Chapter 9: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Get the House
Renee stared at the phone.
“Celeste was listed as a recipient?””
“Yes,” Robert replied.
“The lender's preliminary documents indicate that part of the refinancing proceeds would be directed to an account associated with her.””
Renee felt as though the room had become smaller.
“How much?””
“Approximately $45,000.””
Margaret covered her mouth.
Renee looked toward the front door, where Devon had left the roses.
Forty-five thousand dollars.
The same man who had once promised to save every penny for their child's future had planned to use their home to finance another woman's life.
“Can the lender stop it?”” Renee asked.
“The application is now under review because of the disputed authorization. You should contact your independent attorney tomorrow and provide copies of everything.””
“Tomorrow?””
“I've already requested that the lender preserve the file. For tonight, don't sign anything and keep all communications.””
Renee thanked him and ended the call.
Margaret sat beside her.
“I'm calling your aunt. She can stay with us tomorrow.””
Renee nodded.
But her mind was elsewhere.
She was thinking about the apartment.
The personal transfers.
The fake authorization.
The house.
How long had Devon been planning this?
At 9:17 p.m., her phone rang again.
The caller was Celeste.
Renee stared at the screen.
Margaret shook her head.
“Don't answer.””
Renee hesitated.
Then she accepted the call and placed it on speaker.
“Hello?””
Celeste's voice sounded strained.
“Renee, please don't hang up.””
“What do you want?””
“I need to tell you something.””
“You've told me enough.””
“No. You need to hear this.””
Renee said nothing.
Celeste took a shaky breath.
“Devon told me he was going to sell the house.””
Renee felt her stomach tighten.
“What?””
“He said you had agreed to move somewhere smaller after the baby was born. He told me the house was already being prepared for refinancing.””
Renee closed her eyes.
“He never told me that.””
“I know that now.””
“You knew about the application?””
Celeste paused.
“I knew he wanted to use the house as security. I didn't know your signature was being disputed.””
Renee's voice became cold.
“Why were you going to receive the money?””
Celeste began crying.
“He said it was repayment.””
“For what?””
“For the money I had invested in the shop.””
Renee stared at the phone.
“You invested money?””
“Yes. I put in $20,000.””
“Where did that money come from?””
Celeste hesitated.
“Some of it was mine. The rest came from a personal loan.””
Renee leaned back.
“So Devon was planning to use our house to repay your investment.””
“He said it was temporary.””
Renee gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course he did.””
Celeste's breathing became uneven.
“I thought we were building something together.””
“You were building something with a married man.””
“I know.””
“You knew he had a pregnant wife.””
“I know.””
“You knew I helped pay for the shop.””
Celeste didn't answer.
Renee continued.
“Yet you accepted money that came from my savings.””
Celeste whispered, “I didn't know it was yours.””
“You didn't ask.””
Silence.
Then Celeste said something unexpected.
“There's another document.””
Renee sat upright.
“What document?””
“Devon asked me to keep a copy of the original transfer agreement. He said he might need it if you refused to sign.””
Renee looked at Margaret.
“Where is it?””
“In my apartment.””
“Why are you telling me this?””
“Because I saw what happened today. And because Devon told me something else after you left.””
Renee's fingers tightened around the phone.
“What?””
“He said if you challenged the refinancing, he would claim you had agreed to everything before the opening.””
Renee stared at the wall.
“He plans to blame me?””
Celeste began crying harder.
“I think he has been preparing to do that for a long time.””
Renee ended the call without saying goodbye.
Margaret looked at her.
“Do you believe her?””
“I don't know.””
Renee walked into the bedroom and sat beside the crib.
She picked up a tiny yellow onesie.
The baby clothes smelled of fresh detergent.
She had washed them twice because she wanted everything ready.
A small pair of socks lay beside the folded blanket.
Renee pressed them against her palm.
She had never imagined her marriage ending like this.
Not with lawyers.
Not with disputed signatures.
Not with another woman calling to explain how much money she had been promised.
Her phone vibrated again.
A message from Celeste appeared.
*I have the original document. I also have the messages where Devon told me what to say. I'll give everything to your attorney.*
Renee didn't respond.
Instead, she called Robert and explained the conversation.
He listened carefully.
“Do not meet Celeste alone. Ask her to preserve the documents and provide them through your attorney.””
“Can she prove Devon planned the transfer?””
“She may have evidence. But we need to authenticate it and let the proper investigators review it.””
Renee nodded.
Then she asked the question that had been burning inside her.
“Robert, why did you come to the shop today? Why did you know there was a problem?””
He paused.
“I received a call from a lender's compliance department this morning. They were trying to verify the ownership records because the transfer documents did not match the original agreement.””
Renee listened.
“They contacted you?””
