Chapter 10 - THE ACCOUNT I NEVER OPENED

Ryan's lawyer had not arrived yet, but Ryan seemed to forget he had asked for one.

"Don't freeze anything," he said.

Officer Ortiz raised her hand. "Mr. Mercer, return to the other room."

"She'll destroy us."

I stared at him. "Us?"

He looked toward Diane.

His mother avoided his eyes.

That was when I understood the plural.

Naomi told me to log into my business banking portal from a device Ryan had never used.

Evan handed me his tablet.

I signed in.

At first everything looked normal.

Then Naomi asked me to check authorized external transfer accounts.

There was one I didn't recognize.

A bank I had never used.

An account ending in 4418.

Added eleven days earlier.

Pending verification.

My skin went cold.

"I didn't add this."

Naomi's voice sharpened. "Screenshot everything. Do not click delete until the bank's fraud team documents it."

Ryan closed his eyes.

Diane whispered, "You said it wasn't connected yet."

Silence.

Every person in the room looked at her.

Diane realized what she had done.

Ryan's face twisted.

"Mom."

"I didn't mean--"

Officer Ortiz stepped between them.

"Nobody speak to each other."

Evan stared at Ryan. "You were setting up a transfer account?"

Ryan exploded.

"I was protecting our future!"

"With her money?"

"We're married! Why does everyone keep acting like I'm some stranger?"

I felt something in me finally break loose.

Not fear.

Attachment.

I had spent years trying to make Ryan feel like an equal partner. I helped his business, paid debts, and never used money as a weapon.

He had mistaken kindness for access, and access for ownership.

Naomi asked, "Claire, can you see the account holder name?"

I opened the details.

The external account was not in Ryan's name.

It belonged to Mercer Strategic Holdings LLC.

I looked at him.

"What's Mercer Strategic Holdings?"

Ryan said nothing.

But Evan was already searching the public business registry.

Thirty seconds later, he looked up.

"Claire," he said, "the company isn't Ryan's."

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He turned the screen toward me.

"It's Diane's."