Chapter 5 - The Call Daniel Never Expected
Emily drove three blocks before pulling into a quiet parking area.
Her hands shook as she called Rebecca.
“I left the house,” Emily said. “The camera recorded everything.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“He tried to intimidate me. He said I had to obey him.”
Rebecca’s response was immediate.
“Do not go back alone.”
Emily sent the newest recording.
Rebecca listened while Emily remained on the phone.
When the recording ended, Rebecca said, “We have enough to act.”
They arranged for a civil standby so Emily could return with officers and retrieve essential belongings. Rebecca also prepared an emergency filing to protect Emily’s property and prevent Daniel from making financial changes in her name.
The next call was to the bank.
The joint account was frozen pending investigation.
Emily then contacted a locksmith and requested that the house locks be changed as soon as Daniel’s legal right to remain there was addressed.
Finally, she called her closest friend, Maya.
Maya did not ask Emily why she had stayed or whether she had misunderstood Daniel.
She simply said, “Tell me where you are.”
Twenty minutes later, Maya arrived.
Emily sat in the passenger seat of Maya’s car and watched messages appear on her phone.
Daniel: Come home so we can discuss your behavior.
Daniel: You embarrassed me in front of my sister.
Daniel: Married women do not walk out.
Then another message arrived.
Daniel: You’ll regret this when you realize the house is half mine now.
Emily handed the phone to Maya.
Maya read the message and looked at her.
“Is it?”
Emily slowly shook her head.
May you like
“No.”
For the first time since leaving the kitchen, she smiled.
