Chapter 2 - The Deed
The childhood house was worth just under $1.9 million.
According to the deed, I owned sixty percent.
Dad owned forty.
Gwendolyn owned nothing.
Then another picture arrived.
Mom’s cherrywood dresser was in the hallway.
A third message came from Gwendolyn.
You left voluntarily. Please arrange pickup of anything else by Friday.
I called Maya.
“Please tell me you finally want to do something about that deed.”
“You remember it?”
“You’ve made me review it three times and then refused to act three times.”
“Fourth time.”
She went quiet.
“What happened?”
“My stepmother threw me out.”
There was a pause.
Then Maya said, “Out of the house you own sixty percent of?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“I’m trying to stay professional.”
“Don’t.”
She laughed once.
Then her voice sharpened.
“Paige, there’s something else. I ran the property record last month when we updated your estate plan.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“There’s a new lien.”
“A lien?”
“Seven hundred eighty thousand dollars.”
I stood.
“Against the house?”
“Yes.”
“I never approved that.”
“You would have had to.”
“I didn’t.”
Maya was already typing.
“The loan was signed eight months ago.”
“By who?”
“Samuel Morgan.”
“That’s Dad’s forty percent. He can’t pledge mine.”
“He didn’t.”
She stopped typing.
May you like
My skin went cold.
“Paige, the recorded consent has your signature on it.”
