Her face went completely pale.
The photograph showed Mark.
But he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him was someone Catherine never expected to see.
Someone who had been helping him from the very beginning.
And suddenly, Catherine realized the betrayal was much deeper than she had ever imagined.
