Then his voice softened.
“Of course.
I just wanted to make sure you arrived safely.”
Behind him, I heard Eleanor say something I could not understand.
Andrew continued, “Did the driver meet you?”
“No.
I took a taxi.”
Another silence.
This one was longer.
“You shouldn’t do that in a foreign city,” he said.
“Call the driver tomorrow.
Use the number Mom sent you.”
“Why is that so important?”
“It isn’t.
I’m trying to help.”
The investigator wrote a question on a pad and pushed it toward me.
I read it aloud.
“When are you filing the divorce papers?”
Andrew inhaled sharply.
“What are you talking about?”
“I had a strange dream.”
His laugh sounded forced.
“You’re exhausted, Valerie.
Take your medication and get some sleep.”
I did not take medication.
I never had.
He was already building the story of an unstable wife.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said.
“Not too early,” he replied.
“I have meetings.”
After the call ended, the investigator looked at me.
“He wanted confirmation that you reached the driver.”
My attorney pointed to Andrew’s comment about medication.
“And he is rehearsing the mental-instability claim.”
At eight the next morning, the county clerk alerted my attorney that a digital filing had been submitted in my name.
The application claimed I had voluntarily abandoned my marital residence, relinquished my ownership rights, and authorized Andrew to act on my behalf while I remained overseas indefinitely.
Attached was a scanned passport page and a notarized signature.
I had never appeared before that notary.
The filing transformed their plan from private preparation into an active attempt to take my property.
The police obtained a warrant for the house, Andrew’s office, his devices, and the blue folder.
My attorney asked whether I wanted to remain at the station while officers executed it.
“No,” I said.
“I want to be there.”
We reached the house shortly after ten.
The white balloons were still tied beside the front door, though several had sagged overnight.
Through the windows, I could see empty champagne glasses and plates abandoned on the dining table.
Two unmarked police vehicles stopped behind us.
I walked to the entrance with my attorney on one side and the investigator on the other.
Then I used my own key.
Andrew was standing in the foyer when the door opened.
For one second, he did not recognize what he was seeing.
His face emptied.
Eleanor appeared behind him, still wearing the pale dress from the party.
The pregnant woman came down the staircase carrying a coffee cup.
No one spoke.
I placed the envelope containing the untouched $100,000 on the entry table.
