Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN THEY PLANNED TO BLAME
“You think I would take Ethan away?”
My voice shook.
Dominic immediately stood.
“No, Anna.”
I looked toward the document.
“Then why is my name there?”
Michael examined the signature.
“We don't know yet.”
“I've never even been to Vermont.”
“I understand,” he said.
But understanding wasn't the same as proving it.
And the signature looked enough like mine to frighten me.
Dominic moved the document across his desk.
“Anna, look carefully. Have you signed anything for Victoria recently?”
I thought about the previous weeks.
Laundry invoices.
Delivery receipts.
A staff attendance sheet.
Then I remembered.
“Three days ago, she asked everyone to confirm their signatures for the wedding payroll schedule.”
Michael looked up.
“What did the form say?”
“It was a printed staff roster. She said the caterers needed to know who was working Saturday.”
“Did you read the whole thing?”
“Yes. It only listed our names and shifts.”
Dominic frowned.
“Did she keep the originals?”
I nodded.
Michael made a note.
“We'll ask for them.”
Then Dominic looked at me.
“You are not taking Ethan anywhere. And nobody is going to accuse you of something you didn't do.”
I wanted to believe that.
But the paper still existed.
And somewhere, somebody had expected it to be enough.
The following morning, Mrs. Alvarez brought the original staff roster to Michael.
It had been kept with the wedding records.
My signature was there.
In blue ink.
The forged transport acknowledgment used an image of that same signature.
Even the small hook at the end of the final letter matched.
Michael arranged for an independent document examiner to compare the two.
The evidence didn't prove who had copied it, but it supported what I'd told them.
Someone had used my signature without permission.
Dominic looked furious.
“Victoria wanted Anna blamed if Ethan was taken away.”
Michael didn't answer immediately.
“That's one possibility. We need to establish who prepared the document.”
I was grateful for his caution.
It would have been easy for everyone to start making accusations.
I'd already seen where accusations could lead.
Later that morning, Dominic ordered the security office to review the vehicle arrangements.
He also instructed the staff that Ethan could not leave the property without his direct knowledge.
Victoria complained that he was treating her like a criminal.
Dominic answered quietly.
“I'm treating my son's safety like it matters.”
She stared at him.
“Are you canceling our wedding?”
He hesitated.
Then said, “I cannot marry you on Saturday.”
For the first time, Victoria seemed genuinely shocked.
“Dominic.”
“I need to understand what you've done.”
She looked toward the engagement ring on her hand.
“I gave up my apartment. I changed my career. I moved here because you asked me to build a life with you.”
“I know.”
“And now you're throwing me away because I made mistakes?”
Dominic's expression tightened.
“Victoria, mistakes are forgetting an appointment or saying something hurtful and apologizing.”
He looked toward Ethan's school photograph on the desk.
“You created a plan to make my son believe I didn't want him.”
Victoria began crying.
He continued.
“And when he refused, you threatened the only animal his mother left him.”
Her tears kept falling.
“I loved you.”
Dominic's answer was almost a whisper.
“I believed that.”
It hurt to hear.
Because for all the damage she'd caused, there had clearly been something real between them once.
That afternoon, Victoria moved into the guest wing while arrangements were made for her to leave the property.
Andrew was instructed not to enter the mansion.
But the financial dispute remained unresolved.
Michael discovered that Andrew had already presented the questionable lake-access agreement to his lender.
He'd represented the signatures as valid.
The lender was reviewing the application.
If the false agreement wasn't challenged promptly, Andrew could use it to pressure the Moretti trust into a costly legal fight.
Dominic wanted to stop him immediately.
But Michael insisted they proceed through proper channels.
“Your influence won't help if we mishandle this,” he warned.
Dominic looked at him.
“Then we do it correctly.”
I noticed something change after that.
Dominic began making time for Ethan.
Not the occasional twenty minutes between meetings.
Real time.
He ate breakfast with him.
Helped him with homework.
Sat beside Buddy during his medication.
When Ethan asked whether his father would be home for dinner, Dominic answered with a time instead of a vague promise.
And he kept it.
Still, Ethan remained cautious.
One evening, I found him sitting on the floor outside Dominic's study.
He was holding the silver bracelet.
“What's wrong, sweetheart?”
He looked up.
“Daddy's mad at Victoria.”
“Yes.”
“Is he mad because I told?”
My heart sank.
“No.”
“Because she said it would ruin everything.”
I sat beside him.
“Ethan, telling the truth didn't ruin your family.”
He studied me.
“Then what did?”
I thought carefully.
“People making decisions without listening to you.”
He nodded slowly.
Then he whispered, “I didn't want her to get in trouble.”
I put my arm around him.
“You can care about someone and still tell the truth about what they did.”
Ethan leaned against me.
After a moment, he asked, “Do you think Buddy remembers Mommy?”
I smiled.
“I think he remembers being loved.”
Ethan looked toward the dog's blanket.
“Me too.”
That evening, I helped him return Caroline's photographs to his bedroom.
We placed one beside his bed.
Another near his bookshelf.
The small silver bracelet went into a wooden box on his nightstand.
Ethan insisted on putting his latest drawing beside the photograph.
It showed the lake house.
Buddy.
Caroline.
Dominic.
And me.
This time, he'd drawn everyone close together.
Then Mrs. Alvarez entered.
Her face was pale.
“Anna, could you come downstairs?”
I followed her into the service hallway.
A suitcase stood beside the back entrance.
Ethan's suitcase.
His name was written on the luggage tag.
I opened it.
Inside were folded clothes, his school uniform, and a toothbrush.
Someone had packed it without telling us.
Mrs. Alvarez held up a transportation schedule.
“I found this in the garage office.”
It was dated Saturday.
The driver was scheduled to arrive at six forty-five in the morning.
I frowned.
“Dominic canceled everything.”
“I know.”
She pointed toward a handwritten instruction.
The vehicle was to enter through the service gate.
No reception staff required.
No family goodbyes.
Then she turned the page.
At the bottom was a note.
IF THE FATHER OBJECTS, PRESENT THE PRE-SIGNED PARENTAL AUTHORIZATION AND PROCEED.
I stared at her.
Mrs. Alvarez whispered, “Anna, this isn't a misunderstanding anymore.”
Then we heard Ethan's voice behind us.
“Miss Anna?”
I turned.
He was staring at his packed suitcase.
May you like
His little face went white.
“I thought Daddy said I could stay.”