“Yes. I noticed the discrepancy in the signature authorization. I also remembered that your original contribution had been substantial.””
“So you came to warn me?””
“I came because I believed you needed to know before anyone pressured you into signing something.””
Renee swallowed.
“Thank you.””
After ending the call, she finally lay down.
Margaret stayed in the adjoining room.
Neither of them slept much.
At 6:40 the following morning, Renee received a call from her independent attorney, Laura Bennett.
Robert had referred her the previous evening.
Laura spoke calmly.
“I've reviewed the preliminary documents. We need to take several steps, starting with protecting your financial accounts and obtaining the full property records.””
Renee sat up.
“Can Devon take the house?””
“I'm not going to make a promise before reviewing the title, mortgage, and any signed agreements. But a disputed signature should be formally challenged immediately.””
“Can I stop him from using my name?””
“We can notify the lender in writing that you dispute the authorization and request that no transaction proceed based on it until verification is complete.””
Renee took notes.
Laura continued.
“Do you have access to your original bank records?””
“Yes.””
“Your employment records?””
“Yes.””
“Any messages showing Devon knew you hadn't authorized the documents?””
Renee thought of the conversation Celeste had described.
“Possibly. Celeste has messages.””
“Good. Don't alter or delete anything. Send copies to my office.””
Renee looked at the crib.
“I want to protect my baby.””
Laura's voice softened.
“Then we'll focus on facts, documentation, and your legal position. You don't need to argue with Devon to protect yourself.””
After the call, Renee finally felt a small measure of control returning.
She contacted her bank and changed her passwords.
She removed the linked external account.
She requested a formal transaction report.
Then she contacted the lender and disputed the authorization.
At 10:15 a.m., an email arrived.
*REFINANCING APPLICATION — TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED PENDING VERIFICATION.*
Renee read it twice.
She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or frightened.
The phone rang again.
This time it was Devon.
She let it ring.
Then a message arrived.
*You have no idea what you've done. The business is going to collapse.*
Another followed.
*If you stop this loan, I could lose everything.*
Renee looked at the messages.
Then she typed:
*You should have thought about that before using my name and our home without my permission.*
She sent it.
A minute later, Devon called again.
She answered.
“What?””
His voice was sharp.
“You contacted the lender?””
“Yes.””
“You had no right to freeze the application.””
“I disputed an authorization I never gave.””
“You're destroying the business!””
“You destroyed my trust.””
“Renee, I need that money.””
“You have Celeste.””
There was silence.
Then Devon spoke quietly.
“Celeste has nothing to do with this.””
Renee almost laughed.
“She was supposed to receive forty-five thousand dollars from our house.””
Devon exhaled angrily.
“You don't understand the arrangement.””
“Then explain it.””
He didn't.
Instead, he said, “Come to the shop tomorrow. We can settle this without lawyers.””
“No.””
“Renee, please.””
“No more private meetings. Everything goes through my attorney.””
His voice hardened.
“You're making a terrible mistake.””
Renee ended the call.
For the first time, she didn't feel guilty about hanging up.
That afternoon, Celeste delivered a digital folder to Laura's office.
It contained messages, copies of the transfer agreement, payment records, and a voice recording.
Laura called Renee shortly afterward.
“Mrs. Carter, I need you to sit down.””
Renee's heart began racing.
“What happened?””
“We found something important in the messages.””
“What?””
Laura paused.
“Devon wasn't planning to transfer the business only to Celeste.””
Renee frowned.
“Who else?””
“There's a second company listed in the paperwork. It appears to have been created several months ago.””
Renee gripped the phone.
“What company?””
Laura read the name.
*CARTER FAMILY HOLDINGS LLC.*
Renee felt a chill.
“That sounds like my name.””
“It does. But you are not listed as its organizer.””
“Who is?””
Laura hesitated.
“Devon Carter.””
Renee stared at the wall.
“Why would he create a company using my family name?””
Laura opened another document.
“Because the company's registered address is your home.””
Renee stopped breathing for a moment.
Then Laura added:
“And according to the formation records, the company was created to hold property and business interests belonging to both spouses.””
Renee looked at the ultrasound picture on her dresser.
A new fear began taking shape.
“Did he put the house in that company?””
“Not according to the current property record. But we found an attempted transfer.””
Renee closed her eyes.
Laura continued.
“There's one more thing. The filing includes a statement claiming that you personally requested the company be established.””
Renee's voice trembled.
“I never did.””
“I believe you. But we need to understand who prepared the filing and why.””
Renee looked down at her wedding ring, which she had placed on the bedside table the previous day.
Then she whispered:
“Laura, how much of my life has he put under his name?””
The attorney was silent for a moment.
May you like
Then she replied:
“That's exactly what we're going to find out.””
