Chapter 6 - Eighteen Thousand Dollars
The financial investigation continued after Evelyn's birth.
The eighteen thousand dollars had not disappeared into one simple account.
Some paid Maren’s expenses.
Some covered Gavin’s debts.
And some had been moved again.
My attorney traced what she could through proper legal channels.
Maren eventually cooperated.
Not because we became friends again.
We didn't.
Some betrayals permanently change the shape of a relationship.
But she provided records.
And those records weakened Gavin’s version of events.
Then came mediation.
Gavin sat across from me in a conference room.
For years, I had known every expression on his face.
Now he looked unfamiliar.
His attorney spoke.
Mine responded.
Numbers were discussed.
Property.
Accounts.
Parenting arrangements.
Then Gavin asked for five minutes alone with me.
I refused.
We spoke with counsel present.
He looked at me.
“I made a mistake.”
“No. You made hundreds of decisions.”
His eyes dropped.
“I loved you.”
“Maybe.”
He looked hurt.
That surprised me.
“But whatever you felt,” I continued, “you chose deception repeatedly.”
“I was scared.”
“So was I.”
“Maren was—”
“Don't blame her for your decisions.”
That silenced him.
I didn't defend Maren.
I simply refused to let Gavin escape accountability by transferring it to another woman.
He leaned back.
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.”
That was the answer he hadn't expected.
“I want a lawful resolution. I want stability for Evelyn. I want my property protected. I want the money accounted for. And then I want to live my life.”
He stared at me.
“You really don't want anything else?”
“No.”
That was when I realized power wasn't making someone suffer.
It was reaching the point where their suffering no longer mattered to you.
But before mediation ended, my attorney slid one final document across the table.
And Gavin's expression changed.
May you like
Because the forensic review of the disputed signature had come back.
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