Chapter 6
I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the transfer details.
Lucy sat in the back seat, hugging her stuffed bunny.
“Mommy, aren’t we going to Auntie’s?” she asked quietly.
I placed my phone facedown on the center console and started the car.
“We are.”
“But Mommy needs to find out what else Daddy has been hiding from us.”
My sister lived less than twenty minutes away.
Lucy was quiet the whole drive. When we pulled into the driveway, she spotted the brown Labrador in the backyard and finally perked up.
My sister came out the front door and opened Lucy’s car door.
“The donuts are still warm. Come on in.”
Lucy hurried toward her with her bunny in her arms, then looked back at me.
“Mommy, are you coming, too?”
“In a minute.”
Once she was inside, I got back into the car and reopened my banking app.
The balance in our joint account was noticeably lower than I remembered.
I scrolled through the transactions.
Eight months ago: $2,500. Memo: Ethan’s summer camp.
Five months ago: $3,000. Memo: Emergency dental care.
Then there was an automatic monthly transfer of $800. The recipient was Sophie again. No memo.
I stared at the screen, my fingers growing cold.
Helping pay for Ethan’s education, medical care, and everyday needs was part of Mark’s responsibility as his father. I had never objected to that.
But I deposited a set amount from my salary into that account every month. It also held money I was saving for Lucy’s education.
Mark had never told me he was using that money to support Sophie.
I took screenshots of the transactions and sent them to him.
“What are these transfers for?”
His reply came almost immediately.
“Ethan needs stability. Sophie’s raising him on her own. She can’t handle everything alone.”
“So you transferred money out of our joint account behind my back?”
“Erin, stop making Ethan the problem.”
I stared at those words, almost laughing.
He always found a way to turn his own dishonesty into an accusation that I had something against Ethan.
I slowly typed my reply.
“I’m not making Ethan the problem. The problem is that you treat the money Lucy and I depend on as something you can hand over to your ex-wife whenever you want.”
This time, he went quiet.
My sister came over to the car carrying two cups of coffee.
“Lucy’s in the backyard throwing the ball for the dog. Why are you still out here?”
I handed her my phone.
Her frown deepened as she went through the transactions.
“Have you checked any further back?”
I shook my head.
Mark had always said our joint account was for the mortgage, insurance, and Lucy’s education fund. I trusted him. I had never checked the transactions one by one.
My sister kept scrolling.
Then her finger stopped.
“Erin. Look at this one.”
I leaned closer.
Four months ago. A transfer of $12,000.
The recipient was Sophie again.
The memo read:
Family relocation expenses.
I stared at those words, suddenly seeing Sophie in our doorway again.
The key in her hand. The way she had made herself at home. How easily Ethan had asked about leaving his bag in the office.
She hadn’t just been dropping by occasionally so her son could see his father.
Mark had been using money meant for Lucy and me to set up a new home for them.