Derek’s laughter died the moment he stepped into the living room.
Usually, the apartment smelled of lavender and fresh cooking. Tonight, it smelled of nothing. The air was cold, the lights were off, and a heavy, hollow silence hung over the space.
“Skylar!” Derek called out, his voice tinged with irritation. “Get out here. Suzanne is ready to go shopping.”
But there was no answer.
Suzanne rolled her eyes, tossing her designer purse onto the couch. “Don’t tell me she’s still throwing a tantrum over a little spilled coffee. She’s so dramatic.”
Derek marched toward the kitchen, ready to drag his wife out by her arm. But when he flicked on the light, he froze.
The dining table, usually adorned with a linen runner and a vase of fresh flowers, was completely bare. Sitting dead center in the middle of the dark wood were two items: a glittering platinum wedding ring, and a crisp, white envelope.
Derek sneered, stepping forward. “What is this, a threat?”
He snatched up the envelope and ripped it open. Inside was a copy of the official police report from the hospital, stamped with a domestic abuse filing number, alongside a medical assessment detailing the second-degree burns on Skylar’s face and neck.
But it was the sticky note attached to the back of the report that made Derek’s chest tighten. Written in Skylar’s neat, calm handwriting were just two sentences:
“The locks have already been changed on the building access. Your keycard has been deactivated. You have exactly twenty-four hours to vacate my apartment before the police return to enforce the restraining order.”
“What?” Derek gasped, his face flushing with a mixture of anger and sudden panic. “This is my home!”
But as Derek scrambled to check his banking app to see how much money he could withdraw, he made a discovery that made his blood run completely cold… Read Part 3 to find out.
Part 3: Zero Balance
“What’s wrong, Derek?” Suzanne asked, noticing the sudden panic in her brother’s eyes. “Why are you looking at your phone like that?”
“She… she locked me out of the building accounts,” Derek muttered, his fingers flying across his screen.
He opened his personal banking app. Derek had always maintained a small personal account, but the vast majority of his lifestyle was funded by the joint account Skylar deposited her executive salary into. Every month, he transferred what he pleased to cover his credit cards and Suzanne’s endless demands.
When the screen loaded, his breath hitched.
The joint account was gone. Completely removed from his profile.
He tapped on his personal savings account.
Balance: $0.00
“No, no, no, this is a glitch,” Derek stammered, his voice cracking. He checked his credit card tab. Every single card—all tied to Skylar’s primary line as authorized users—showed a status of Deactivated.
“Derek, what is going on?” Suzanne snapped, her voice rising. “Are we going shopping or not? I need to buy that coat before the store closes!”
“We’re not going anywhere, Suzanne!” Derek yelled, his facade of calm control completely shattering. “She cleared it out. Everything. She shut down the cards. I don’t have a single dollar.”
“Well, just use the house!” Suzanne argued, waving her hands defensively. “Sell some of her stupid art or those expensive handbags she keeps in the closet!”
Derek ran a hand through his hair, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. He bolted toward the master bedroom, Suzanne trailing closely behind him. He threw open the closet doors, expecting to find Skylar’s collection of luxury designer bags and jewelry.
The shelves were entirely bare. Not a single shoe, dress, or handbag remained.
But resting on the middle shelf was a legal-sized manila folder with Derek’s name printed on the front.
Derek tore open the folder, expecting divorce papers, but what he found inside was a financial trap he had unwittingly walked right into… Read Part 4 below to find out.
