608 "My sister smiled and told me to keep paying the mortgage on the house she planned to take—then my accountant showed me one document that changed everything.

The next morning, I returned to the house on Cumberland Avenue at precisely 8:00 AM.

As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed the silver Volvo was gone, but Gavin’s BMW was parked near the garage. I stepped out of my car, smoothed down the front of my tailored blazer, and unlocked the front door.

The house smelled of unfamiliar perfume—Brooke’s scent, heavy and suffocatingly sweet. On the foyer table, where my favorite vase usually stood, was a plush pink baby blanket and a stack of designer baby clothes. Gavin was sitting at the kitchen island, a mug of coffee in his hand, looking down at his phone.

When he heard my footsteps, he froze, then slowly looked up. There was a flicker of guilt in his eyes, quickly replaced by a cold, defensive posture.

"Eleanor," he said, setting his mug down with a sharp click. "I didn't expect you back so early."

"I needed to grab a few things," I replied softly, letting my voice sound small, fragile, and broken. I dropped my gaze to the floor, mimicking the posture of a woman who had been thoroughly crushed.

Gavin stood up, adjusting his cuffs. He took a step toward me, adopting the soothing, patronizing tone he had used whenever he wanted to manipulate me during our marriage. "Look... about yesterday at the hospital. I know it looked bad. But you have to understand the bigger picture, Eleanor. Brooke was frail. The pregnancy was high-risk. I couldn't abandon her."

"You kissed her, Gavin," I said, keeping my voice barely above a whisper. "You named the baby. My parents were standing right there."

Gavin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with fake exhaustion. "Your parents agree that this is for the best. Brooke needs stability right now. And frankly, Eleanor, our marriage has been dead for years. You were always too focused on that restaurant, too consumed by work. Brooke... Brooke actually needs me."

"And the house?" I asked, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "She said I have to keep paying the mortgage."

Gavin didn't hesitate. He looked me straight in the eye without a shred of remorse. "It’s the least you can do, Eleanor. After all, you can't give me a family. Brooke did. You have the restaurant to keep you busy. Let us have this. Continue making the payments for a few months until the paperwork is cleared up. If you cause a scene or try to take this to court, your parents will publicly disown you. Do you really want to lose your entire family?"

It took every ounce of my self-control not to burst into laughter at the absolute arrogance of the man standing before me. He was giving me threats based on a foundation built entirely of sand.

"I... I understand," I whimpered, lowering my head. "I won't cause a scene, Gavin. I just want peace."

Gavin’s shoulders relaxed. A smirk of victory touched the corners of his mouth—the exact same smirk Brooke had given me in the hospital bed. "Good girl. I knew you'd be reasonable. Brooke and the baby are coming home on Friday. I expect you to have your personal belongings packed and moved out by then."

"I will," I said softly. "I'll leave everything in order."

I walked upstairs to our master bedroom. As soon as the door closed behind me, the timid, trembling persona vanished. I pulled out my phone and dialed Victor.

"He took the bait," I told him quietly. "He thinks I'm vacating by Friday and continuing the mortgage transfers."

"Perfect," Victor replied from the other end of the line. "I just received the financial audit from our private investigator. Gavin hasn't just been stealing your mortgage money, Eleanor. He’s been using your restaurant’s corporate line of credit to secure loans for his tech startup. He owes over $2.4 million to private lenders, and he put up Cumberland Avenue as collateral."

My eyes narrowed. "He put up a house he doesn't even legally own as collateral for a high-risk loan?"

"Precisely," Victor said. "And the primary lender is a firm called Apex Capital. Do you know who owns controlling interest in Apex Capital?"