Chapter 3 - The Morning Freeze
At 7:00 AM, the peaceful morning was shattered by the sound of a fist hammering against my cottage door.
"Mom! Open the door!" Ethan shouted.
I zipped my overnight bag, picked up my keys, and opened the door. Ethan stood on the porch, his face pale, holding his cell phone in a shaking hand.
"What did you do?" he demanded. "My platinum card was just declined at the coffee shop. I called the bank, and they said my accounts are frozen due to an asset reversion. The title company just emailed me saying I don't hold the deed to the house anymore. What did you do?"
"I survived the night," I said quietly, stepping past him.
"You're crazy," he snapped, grabbing my shoulder. "You don't have this kind of power. You're broke!"
I looked at his hand until he slowly let go. "Arthur left the house to the Mercer Trust, Ethan. You were granted residency contingent on my safety and approval. You violated the terms when you put your hands on me. The house is mine."
I walked toward my car. As I opened the door, Vanessa came rushing out of the main house, holding the hand of my five-year-old grandson, Leo. She looked confused, her phone pressed to her ear.
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"Ethan," Vanessa called out, her voice tight with panic. "The escrow officer is on the line. He says the bridge loan was cancelled. He said something about the collateral being flagged for fraud?"
Ethan’s face went entirely white. He looked at Vanessa, then at me, the terrifying reality of his situation finally breaking through his arrogance. I got into my car, started the engine, and drove away, wondering exactly what kind of fraud Vanessa was talking about.
