Chapter 3

"James? What brings you here?" I tried to keep my face looking as normal as possible.

"I came to check on Evelyn," he said, walking straight inside.

A man I didn't recognize followed him in, holding a briefcase.

I closed the door behind them, my heart racing.

What were they doing here?

James walked over to Evelyn's bed and glanced at her. "How was she last night? Did she wet the bed again?"

"Yes, she did." I stood nearby. "I had to change the sheets three times."

"Thanks," he said without even looking back.

Then he turned to the property Manager. "Ethan, I'll leave it to you."

Ethan smiled and nodded, pulling out a few sheets of paper from his briefcase, "Mr. Pierce, I reviewed the copies of the property documents you gave me. Those properties are in great locations. They'll sell fast."

I was stunned.

"Our company has a few clients looking for properties right now. If you're in a hurry to sell, we can arrange a quick deal," Ethan said, handing the documents to James. "Here's the initial offer. Take a look."

James took the papers, glanced through them, and nodded. "Alright, let's go with this price."

My hands clenched into fists.

He was really going to sell Evelyn's house.

"Mr. Pierce, there's one thing," Ethan hesitated and continued. "Legally, your wife is the property owner, so she has to sign the property document transfer."

James waved it off. "Given her condition, how could she possibly sign anything? I'm her husband. I'll sign it."

Ethan looked uneasy. "Well, by procedure, if the owner can't be present, we need a medical certificate from the hospital and a notarized power of attorney."

"What a hassle." James frowned. "Is there any way you could bend the rules a bit? I guarantee it'll be fine."

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Ethan shook his head. "They're checking everything really carefully these days. Without the notarized paperwork, they won't process the transfer."

James went quiet for a few seconds. "Alright, we'll do the notarization. Make me a list of everything I need, and I'll get it done as soon as possible."

"No problem," Ethan said, pulling out a business card and handing it to James. "Mr. Pierce, reach out when you've got all the paperwork together."

James saw Ethan out.

I stood in the living room, watching them the whole time.

Once the door closed, James turned to face me. "Yvette, don't tell Zack about this."

I was taken aback. "Why not?"

"He's too soft-hearted." James sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette. "With Evelyn like this, keeping the house is useless. Selling it for cash will make things easier for us later."

"But it's Evelyn's house," I said. "Isn't doing this without her knowing that kind of messed up?"

"It's better she doesn't know," James cut me off. "If she found out, she'd throw a fit."

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, looking at Evelyn lying in bed. "She doesn't have much time left anyway. Keeping the house is useless, so it's better to cash it out now."

I gritted my teeth. "But James, isn't this right?"

"What's so wrong about it?" James snapped, his eyes going cold. "Yvette, you'd better stay out of it.

"She's my wife, this is our family's business. You're an outsider. Why are you butting in?"

His glare sent a chill down my spine.

"I know." I lowered my head. "I won't tell anyone."

James finally nodded, looking satisfied. "Alright, I'm leaving now."

"Oh, and one more thing." He paused at the door and turned back. "Make sure you look after Evelyn. Don't let anything happen."

He gave me a final glance before leaving.

I stood frozen, feeling cold all over.

What did he mean by not letting anything happen to her?

Was that a warning or a threat?

As soon as James left, Evelyn opened her eyes. She sat up, her face drained of color. "He's going to sell my house."

"Yeah." I walked over and sat down beside her. "But the agent made it clear. You have to sign it yourself, and there's a notarization required."

Evelyn gave a cold snort. "He'll definitely figure something out. When it comes to money, nothing's off the table for James."

I thought for a moment. "Evelyn, I've got a plan."

Evelyn looked at me. "What is it?"

"Recording," I said, pulling out my phone. "I was recording the whole time. I've got everything the agent said and everything James said saved."

I played the recording for her, letting her hear everything.

James's voice echoed from the phone. "With her like this, keeping the house is pointless. She won't last much longer anyway."

Evelyn gripped the sheets tightly. After listening to the whole thing, she shut her eyes for a moment.

"We have been together for thirty years," She said, her voice thick with emotion. "But I still underestimated how cold-hearted he really is."

I squeezed her hand. "Evelyn, this recording proves he's trying to sell your house behind your back. We can go to the police or get a lawyer."

Evelyn shook her head. "That's not enough. He'll say he's doing it for my own good. After all, I look like a dementia patient now."

I fell silent. She was right.

James could easily claim he was selling the house to pay for Evelyn's medical care or to support her in her old age.

Legally, as her husband, he did have the legal standing to manage her assets.

"So we have to wait," Evelyn said. "We need to hold off until he really screws up and until we catch them red-handed trying to hurt me."

I nodded. "Then we'll keep pretending. You keep acting like you've lost your mind, and I'll play dumb like I don't know anything."

Evelyn fixed her gaze on me. "Yvette, you need to be careful. James. If he ever figures out you know what's really going on, he won't let you get away with it."

My heart felt heavy. "I'll be careful."

I stood up, walked to the window, and gazed down at the entrance of the apartment complex.

James was still lingering by the gate, phone pressed to his ear.

He looked worried and impatient. I couldn't tell who he was calling.

I grabbed my phone and snapped a photo of James at the gate. Then I opened the box, took pictures of the letter Evelyn had written, and the hospital diagnosis.

I made sure to take photos of everything. Evidence had to be kept safe. If anything happened, at least we would have proof.

As I slipped my phone back into my pocket, it started ringing.

It was a call from Zack.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Did my dad come to your place?" Zack sounded nervous.

"Yeah, he left," I said calmly. "He came by to see Evelyn."

"Did he say anything?" he asked.

"Nope, he asked how Evelyn was doing," I lied. "He acted like he cared a lot."

Zack was silent for a few seconds. "Yvette, if my dad says anything strange, ignore him."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it's nothing. Forget it," Zack said. "Anyway, make sure you look after Mom."

"Okay." I hung up.

As I stared at my phone, it all clicked. Zack was scared James might mess up and let the truth slip. Both of them had secrets they didn't want anyone to know.