It had quietly become that woman's property, right under my nose.
I steadied myself.
"Would you be able to provide me with the property transfer details?"
"Ma'am, all we can see on our end is the date. For the specifics, you'll need to visit the county recorder's office."
I hung up. My fingertips wouldn't stop trembling.
December 2023.
That was exactly when Julius had pressured me into paying off the mortgage.
At the county recorder's office, I clutched the numbered ticket in my hand. Cold sweat seeped from my palms.
That wedding apartment was the gift I'd prepared for my son.
It was also, in the three years since Louis's death, the only thing I had left to hold on to.
My plan had been simple. Get my emotions sorted out. Sell the apartment. Wait for Julius to retire. Then travel the world together.
But now, the apartment wasn't mine. At least not legally. My name was no longer on the title.
"Pamela, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Eleanor Dickerson looked at me with eyes full of heartache.
"Don't be scared. You paid for that apartment. The mortgage was paid off with Louis's settlement money. That tramp can't take it from you."
Even on the verge of sixty, Eleanor was still a firecracker.
I'd thought it over again and again. I couldn't handle Julius on my own. She was the only one who could help me.
When my number was called, Eleanor sat beside me at the window.
"The title transfer procedure checks out. It has Ms. Pamela Mason's signature right here."
I stared at a signature I had absolutely no memory of making.
I froze.
"Do you have the processing footage? I'd like to see it. I don't remember signing this."
The clerk looked at me with an apologetic expression.
"Surveillance footage is only kept for six months. Your transfer was too long ago."
"You really don't recall? Right after the title transfer, you paid off the remaining mortgage in full. Four hundred and ninety thousand dollars. That's not a small amount."
So I'd been right.
Julius had used paying off the mortgage early as a cover. He'd gotten me to sign the title transfer documents at the same time.
"Can it be reversed? I was deceived."
The clerk shook her head with a helpless look.
"Ma'am, you'd need to consult a lawyer. I can only process paperwork here."
Eleanor held my arm as we walked out.
"Don't worry. Vivian Abbott studied law. I've already contacted her."
"Pamela, what are you going to do? Say you get the apartment back. Then what?"
Outside, the wind picked up. Dark clouds swallowed the sliver of sun that had barely managed to peek through.
"Divorce."
"Are you sure?"
Eleanor's eyes went wide with surprise.
"I'm sure. Louis is gone. The apartment was stolen. The only thing left for me is divorce."
"Okay. I'll help you."
After going back to Eleanor's place, I calmed down and started gathering as much evidence as I could.
I contacted the property management office. It was easy enough to get the surveillance footage of Julius and Beulah living together.
In the footage, he was buckling Beulah's seatbelt for her, tender as could be. He was taking Myron to the playground downstairs, pushing him on the slide with a doting smile.
So that was what his daily overtime had really been about. Rain or shine, never missing a day. All so he could go to our dead son's wedding apartment and play house with Beulah.
"Pamela, Vivian's flight gets in tomorrow. She said you should check whether Beulah took anything else besides the apartment."
Eleanor's words jolted me.
After Julius and I got married, the two of us had a joint account at the bank where we deposited money for shared living expenses. Everything else, we managed separately.
After Louis died, we stopped putting money into that joint account. Julius had wanted to close it. I refused.
Beyond that, I knew he had a payroll account. He'd told me the password once. It was Louis's birthday.
I re-downloaded the banking app for the joint account where we'd kept our shared funds.
After I entered the account number and password, I froze.
Louis's compensation had been $900,000. After paying off the $490,000 mortgage, I'd deposited the remaining $310,000 into this account. Before Louis's accident, I'd been putting $4,000 into it every month.
The balance now read $0.35.
