Chapter 5

Fraser nodded. "Given your situation, the property will be awarded to you. At most, he can request compensation for the portion of the mortgage paid together after marriage."

He picked up a pen and did some quick math.

"He contributed just under 50 thousand dollars toward the mortgage. If the court decides on compensation, it'll probably be around 30 thousand dollars paid to him. The house remains yours," Fraser added.

30 thousand dollars or so.

Eight years of marriage, and he'd end up with 30 thousand dollars. Meanwhile, I'd get the house.

Sounded like I came out on top. But I still had to hand over that 30 thousand dollars.

To a guy who let his side chick crash at my place, acted like I was the problem, and funneled over 70 thousand dollars behind my back to support another woman.

I really didn't want to hand that money over to him.

"What about the money he sent to his mistress? Can I get that back?" I asked Fraser.

He replied, "Since he used marital funds for his affair, you can ask for that money back. How much are we talking about?"

I said, "I've only done a quick check so far, but it's at least 70 thousand dollars. Maybe even more. I'm still going through the details."

Fraser looked at me.

He instructed, "First, make sure you organize all the transaction history. Take screenshots of every transfer, amount, date, notes, and everything.

"If he bought anything for his side chick or booked hotels, save those records too."

I said, "There's one more thing. He's been reaching out to real estate agents lately. I think he's planning something with the house."

Fraser's expression turned serious. "Are you sure?"

"I saw the call logs," I replied.

"Do you have the property title on you?" Fraser asked.

"I do," I replied.

He said, "Make sure you keep it locked up, somewhere safe. If he tries to get his name on the title, he'll need your signature. If you don't sign, he can't do a thing."

I nodded.

He added, "But if you're planning to get divorced, there's one thing you need to figure out first."

"What is it?" I asked.

"What do you want the outcome to be?" Fraser replied.

I looked at him. "I want him to leave with nothing. Not a dime, not even a toothbrush," I said.

Fraser didn't say it was unrealistic.

Instead, he said, "If you want him to walk away with nothing, you'll need rock-solid proof of his cheating. Grab everything you can, like bank transfers, messages, photos, videos, whatever dirt you can dig up.

"When it comes to splitting assets, the one who didn't mess up gets a bigger cut. And if he's been seriously hiding or moving money around, the court might even leave him with nothing."

Fraser flipped through his notes, "Also, if he wants to sell the house, he needs the original deed. If you don't cooperate, he can't do a thing."

He looked up at me. "But on the flip side, if you want to sell, you totally can. The deed's got your name on it, so you can handle it solo, unless he somehow proves it's joint property.

"But from what you've told me about how you paid for it and whose name's on the deed, that's a long shot for him."

I could sell it. That thought kept looping in my mind.

I bought this place, and I could sell it. I didn't need his permission.

I said, "Mr. Murphy, if I sell the house first and then file for divorce, is there any risk?"

He paused, thinking it over.

He explained, "Legally, you're free to sell your own property. If he tries to claim anything, that'll get sorted out in the divorce case.

"Even if the court recognizes he chipped in on the mortgage, he'll just get a payout, nothing more. It won't mess with your right to sell.

"The real trick is locking down solid evidence of his cheating and moving money around. That way, his payout gets slashed."

I sat there for a moment, letting it all sink in.

"How much time do I need to get everything ready?" I asked.

Fraser replied, "For the evidence, a month or two should be enough. As for selling the house, that depends on how you want to go about it."

A month or two was doable.

I stood up and shook Fraser's hand. "Thanks."

"Ms. Burton," Fraser called out, stopping me. "Don't let your husband find out what you're up to. Right now, your biggest advantage is that he has no idea you're already making moves."

I nodded.

Patrick was still clueless. He thought a bunch of lilies would make it all better.

*****

Over the next month, I did three things.

First thing, I gathered evidence.

During the day, I was at work. At night, after Patrick was fast asleep, I'd snoop through his phone.

He never bothered to change his password. It was still the same one he set the year we got married.

I went through his conversations with Penelope.

I ended up taking over two hundred screenshots.

There were the usual sweet nothings. [What do you want to eat today, baby?] and [I miss you.]

Then there were the money transfers. [Rent for this month.], [Get yourself a new outfit.], and [Happy birthday, baby.]

And then there were the messages that made my skin crawl. [Don't worry about my wife, she's clueless.] and [Once I get the house sorted out, we can finally be together for good.]

Sorted the house paperwork. Patrick was talking about getting his name on the deed.

He'd promised Penelope he'd get his name added to the deed.

And then what? Were they planning to sell it and split the cash? Or just move in together and kick me out?

I kept scrolling. Then I found a message that stopped me cold.

It was from Penelope: [Patrick, my period hasn't come this month.]

The date was three months ago. She was pregnant.

I kept scrolling.