Chapter 8 - The Lie That Had Been RehearsedNaomi had always thought Daniel was a terrible liar.
When they first started dating, he'd try to surprise her with dinner reservations and accidentally mention the restaurant before they arrived.
When he bought her an engagement ring, he'd hidden the jewelry box behind a stack of towels and then acted suspicious every time she opened the closet.
She used to find his nervousness endearing.
Now she wondered whether she'd mistaken selective honesty for innocence.
Daniel called on Thursday evening.
“I need to see Ellie.”
Naomi looked toward the living room, where her daughter was drawing with colored pencils.
“You can speak to her. We can discuss a visit that works for her.”
“She's my daughter too.”
“I know that.”
“Then stop acting like I'm dangerous.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
“I'm not saying you're dangerous, Daniel. I'm saying you lied to me about documents involving my property.”
“I didn't forge anything.”
“Then who did?”
He exhaled.
“I can't keep having this conversation.”
“Neither can I.”
She almost ended the call.
Instead, she asked a question that had been haunting her.
“When did you first know about the power of attorney?”
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
“Mom showed me a draft.”
“When?”
“A few weeks ago.”
“Before or after it was recorded?”
Silence.
“Daniel.”
“Before.”
Naomi gripped the countertop.
“So you knew someone was preparing a document that would give you control over my property.”
“I thought you'd eventually agree.”
“I'd already told your mother no.”
“I know.”
The admission stung.
Naomi looked toward Ellie.
Her daughter had stopped coloring.
She was listening.
Naomi lowered her voice.
“We are not discussing this while Ellie can hear us.”
She ended the call.
Then she sat beside her daughter.
Ellie continued pressing a blue pencil against the paper.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Are you and Daddy getting divorced?”
Naomi felt her throat tighten.
“I don't know yet, sweetheart.”
Ellie nodded as though she'd expected that answer.
“Will you tell me when you know?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
That night, after Ellie fell asleep, Naomi opened an old folder of financial records.
She had received quarterly statements from the property management company but rarely examined the supporting invoices.
Now she compared them against her bank account.
There were charges for repairs Daniel had assured her were complete.
The stair railing at Rosemont Court was still loose.
The basement lighting had not been replaced.
An exterior drainage inspection had been billed twice.
The discrepancies weren't proof of fraud by themselves.
Invoices could be erroneous.
Work could have been delayed.
But Naomi realized she hadn't checked.
She had allowed her desire for domestic peace to replace basic oversight of a property she was responsible for maintaining.
The next morning, she visited Rosemont Court and hired an independent contractor to assess the outstanding work.
She also requested complete billing records from Daniel's company through Mara.
When Daniel called again, Naomi asked about the repair charges.
He sounded startled.
“Why are you going through old invoices?”
“Because they involve my money.”
“I already handled those.”
“Then the records should be straightforward.”
“Naomi, you're looking for reasons not to trust me.”
She laughed once.
It was a short, exhausted sound.
“No, Daniel. I'm trying to determine how many reasons you've already given me.”
He went quiet.
Then his voice softened.
“You know I love you.”
Naomi stared at the blue front door visible through her car windshield.
“I used to think knowing that was enough.”
“It should count for something.”
“It does. That's what makes this hurt.”
Daniel remained silent.
Naomi continued.
“I trusted you with the things that mattered most to me. Our daughter. Our home. My grandmother's property.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“But you knew I would be hurt if I found out.”
He didn't deny it.
Naomi wiped her cheek.
“That's a choice, Daniel. Not an accident.”
That afternoon, Mara received the event booking correspondence from Hawthorne Hall.
Among the emails was a message Lorraine had sent to Claire ten days before the party.
She'd requested temporary storage and described the contents as confidential family real-estate documents.
Mara forwarded the relevant message to Naomi.
One line stood out.
Please do not discuss the storage arrangement with Naomi. The documents are part of a surprise announcement.
Naomi stared at the sentence.
Lorraine hadn't simply hoped Naomi wouldn't discover the paperwork.
She had specifically instructed another person to keep it secret.
A second attachment made the situation worse.
It contained a proposed announcement for the baby shower.
The wording congratulated the Brooks family on expanding its business and securing an important redevelopment opportunity.
Rosemont Court was described as an acquired property.
Naomi's name appeared nowhere in the announcement.
She forwarded it to Mara.
Then she looked at Ellie, who was quietly arranging crayons by color.
“Baby,” Naomi asked, “did Grandma say anything about a special announcement?”
Ellie nodded.
“She told me Grandpa would have a big surprise after the cake.”
“What kind of surprise?”
Ellie picked up the blue crayon.
“She said everybody would clap.”
Naomi looked again at the announcement.
The entire party had been designed around a celebration Naomi hadn't agreed to attend.
Not a baby shower.
May you like
A public declaration that her property belonged to somebody else.
And if Ellie hadn't found that packet, Naomi might have heard the announcement while smiling beneath a room full of chandeliers.
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