Chapter 4

When I woke up again, I was still slumped over the table, and the food on it hadn't been touched.

Suddenly I had a bad feeling. Something was wrong.

I glanced at the clock—it was ten at night. I looked around the house, but Cyril wasn't home.

As I was leaving the bedroom, I abruptly turned my head and saw that the cabinet where we usually kept our documents was open, and a bad premonition hit me.

I hurried over and pulled out all the documents inside. The only thing missing was the deed to the house near Lincoln Elementary.

My guess was that Cyril had taken it.

He'd put something in the chicken soup, and after I drank it, everything went hazy.

He'd seized the chance to take the deed and use it to enroll his nephew in school.

I'd thought we'd more or less settled things that day, but I never imagined he would actually do something like this.

Cyril was clever. He figured out that a property deed was needed for enrollment, but what he didn't know was that even with the deed, it was useless without the property owner's verification code.

I opened my phone, and sure enough, I saw a verification code that had come in a few hours earlier.

Except Cyril hadn't dared to ask me for the code.

Some people crave success so badly that it ends up backfiring on them instead.

I still didn't quite believe that Cyril would do something like steal the deed, but the home surveillance footage didn't lie.

Watching the footage, I even tried to convince myself that someone had put Cyril up to it.

I still had a lot of faith in him, and I really wanted to keep our marriage together, but this move of his had taught me a hard lesson.

Unwilling to accept it, I called Cyril. He didn't pick up the first time.

I called a second time, and just as the ringing was about to stop, someone answered.

Anxious, I spoke first. "Cyril, I've already agreed to all your demands—why would you still—"

"Sorry, Manager Hughes is in the shower. Is there something you need? I can pass it along."

My words were cut off, and then my head buzzed.

I'd heard that voice before—it was Cyril's new secretary. I thought her name was Melody.

For a moment I didn't answer, and Melody prompted me again. "Hello? Is there anything you need?"

I didn't say a word. I just hung up.

Melody didn't know who I was. Either she was pretending, or Cyril really didn't have my number saved in his phone.

But none of that mattered now. Right then I felt an impulse, one urging me to go do something immediately.

First I went through my assets again, and then I found a reasonably reliable lawyer online.

Once all of that was done, I called the police.

"Someone broke into my house, and my property deed is gone."

"Someone is trying to seize my house."