Chapter 5 - ELENA’S SIDE
Elena called me two days later.
No video.
Voice only.
I said:
“I’m sorry.”
She answered:
“For what?”
Good question.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Then don’t apologize yet.”
That was Elena.
Precise even when angry.
“Lila is with me.”
“I know.”
“She’s safe.”
“I know.”
“Where are you?”
“No.”
I closed my eyes.
“Okay.”
“You really came home early?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Arthur called.”
Silence.
“Arthur.”
“Yes.”
“He tried.”
That told me she knew he had failed to reach me.
“Why did you leave Lila?”
Her breathing changed.
“I did not leave her voluntarily.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you when my lawyer says it won’t hurt the emergency hearing.”
“What hearing?”
“Tomorrow.”
I stood.
“For custody?”
“For access.”
My blood ran cold.
“Access to our daughter?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Your mother got a temporary no-contact order against me.”
Silence.
“How?”
“She accused me of trying to take Lila out of state while mentally unstable.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Were you served?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night Arthur drove me away.”
“What evidence?”
“Affidavits.”
“Whose?”
“Estelle’s. Evelyn’s. One of the house staff.”
“Did you get a hearing?”
“Temporary order. Full hearing tomorrow.”
That made the timeline plausible.
Twelve days.
Emergency order.
Now review.
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
“I did.”
My heart stopped.
“How?”
“Email. Your personal account. Company account. Text. Voicemail. Letters through Arthur. Your mother replied from your phone once.”
“What?”
“She said you wanted space.”
I had never replied.
My phone had been with me.
But my US number used cloud message forwarding through our family telecom account because I carried a Singapore work SIM.
Who administered forwarding?
Mercer Family Services.
My mother’s office.
My stomach turned.
Elena continued.
“I started believing you were helping her.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I believe that more now.”
“More?”
“Not completely.”
Fair.
“What did you discover?”
Silence.
Then:
“Crown Harbor.”
There.
“What?”
“Your mother used family funds to cover Crown Harbor losses.”
“I know about four hundred twenty thousand.”
Elena laughed once.
Not happily.
“That’s the visible transfer.”
My skin went cold.
“How much?”
“Grant, I’m not telling you numbers before the accountant verifies.”
My wife had learned precision while I was away.
Good.
Then:
“She also used the household authorization you signed.”
“I know.”
“Did you understand it allowed her to sweep our money?”
“I understood shared bills. Not personal advances.”
“Did you read it?”
That hurt.
“Not carefully enough.”
“Good. At least we’re starting honest.”
Then Lila.
“Why was she serving guests?”
Elena went silent.
“I don’t know.”
“What did Estelle do before you left?”
“Punishments.”
“What kind?”
“No dessert. Early bedtime. Chores.”
“Serving?”
“She made Lila carry tea once.”
“Did you stop it?”
“Yes.”
“Chain? Restraints?”
“What?”
That sound told me Elena had not known.
Good.
Horrible.
“She escalated after you were gone.”
“I’m going to kill her.”
“No.”
Elena’s voice became hard.
“No, Grant.”
I stopped.
“You already hit her?”
“How do you know?”
“The police report reached my attorney.”
Of course.
“You do not get to become another unsafe adult because you are angry.”
I sat.
She was right.
“Okay.”
Then she said:
“If you want to help tomorrow, tell the truth about everything you signed.”
“What do you think I signed?”
A long pause.
“A personal guarantee.”
For Crown Harbor.
I almost laughed.
“I didn’t.”
“Your signature is on one.”
My mouth went dry.
“Send it.”
“I will.”
The document arrived through counsel.
PERSONAL SUPPORT AND REIMBURSEMENT UNDERTAKING.
Grant Mercer.
Signature looked real.
Date:
Eight months earlier.
I had been in New York that day.
Could have signed.
I did sign a large closing packet that week.
What was inside?
I honestly did not know.
For the first time, I understood why Elena did not trust me.
May you like
My mother may not have needed to forge everything.
She may have built her scheme inside documents I signed without reading.
