“Go ahead.”
“Did you hide money from Mark during the divorce?”
I nearly dropped my phone.
“No.”
She sighed.
Apparently, Mark had been telling the family that I bought my “secret house” using assets I had hidden from him.
His commissions had dropped.
He and Vanessa were struggling financially.
Their lease was ending.
And Mark had convinced himself that because I was doing well after the divorce, some of that success must rightfully belong to him.
Then Diane sent me screenshots.
The first message was from Mark to his sister.
It said:
Once we get inside, Clare won’t make a scene. She hates conflict. She’ll let us stay until we figure something out.
I read it three times.
That hurt worse than the scratched floor.
He hadn’t simply gambled on getting into my house.
He had gambled on me.
On twenty-seven years of knowing exactly how much I hated conflict.
