Chapter 9
"Every single transaction is right here. Dates, amounts, recipient accounts. The court only cares about evidence," I said.
Michael shot a quick look at the stack of papers. He swallowed hard. "Mr. Chapman, these funds Julia gave them to me of her own accord. I needed startup capital for my business, and she said she was willing to invest..."
"Investment?" I couldn't help but laugh. "Michael, check the law. If a spouse hands over joint assets to someone else without their partner's okay, it's not valid. You gotta return every cent.
"Doesn't matter if she gave it willingly.
"And it doesn't matter if you were starting a business or not.
"That money belongs to both of us. She doesn't get to decide on her own."
Michael's lips tightened.
The Rolex Submariner on his wrist caught the warm yellow light of the café.
Michael asked, "Mr. Chapman If you do this, Julia..."
"Her business is none of your concern anymore," I cut him off.
I leaned back in my chair.
I added, "From today on, I'm divorcing her. Whatever you and Julia have going on, that's your business so do whatever you want. But when it comes to my money..."
I tapped the stack of transaction records with my finger.
"I want every dollar back, not a single cent missing." I said coldly.
Michael fell silent.
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty seconds.
Then he looked up.
Something shifted in his face.
'Gone was the polite apology from earlier.
His tone changed. Now he was probing.
"Mr. Chapman, to be straight with you, I've already invested all that money into my project. My company's strapped for cash right now. It's not that I'm refusing to pay you back, I just can't come up with the money at the moment," he said.
"That's your problem," I replied.
"You gotta give me some time, right?"
"The court will give you time."
He stared at me for a few seconds.
Suddenly, his tone changed.
His voice dropped, softer now. "Man to man, honestly, Julia and I are just friends. Whatever happened in college, that's all in the past.
"She wanted to help, and I didn't turn her down. That's on me. But if you really take this to court, it's not gonna look good for any of us..."
I looked at him.
"Michael," I said.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Julia's in the hospital right now. She has an ectopic pregnancy, seven weeks late."
His face went pale. His expression changed, clear as day.
His pupils shrank for a moment. Then they went back to normal.
But I saw that flicker of panic in his eyes.
"That's got nothing to do with me," Michael said. "I was in Bayview City..."
"Where were you during the holiday?" I cut him off.
He didn't say a word. His fingers tightened under the table.
"She told me she was visiting her family for those three days," I continued. "But I checked her travel records. Her train ticket was to Bayview City."
Michael's lips quivered.
I stood up and tucked the stack of transaction records back into my briefcase.
The coffee sat untouched, already cold.
"I don't care what's going on between you two. All I care about is my money," I said.
As I walked past him, I paused for a moment.
I stared down at him.
"One more thing. If the DNA test says you're the dad..." I patted his shoulder. "Then it's not just about you pocketing money that isn't yours. You better think real hard about that."
I walked away.
Michael called out behind me, "Mr. Chapman."
I didn't look back.
I pushed open the café door, and a blast of cold air rushed over me.
I stood on the street and took a deep breath.
Finally, that heavy feeling in my chest started to ease up a bit.
My phone rang again.
It was Emily.
I picked up.
"Hey, David, Julia's been crying her eyes out at the hospital. My mom's crying too, and my dad just sits there, not saying a word," Emily said.
"And then?" I asked.
"Are you really going to sue Michael?"
"I've already hired a lawyer."
"What about my sister?"
"Divorce."
She went quiet for a long time.
"David," she finally said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"If you want I can be a witness."
My hand froze on the phone.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"I said..." she took a deep breath, "if the court needs me, I can testify. I'll tell them everything I know."
From down the hallway, Linda's voice called out, "Emily, what are you doing? Get over here."
Emily lowered her voice. "David, what Julia did was wrong. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. But I can't spend my whole life carrying this guilt for her."
"You need to think this through," I said. "If you testify, your mom will hate you."
"I know," her voice was soft, but steady. "But some things, somebody's gotta speak the truth."
I stood on the street, the late autumn wind biting at my face. The wind cut through the collar of my down jacket.
"Alright. My lawyer will reach out to you." I said.
I hung up.
I looked up at the sky.
There were no stars.
The city lights were so bright, they drowned out the stars.
But it didn't matter.
I didn't need stars.
All I needed was evidence.