Chapter 6: The Hidden Agreement
I didn’t sleep.
I spent the entire night reading every page of the document.
Every sentence felt like another piece of my marriage disappearing.
The agreement wasn’t about the savings account.
It was about the house.
Our house.
The one Marcus and I bought together.
The document showed that months earlier, Marcus had started the process of changing ownership details.
Without telling me.
I read the same line over and over.
“Transfer of marital property interest.””
My hands started shaking.
How could someone I trusted this much make decisions about my life behind my back?
The next morning, I called Jasmine.
She arrived twenty minutes later.
One look at my face told her everything.
“What happened?””
I handed her the papers.
She read silently.
Then she looked up.
“Aaliyah…”
“I know.””
“No, I mean… this is serious.””
I nodded.
“I thought the worst thing was that he didn’t defend me.””
Jasmine sat beside me.
“But he was planning something bigger.””
I looked out the window.
“I don’t even know who I married anymore.””
That afternoon, Marcus showed up.
I knew he would.
People like Marcus always came back when they realized they were losing control.
He stood outside Jasmine’s apartment door.
“Aaliyah, please open the door.””
I looked through the window.
He looked tired.
Not angry.
Not confident.
Scared.
Jasmine whispered:
“You don’t have to talk to him.””
But I needed answers.
I opened the door.
Marcus looked relieved.
Then he saw my expression.
“What happened?””
I held up the document.
His face changed instantly.
“Where did you get that?””
That answer told me enough.
“You’re not even denying it.””
He stepped inside.
“Aaliyah, listen to me.””
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“No more excuses.””
He stopped.
I placed the papers on the table.
“You were going to transfer ownership of our house.””
He rubbed his face.
“It wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
He looked away.
“My mother said it was necessary.””
I stared at him.
“Your mother.””
He nodded slowly.
“She thought you were becoming unstable.””
The room went silent.
I almost couldn’t believe what I heard.
“Unstable?””
“She thought you might leave.””
I laughed softly.
“So you prepared for me leaving by taking away everything?””
Marcus looked guilty.
“I was trying to protect myself.””
I looked at him.
“And what about protecting me?””
He had no answer.
For the first time, Marcus looked small.
Not like the husband who ignored me at dinner.
Not like the man who defended his mother.
Just a man realizing he had gone too far.
“Aaliyah,” he said quietly, “I made mistakes.””
I shook my head.
“Mistakes are forgetting an anniversary.””
I pointed at the papers.
“This was a plan.””
His phone suddenly rang.
He looked down.
The name on the screen made his face change.
Denise.
He ignored it.
A second later, another call came.
Then another.
Finally, Marcus answered.
“What?””
I watched his expression shift.
“What do you mean she found out?””
My eyes narrowed.
He turned away.
“No, she wasn’t supposed to see those documents yet.””
My heart sank.
Yet.
That word echoed in my mind.
Marcus looked back at me.
And he knew.
He knew I heard everything.
The call ended.
Neither of us spoke.
Then Marcus whispered:
“Aaliyah, there’s something else you need to know.””
I didn’t move.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“My mother didn’t just take the money.””
I waited.
“She was trying to make sure you couldn’t fight back.””
I felt a chill.
“Fight back against what?””
Marcus looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
May you like
And the fear in his eyes told me the truth before he said it.
“She already filed something against you.””
