Khloe agreed to meet Julian two days later.<\/p>\n
Not because she trusted him.<\/p>\n
Because for the first time in their marriage, she wanted to hear what he would say when he believed no one else was controlling the conversation.<\/p>\n
Harrison hated the idea until Khloe explained that Julian had been sending messages every few hours, each one more urgent than the last.<\/p>\n
He wanted to \u201cfix the misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wanted her to convince Mom to withdraw her statement.<\/p>\n
He wanted her to tell investigators that Martha had voluntarily given them access to her accounts.<\/p>\n
He wanted, most of all, to know exactly how much we had discovered.<\/p>\n
That final detail mattered.<\/p>\n
Harrison arranged for the meeting to happen at a coffee shop near his office. Public. Well-lit. Security cameras. Khloe would not be alone, even if Julian believed she was.<\/p>\n
I sat with Harrison two tables away, partially screened by a tall planter.<\/p>\n
Mom stayed home.<\/p>\n
She wanted no part of seeing Julian again unless necessary.<\/p>\n
Khloe arrived first.<\/p>\n
Her pregnancy was not yet obvious beneath her loose cardigan. She chose a table near the window and kept both hands wrapped around a paper cup she never drank from.<\/p>\n
When Julian entered, he looked polished.<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
He wore a navy jacket, pressed shirt, expensive shoes.<\/p>\n
No sign of panic.<\/p>\n
No sign of sleepless nights.<\/p>\n
He walked to Khloe's table carrying the same controlled expression I had seen when he stood at the front door and told me the maid was outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe didn't stand.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, neither spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Julian leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you're upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's what you're starting with?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why have you called me thirty-seven times?\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've been trying to protect our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur family?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward her stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was calculated.<\/p>\n
Khloe knew it too.<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around the cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole from Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI borrowed money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou transferred seventy-two thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used it to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lied to her about Natalie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her what she needed to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means your mother panics. Natalie was overseas. Somebody had to keep the household stable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made Mom scrub the patio before parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe volunteered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needed purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needed access to her own money.\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman at the next table looked over.<\/p>\n
Julian noticed.<\/p>\n
His voice became softer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're emotional right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I saw Khloe's face change.<\/p>\n
She had probably heard those words many times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're pregnant. You're scared. Your sister came back and turned everything upside down in twenty-four hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister came back and found my mother being treated like hired help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother exaggerates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe went still.<\/p>\n
I almost stood.<\/p>\n
Harrison touched my wrist under the table.<\/p>\n
Wait.<\/p>\n
Julian continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe liked feeling useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe complained sometimes, sure. Older people do that. But she had a beautiful place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was her house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically Natalie's.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrong answer.<\/p>\n
Khloe sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when it helped you, Mom was merely living in Natalie's house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian realized his mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when Natalie tried to remove us, suddenly it was our home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKhloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
His control slipped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were married. We needed stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mom didn't?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe slept beside a garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor almost two years?\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we stop pretending your sister is some saint?\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe's expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't say she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe abandoned this family for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe chose money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe bought the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt that one.<\/p>\n
Harrison glanced at me, but I stayed still.<\/p>\n
Julian had discovered one truth among his lies.<\/p>\n
Part of the reason I had spent so much on Mom had been guilt.<\/p>\n
But guilt didn't make theft legitimate.<\/p>\n
Khloe leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do with Dad's trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian froze.<\/p>\n
Not visibly enough for anyone else.<\/p>\n
Enough for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe forty-one thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn't yours either.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved it temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian didn't answer.<\/p>\n
Khloe's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Natalie?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom people who don't understand what I'm trying to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you trying to build?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith stolen money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop calling it stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should I call it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCapital.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe stared at him.<\/p>\n
I watched disbelief become something colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took my mother's money and my unborn child's inheritance and called it capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would've been repaid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the next project closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat project?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian began explaining.<\/p>\n
Real-estate syndication.<\/p>\n
Private lending.<\/p>\n
Short-term liquidity.<\/p>\n
