Chapter 8
Sophia had been there.
She had arrived with a garment bag and complained that the dress she had ordered for the dinner was the wrong color.
Claire had barely looked up.
Adrian had said, “Sophia can witness this. It’s only administrative.”
Claire had signed.
She had trusted him.
The memory became clearer with every second.
She remembered Sophia standing behind her.
She remembered the faint scent of cedar and orange blossom.
She remembered Sophia saying, “You’re lucky, Claire. Adrian is trying to give you something beautiful.”
At the time, Claire had smiled politely.
Now her stomach twisted.
“Why would Adrian transfer property to me and then exclude it from the marital estate?” she asked.
Daniel tapped the page.
“It may have been a gift. If so, it may belong entirely to you.”
“But the property is listed as excluded.”
“Excluded from division does not necessarily mean excluded from your ownership. The language is badly drafted.”
“Can we verify whether the property exists?”
“I already did.”
Claire looked up sharply.
Daniel opened another folder.
“Lake Briar House is real. The deed was recorded eight months after your wedding. The current owner is listed as Claire Bennett Moretti.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
The property belonged to her.
Adrian had put a house in her name without telling her.
A house witnessed by Sophia.
A house connected to a document Claire had signed and forgotten.
“Why would he do that?” Emily asked.
Daniel’s expression was careful.
“That is the question.”
Claire looked again at the handwritten note.
To be transferred upon Claire’s request.
She remembered Adrian’s face when she had asked once about the photograph in his study. He had smiled and said, “Maybe someday I’ll take you there.”
She had assumed it was a promise made casually.
Maybe it had never been casual.
Daniel gathered the papers.
“I recommend we do not contact Adrian about this yet.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to understand the full arrangement before he has an opportunity to alter anything or shape the story.”
Claire’s pulse quickened.
“Do you think he’s hiding something?”
“I think someone went to considerable effort to place an asset in your name while making sure you did not fully understand the paperwork. That deserves investigation.”
Outside, a train rumbled across the elevated tracks, its sound vibrating through the windows.
Claire looked at the photocopy one last time.
Lake Briar House.
A property she had never visited.