Chapter 3 - The Secret Deed
"Delilah, look at me," I commanded gently, reaching across the table to hold her trembling hands. "Did Evan ever show you a deed with his name on it?"
"He showed me a piece of paper that looked official," she said. "It had a notary stamp. It said 'Transfer of Deed - Evan Mercer'. Mom, he said you signed it over to him two years ago as a gift."
I let out a harsh laugh that startled her. "Oh, honey. That piece of paper is as fake as his wedding vows."
I stood up, walked into my home office, and opened my fireproof safe. I pulled out a heavy, cream-colored document bearing the official raised seal of Franklin County. I walked back into the kitchen and slapped it down onto the table in front of her.
"Read the owner's name," I said.
Delilah wiped her eyes and squinted at the document. "Eleanor Vance," she read aloud. Her eyes widened. "Mom... that's you."
"When I bought that house, Evan asked me to put it in his name for 'tax purposes,'" I explained. "I smiled, nodded, and kept my name on the title. Only my name. Evan doesn't own a single brick of that property. And neither does Margaret."
For the first time in what looked like months, a tiny spark of life returned to my daughter's eyes. The crushing weight of her despair shifted, replaced by the dawn of a terrifying realization.
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"They're trying to sell a house they don't own," she whispered.
"Exactly," I said, a dangerous smile spreading across my face. "And we are going to let them try."
