Chapter 11 - The Money She Moved Before I KnewI spent the next hour checking every account Dani and I shared.
The spa charge was there: $400.
So were restaurant bills, clothing purchases, and several transfers I didn't recognize. Some were small, barely enough to attract attention among the ordinary household expenses.
Others were larger.
Four hundred dollars.
Six hundred.
Nine hundred.
They had occurred over several months.
I didn't immediately assume they were improper. Some could have been legitimate household purchases, and Michelle had advised me not to jump to conclusions.
But the transfer of nearly four thousand dollars, combined with the mortgage-address request, worried me enough to call the bank's fraud department and ask what documentation they had.
I also contacted my attorney before taking any action that might affect jointly held funds or household payments.
The goal was to protect the children's needs and preserve accurate records, not to punish Dani by withholding money.
That afternoon, Michelle called me back.
"There's something you should know," she said. "The address change may be unrelated to the childcare issue. But the timing makes it worth documenting. We should establish who submitted it and what authority they used."
"Can the bank tell us?"
"They can explain their process and provide records through the appropriate channels. We'll make a formal request if needed."
I thanked her.
Then I went upstairs to check on Sophie.
She was sitting on the floor beside her bed, arranging stuffed animals into two neat rows.
"What are you doing?"
"Making room."
"For what?"
She looked up at me.
"In case I have to move."
My heart sank.
"Why would you have to move?"
She shrugged.
"Dani said you might have to choose a house that only has room for Mason."
I sat beside her.
"Nobody is making you move out of your home today."
"But if you and Dani get divorced..."
She didn't finish.
I waited.
She finally asked, "Would I go with you or her?"
"You would stay with the parent who is able to care for you safely, according to the arrangements we make and any legal decisions that apply."
She looked frightened.
"That's not the same as saying you'd choose me."
I took her hand.
"Sophie, this is not a contest. You are not competing with Mason. He is not competing with you. My love for you is not a limited amount of money that runs out when another person needs something."
She listened quietly.
"Then why does everyone keep saying I make things harder?"
I didn't have an answer that could undo what she'd heard.
So I told her the truth.
"Because some adults say hurtful things when they are unhappy, and sometimes they are wrong. But you don't have to believe them just because they're adults."
She leaned into my shoulder.
I sat with her until she was ready to return to her homework.
That evening, Dani arrived with Patricia.
This time they didn't come to the door.
They waited outside until I agreed to a brief conversation on the porch, with my mother present.
Dani looked composed.
"I want to see my son."
"You can arrange time with him while an appropriate adult is present for now. Michelle can help us agree on the details."
Her face tightened.
"You can't dictate that."
"I'm not trying to dictate anything. I'm responding to what happened and seeking proper advice."
Patricia interrupted.
"Dani is his mother. You cannot erase her from his life because you're upset."
"I haven't suggested that."
"Then let her take Mason for the weekend."
"No."
The word came out more firmly than I expected.
Dani's composure cracked.
"You are using the children to punish me!"
"I'm arranging safe care for them."
She stepped closer.
"Andrew, I need you to understand something. If you turn this into a legal battle, things will come out about your parenting, too."
I looked at her.
"Then we'll both have to be honest."
Her eyes narrowed.
Patricia touched her daughter's arm.
"Let's go."
Dani didn't move.
Instead, she leaned toward me and lowered her voice.
"Do you really think Sophie is telling you everything? You should ask her what she did last weekend."
My stomach tightened.
"What are you talking about?"
Dani smiled faintly.
"Ask her."
Then she walked to Patricia's car.
I watched them leave, trying to decide whether it was another threat or something I genuinely needed to investigate.
When I went inside, Sophie was waiting by the hallway.
She had heard enough to know her name had come up.
"What did you do last weekend?" I asked gently.
Her face went pale.
"I didn't do anything bad."
"I know. I'm just asking what happened."
She began crying.
"Mom's old necklace."
I blinked.
"What necklace?"
"The gold one you keep in your dresser. Dani said it was missing, and she asked me if I'd taken it."
I shook my head.
"Sophie, why would you take it?"
"I didn't!"
She was sobbing now.
"She made me empty my backpack. She said if it wasn't found, you would think I stole it."
I helped her sit down.
"Did you see the necklace?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
She wiped her cheeks.
"In Dani's handbag."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"She was moving things from one purse to another. I saw it. When I told her, she said I was confused."
The old gold necklace had belonged to Hannah.
I had placed it in a small box after her funeral.
I hadn't noticed it was missing because I rarely opened the drawer.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Sophie looked down.
"Because Dani said if I accused her of stealing, she would tell you I was a liar."
I sat beside my daughter for a long time.
Then I called Michelle.
There was another piece of the story we needed to document.
But before I could explain what Sophie had told me, an email arrived from Dani.
The subject line was:
Formal Notice: I Am Coming to Collect My Belongings.
Attached was a photograph of the necklace.
And beneath it was a statement claiming I had given it to Dani as a wedding gift.
I stared at the picture.
Because I knew exactly what was missing from the email.
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The back of the necklace box contained a handwritten note from Hannah.
A note that proved the necklace had never belonged to Dani.
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