A planned acquisition.<\/p>\n
Words stacked over one another until the language itself seemed designed to hide the absence of anything real.<\/p>\n
Khloe let him speak.<\/p>\n
That was smart.<\/p>\n
People who lie often reveal more when they believe they're persuading someone.<\/p>\n
Then she asked, \u201cWhat about the other people?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat people?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe retirees.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression flattened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNatalie told you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigators did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been talking to police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShouldn't I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor taking money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one was forced.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation answered her.<\/p>\n
Khloe pushed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Mom Natalie stopped sending money. What did you tell the others?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you forge Mom's signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep your voice down.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not denial.<\/p>\n
A command.<\/p>\n
Khloe saw it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you forge it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't understand how online authorization works.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was administrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom sign that form?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian's face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to decide whose side you're on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe laughed again, but this time tears came with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent six years choosing your side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen keep choosing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached across the table.<\/p>\n
She pulled her hand away.<\/p>\n
Julian's voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk to Martha.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell her this has gone too far.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell her she approved our access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren't there every time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither were you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
He realized what she meant.<\/p>\n
Khloe took her phone from her purse.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Julian looked directly at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChecking the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wasn't.<\/p>\n
Before leaving Harrison's office, Khloe had activated an audio recording on the device after Harrison confirmed what she was legally permitted to do.<\/p>\n
Julian didn't know.<\/p>\n
He leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me carefully. If Martha says she gave us permission, the financial issue disappears.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it doesn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt becomes family money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe won't go to court against you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn't about me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is if you want your child to have a father.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence changed the air.<\/p>\n
Khloe's face went blank.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you threatening me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm explaining consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you could fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartha changes her statement. You stop cooperating. Natalie gets tired and goes back overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe's breathing slowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have options.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose accounts?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian leaned back sharply.<\/p>\n
For several seconds he said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're trying to trap me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe's hand trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I'm finally hearing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're making a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo were you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He picked up his coat.<\/p>\n
Then he bent close to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I go down, Khloe, don't pretend you're walking away clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face drained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know exactly what.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian smiled without warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you should probably start remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked out.<\/p>\n
Khloe remained seated.<\/p>\n
Ten seconds.<\/p>\n
Twenty.<\/p>\n
Then her shoulders began shaking.<\/p>\n
Harrison and I crossed the room.<\/p>\n
She looked up at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he make me sign?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'll find out,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gripped his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I signed things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'll find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat beside her.<\/p>\n
She handed me the phone.<\/p>\n
The recording had captured everything.<\/p>\n
Not a confession in neat legal language.<\/p>\n
Something more useful.<\/p>\n
His confidence.<\/p>\n
His demands.<\/p>\n
His insistence that Mom alter her statement.<\/p>\n
His admission that the forty-one thousand dollars had been moved \u201cfor protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
His references to documents Khloe might have signed.<\/p>\n
Harrison listened only to a small section.<\/p>\n
Then he stopped playback.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis goes to the investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe nodded.<\/p>\n
As we walked toward the office, she suddenly stopped in the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year Julian brought me papers late at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know. He said they were tax documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you read them?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe six. Maybe ten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign all of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison's expression tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother time, he had me sign electronically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
We went directly into his conference room.<\/p>\n
For the next two hours, Khloe reconstructed every document she remembered.<\/p>\n
Business registrations.<\/p>\n
Loan applications.<\/p>\n
Bank forms.<\/p>\n
Insurance paperwork.<\/p>\n
A power-of-attorney document she thought had been for one of Julian's companies.<\/p>\n
The more she remembered, the worse Harrison's expression became.<\/p>\n
