Chapter 3 – The Chase to Barcelona
Daan had never imagined that a single legal document could turn his carefully planned future upside down.
The moment he stepped out of the town hall, he called Sanne again.
No answer.
Again.
Voicemail.
His lawyer confirmed the same thing the clerk had said.
"As long as Mrs. Visser remains legally connected to the property through the unresolved ownership records, you cannot complete the registration or make any changes without her written consent."
Lotte folded her arms, her face filled with frustration.
"You told me everything was over."
"It was supposed to be," Daan replied through clenched teeth.
"So why is her name still there?"
"I don't know."
For the first time since the divorce, Daan realized there were parts of their shared finances he had never paid attention to.
That evening, he searched through old folders and scanned dozens of documents.
Then he found it.
An old mortgage agreement.
Attached to it was another file labeled:
Inheritance Property – Visser Family Estate.
His heart skipped a beat.
The family house Sanne had inherited from her parents had been used years earlier as additional collateral during a refinancing process.
Because of a legal oversight, the ownership records had never been fully separated.
Without Sanne's signature, the file could not be closed.
Without closing the file...
His new life with Lotte was frozen.
The next morning, Daan booked the first flight to Barcelona.
"I'll fix this," he told Lotte.
She forced a smile.
"You'd better."
* * *
Meanwhile, Sanne was enjoying breakfast on a quiet terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Her phone buzzed once again.
Another missed call from Daan.
She calmly placed the phone face down and continued reading a novel.
Her lawyer called moments later.
"Mrs. Visser, we've received an urgent request."
"From Daan?"
"Yes. He wants to meet you as soon as possible."
Sanne smiled softly.
"Tell him I'm on vacation."
"But he says it's important."
She looked out at the endless blue sea.
"It became important only after he needed something from me."
She ended the call.
Thousands of kilometers away, Daan boarded his flight believing one signature would solve everything.
He had no idea that Barcelona held far more than Sanne.
Hidden inside the Visser family estate was a secret that had remained buried for more than twenty years...
...and it was about to change both of their lives forever.
End of Part 3...
