Chapter 2 - THE ANNIVERSARY GIFT THAT EXPOSED HIS PLAN
Daniel walked into the dining room carrying a bottle of champagne and wearing the same handsome smile that had convinced me to marry him ten years earlier.
I had just ended my conversation with Margaret, my attorney.
The hotel receipt was hidden beneath a folded kitchen towel. The photograph of Rebecca's message was safely stored on my phone.
And my husband had absolutely no idea that I knew.
"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he said, kissing my forehead.
I almost laughed.
Ten years ago, that kiss would have made me feel loved.
Tonight, it made my stomach turn.
"Happy anniversary, Daniel."
He pulled out a chair.
"Sit down. I have something special for you."
On the dining table sat two candles, a vase of white roses, and a small velvet jewelry box.
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a diamond necklace.
"It's beautiful," I said carefully.
"Twenty thousand dollars," he announced proudly. "Only the best for my wife."
Twenty thousand dollars.
Meanwhile, three subcontractors had recently contacted me because Bennett Construction was late paying their invoices.
I had mentioned those complaints to Daniel.
He had told me the company's cash flow was perfectly fine.
I touched the necklace without putting it on.
"That's a lot of money."
Daniel shrugged.
"Business has never been better."
I wondered how many other lies he could tell before dessert.
Then he reached into his jacket and placed a cream-colored envelope beside my plate.
"There's something else."
Inside were two airline tickets to Asheville, North Carolina, and a brochure for a private wellness retreat.
I looked up.
"A retreat?"
"You've been under so much emotional pressure lately, Emily. The fertility treatments, your grandmother's death, everything."
My grandmother had died eight years earlier.
Daniel had never mentioned her death as a source of concern until tonight.
"I think you need time away," he continued.
"How much time?"
"Six weeks. Maybe longer."
I slowly closed the brochure.
"And what would you be doing while I'm gone?"
"Taking care of the business, obviously."
"Alone?"
His smile tightened.
"Vanessa would help."
Of course she would.
I reached for my water.
"That's generous of both of you."
Daniel relaxed.
He thought I was agreeing.
Then he slid another paper across the table.
"It's just a routine acknowledgment for the bank. It confirms I'll handle the financial decisions while you're recovering."
There it was.
The second trap.
A month earlier, Daniel had asked me to sign a limited authorization for renewing the company's operating credit line.
He had claimed it was routine banking paperwork.
Now he wanted something much broader.
I read the document carefully.
The wording included temporary delegation of shareholder voting authority.
My heart began pounding.
Daniel wasn't simply trying to send me away.
He wanted control of the majority shares my grandmother's inheritance had purchased.
"I'll have Margaret review it," I said.
Daniel stopped smiling.
"Why?"
"Because that's what attorneys are for."
"Emily, I'm your husband."
"I know."
"Then why are you treating me like a stranger?"
I looked straight at him.
"Because I want to understand what I'm signing."
For the first time that evening, I saw something cold behind his eyes.
He pushed his chair backward.
"You're becoming suspicious of everything. This is exactly why I think you need professional help."
I didn't answer.
He stood, picked up the necklace, and fastened it around my neck.
"There," he whispered. "You look beautiful when you aren't worrying."
Then he kissed my cheek.
I sat perfectly still until he left the room.
The moment his footsteps disappeared upstairs, I removed the necklace.
I photographed the proposed authorization and sent it to Margaret.
Her reply came eight minutes later.
Do not sign. This is not ordinary banking paperwork. Your shareholder voting rights are specifically included.
Then another message appeared.
Emily, have you received any notices concerning a potential sale of Bennett Construction?
My fingers froze.
I typed:
No. Why?
Margaret replied:
Because an outside buyer contacted our office this afternoon asking whether your trust would approve the transaction.
I stared at the screen.
An outside buyer?
Daniel had just told me business had never been better.
I called Margaret immediately.
"What transaction?"
"A proposed sale of the company's residential development division."
"For how much?"
"That isn't clear yet. I'm requesting the preliminary terms."
I looked toward the staircase.
"Does Daniel know you represent my trust?"
"He should. He signed the original investment agreement."
Of course he had.
Eight years ago, Daniel had barely glanced at those papers before signing them.
Now he apparently believed he could sell assets without asking the woman who controlled the company.
Margaret lowered her voice.
"Emily, I also need you to look at the first page of that retreat brochure."
I opened it.
At the bottom, beneath the beautiful photographs of mountains and gardens, was a paragraph I hadn't noticed.
Family-supported residential treatment program.
My throat tightened.
"This isn't a vacation."
"No," Margaret said. "And you need to understand exactly what Daniel intends before agreeing to anything."
I heard footsteps.
Daniel had returned.
I ended the call.
He stood in the doorway, studying the unsigned paperwork.
"Still thinking about it?"
"Yes."
He folded his arms.
"Vanessa thinks you should leave next Monday."
"Vanessa seems very interested in my future."
"She's worried about you."
"Is she?"
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Don't start, Emily. I've already told the family and several people at the office that you're taking an extended leave to get treatment."
The room seemed to tilt.
He had begun destroying my reputation before I even knew there was a plan.
"You told them what?"
"That you're struggling emotionally. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
I stared at the man I'd loved for a decade.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"And when you come back, sweetheart, things around here may look a little different."
I looked at him.
"What things?"
Daniel glanced around our beautiful dining room.
"The house, for one. We're considering some changes."
May you like
And suddenly, I understood.
He wasn't planning to welcome me home after six weeks. He was planning to make sure I had no home to return to.
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