Chapter 2
Hannah and Florence waited patiently until Brandon and Brenda went into the kitchen to make a celebratory toast. Once the room was clear, they got up silently and slipped out onto the small back balcony to speak without being heard.
“We have to pack our things and leave with Chloe today,” Hannah whispered nervously.
“With what money are we going to leave?” Florence asked realistically.
At dawn, Hannah understood the harsh reality of her grandmother’s question. Their joint bank account was completely restricted, and the credit card she used to receive payments from her sewing clients also blocked all outgoing transfers.
When confronted, Brandon assured her it was just a temporary bank glitch and promised that Brenda would fix the problem soon.
“They want to leave us without any money so that we remain completely dependent on them,” Florence analyzed quietly. “If we run away without solid proof, they will keep the entire house, so we are going to pretend we do not remember anything that happened.”
Hannah felt deeply nauseous just thinking about it. “I cannot sit at the table and have breakfast with Brandon like nothing is wrong.”
“Yes, you can do it,” Florence insisted firmly. “Right now you are not acting as his wife, but as a protective mother fighting for her daughter.”
That morning, while searching through the mail, Hannah managed to read the last name Vance and the word notary written on a discarded envelope. She immediately went to the Public Property Registry to ask if there were any recent filings regarding the house, but no new records appeared in the system yet.
During a legal orientation session, she met Clifford Davis, a retired attorney who had worked for decades handling complex real estate transactions. Hannah initially only wanted to know how much time she had left, but she ended up confiding the whole painful story to him.
Clifford’s calm expression changed dramatically when he heard Brenda’s name.
“Years ago, that woman was involved in a shady transaction where my cousin lost a valuable plot of land,” Clifford explained gravely. “We were never able to prove her guilt back then, so if she is trying something similar now, you need absolute evidence rather than mere suspicion.”
He carefully explained that a legal property transfer required strict formalities and registration. If Brenda was using forged documents, she would inevitably leave behind traces such as text messages, payments, drafts, or official notary stamps.
“Record every single conversation, photograph every document you find, and whatever you do, do not confront her yet,” Clifford advised, handing her a small digital voice recorder.
During the following days, Hannah played the most humiliating role of her life. She forced herself to smile at Brenda, served her fresh coffee, and even altered a bright emerald green dress for her to wear to an important business deal.
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“Soon this old house is going to need completely different curtains,” Brenda commented casually while admiring herself in the mirror.
“Sure, whatever you think is best,” Hannah replied calmly, holding back her disgust.