Finally, he asked, \u201cDid Julian ever open mail addressed to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you have access to every bank account in your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever check your credit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe's doing that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The credit report arrived within minutes.<\/p>\n
Khloe stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Three accounts she recognized.<\/p>\n
Five she didn't.<\/p>\n
A business line of credit.<\/p>\n
Two personal loans.<\/p>\n
One credit card with a limit of twenty-five thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Nearly maxed out.<\/p>\n
Her total exposure was worse than the folder suggested.<\/p>\n
She covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did this in my name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it,\u201d Harrison said carefully. \u201cWe have to determine what you signed, what you authorized, and what may have been opened without your informed consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI signed things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't the same as knowing what they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe started crying again.<\/p>\n
I moved beside her.<\/p>\n
This time she leaned against me.<\/p>\n
It was the first time we had touched like sisters since I'd come home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't simplify it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if you call yourself stupid, you don't have to examine every choice that led here.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt her.<\/p>\n
But she nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked the life.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked the dinners. The clothes. The car. People thought we were successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom had paid for the illusion.<\/p>\n
So had strangers.<\/p>\n
Maybe Khloe had too.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, investigators met with us.<\/p>\n
They listened to the recording.<\/p>\n
They asked Khloe to provide her devices and copies of every financial record she could access.<\/p>\n
She agreed.<\/p>\n
Then one investigator, Detective Aaron Pierce, placed photographs on the table.<\/p>\n
Three older people.<\/p>\n
A retired teacher named Denise Parker.<\/p>\n
A widower named Harold Lyman.<\/p>\n
A former nurse named Evelyn Ross.<\/p>\n
Khloe recognized two.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian helped them with paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pierce nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Parker reported roughly eighteen thousand dollars missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Lyman?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-seven thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Ms. Ross?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pierce paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe's still calculating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he get access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe offered to help them set up automatic payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exactly what he had done with Mom.<\/p>\n
Pierce tapped another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe've also identified transfers into companies connected to Julian's brother, Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered the forty-one thousand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Marcus involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday he purchased a one-way ticket to Mexico City.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pierce slid another photograph across the table.<\/p>\n
Airport security footage.<\/p>\n
Marcus Carter pulling a suitcase behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left the airport before departure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian's \u201cfuture\u201d was unraveling into movements of money and disappearing relatives.<\/p>\n
That evening we returned home.<\/p>\n
Mom had made soup.<\/p>\n
The ordinary smell of onions, carrots and thyme nearly undid me.<\/p>\n
We sat together at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Khloe told Mom everything.<\/p>\n
The debt.<\/p>\n
The hidden credit accounts.<\/p>\n
The documents.<\/p>\n
The meeting with Julian.<\/p>\n
When she reached the part about the recording, Mom listened silently.<\/p>\n
Then Khloe said, \u201cHe told me you needed to change your statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom's spoon stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom nodded.<\/p>\n
That single nod carried more forgiveness than Khloe deserved yet and less than she wanted.<\/p>\n
After dinner, Khloe helped wash dishes.<\/p>\n
No one asked her.<\/p>\n
That mattered too.<\/p>\n
At nine, Harrison called.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe've located a property connected to one of Julian's companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of property?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside San Marcos.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked away from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with the accounts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why I'm calling.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigators served a warrant this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the kitchen doorway.<\/p>\n
Mom and Khloe were drying dishes together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoxes of financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
My grip tightened on the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds of files.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Harrison continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cNames, account statements, copies of identification, signed authorization forms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was organized.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem had grown beyond our house.<\/p>\n
Beyond Mom.<\/p>\n
Beyond the seventy-two thousand.<\/p>\n
Beyond the trust.<\/p>\n
Julian hadn't stumbled into exploiting people while desperate.<\/p>\n
He had built a system.<\/p>\n
Then Harrison gave me the final piece.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the files was labeled with your mother's name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of her banking records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA file with your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigators haven't released the full contents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me what they did release.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cA copy of your passport.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA document bearing your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared into the dark window above the sink.<\/p>\n
I hadn't signed anything for Julian.<\/p>\n
Ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison's voice became very quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cA power of attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khloe agreed to meet Julian two days later. Not because she trusted him. Because for the first time in their marriage, she wanted to hear what he would say when … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1802,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790\/revisions\/1802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}