Chapter 5 - What Ethan Had Filed
Sarah placed the folder on the counter.
Six weeks earlier, someone had attempted to record a spousal property agreement claiming Maya voluntarily granted Ethan a fifty-percent ownership interest in the house.
The filing had been rejected.
The notarized signature did not match Maya’s recorded signature, and the notary number belonged to someone whose commission had expired.
Grace looked at her daughter.
“Did you sign any property papers?”
“No.”
Ethan answered too quickly.
“She signed plenty of things. She never reads anything.”
Maya stared at him.
“What did you make me sign?”
“Nothing illegal.”
Sarah opened another page.
There were also applications for a home-equity loan.
The requested amount was two hundred forty thousand dollars.
Beatrice placed the dinner plate on the table.
“You said that money had already been approved.”
Maya turned toward her.
“You knew?”
Beatrice’s expression hardened.
“It was for the family.”
“What family?”
Ethan had planned to use the equity to purchase a restaurant with Beatrice’s brother. Maya would have remained responsible for the property while Ethan and his relatives controlled the business.
When the forged filing failed, Ethan began pressuring Maya to sign a new agreement voluntarily.
The cold kitchen, unpaid personal expenses, isolation, and forced household “rules” were not random cruelty.
They were leverage.
He wanted Maya exhausted enough to sign whatever he placed in front of her.
Grace felt anger rise through her, but she kept her voice level.
“You did not want a wife.”
May you like
She looked from Ethan to Beatrice.
“You wanted access.”
