Chapter 13 - She Wanted Half
Gwendolyn’s divorce filing asked for two rentals, half the brokerage account, spousal support, and exclusive use of the childhood house.
Her filing also accused Dad of hiding assets from her.
That part was funny.
Then her attorney made a mistake.
They attached a property schedule.
It listed every LLC.
Every rental.
Every account.
Including one we had never found.
Desert Star Investments.
Value: $1.2 million.
Sole owner:
Gwendolyn Morgan.
Funded five years earlier.
Maya traced it.
The original deposit came from a refinance on the first rental purchased with Mesa money.
Trust money had multiplied into an asset Gwendolyn kept only for herself.
Chloe sat beside me reviewing the records.
“She was going to leave Dad.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Looks like years.”
Chloe stared at the wall.
I realized something strange.
For the first time, we were on the same side.
“Paige.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry about your room.”
I almost smiled.
“That’s the smallest thing here.”
“I know. But it’s the thing I did.”
That mattered.
“I accept that.”
She nodded.
Then Dad called.
He was back at the old house packing.
Gwendolyn had changed the locks.
Again.
On a house she did not own.
This time I did not negotiate.
My property manager changed them legally under court supervision.
Gwendolyn was served with an occupancy notice and preservation order.
She could remain temporarily.
She could not sell, remove, destroy, or transfer property.
Her reaction was immediate.
She posted online.
My stepdaughter became rich and is now trying to make her father homeless.
The post spread fast.
Chloe shocked everyone.
She posted one sentence:
That is not what happened. Please stop attacking Paige.
Gwendolyn called her within seconds.
We could hear the screaming across the room.
“You ungrateful little brat!”
Chloe went pale.
Then something changed in her face.
She said, “Mom, you used my name too.”
Silence.
Chloe continued.
“And I’m giving the police everything.”
Gwendolyn hung up.
Ten minutes later, the preservation monitor at the old house sent an alert.
Smoke detector.
May you like
Garage.
Someone had started a fire inside the records cabinet.
