the keys felt heavy in my hand as I stood in front of our dream house or what should have been our Dram House David and I had spent three years planning it choosing every detail from the exposed wooden beams to the wraparound porch where we talked about growing old together now it belonged to Amber his 23-year-old mistress sold for less than the price of a coffee my name is Rebecca Mitchell and at 35 I never expected to be starting over but here I was watching my husband of 12 Years pack his bags while wearing the smug expression of a man who thought he'd won you can't do this I said my voice steadier than I felt we built this house together David barely glanced up from his packing actually I built it my name's on all the paperwork remember you were too busy with your law practice to deal with the tedious details as you called them he was right about that part I trusted him completely with overseeing the construction while I focus on building my career as a real estate attorney the irony wasn't lost on me so you just gave it to her for a dollar I asked watching his reaction carefully his smk widened it's a perfectly legal transaction Becca you should know that better than anyone $1 is valid consideration for a property transfer the Deeds already recorded there's nothing you can do about it I thought about the document I discovered just hours earlier buried in a stack of construction paperwork David wasn't as clever as he thought he was and he certainly wasn't as careful you're right I said softly the deed is recorded every single page of it something in my tone made him pause he looked up his confidence wavering slightly what's that supposed to mean nothing I replied turning toward the door I hope you and Amber will be very happy here though you might want to read the fine print before you get too comfortable what fine print he called after me but I was already walking away let him figure it out on his own I drove to my office office my mind racing back to the moment everything had changed it was 2 weeks ago and I was working late at my Law Firm a colleague stopped by my office looking uncomfortable Rebecca she said hesitating in the doorway I think there's something you should see she handed me a property transfer document the D to my Dramhouse transferred from David to Amber Collins for $1 the date on it was 3 days earlier I sat there staring at it feeling like the floor had dropped out from under me but shock quickly gave way to determination I was a real estate attorney after all if David thought he could outmaneuver me in my own field he was about to learn a painful lesson I spent the next two days digging through every document related to The house's construction David had handled all the paperwork insisting it would be easier if everything was in his name since he was managing the build I'd agreed trusting him completely what I found buried in those papers changed everything the D to the house contained a special provision one that David had either missed or never bothered to read it was common in custom builds in our area a clause stating that if the property was sold for less than market value within the first 5 years it would trigger an automatic review by the county assessor's office but this wasn't just any review the Clause specified that in such cases the property would be reassessed at current market value and any difference between the sale price and market value would be subject to immediate tax assessment payable by the seller our house was worth $2. 8 million David had sold it for $1 the tax bill would be astronomical and it would fall entirely on him the best part the Clause was buried in the deed restrictions which transferred with the property there was no way to undo it without my signature releasing a restriction I smiled remembering the look on David's face when I mentioned the fine print he figured out soon enough probably when the county assessor's office contacted him about the pending tax assessment my phone buzzed a text from David what did you do I ignored it focusing instead on the other document I discovered it was a bank statement showing transfers from our joint account to a separate account in David's name he been moving money gradually preparing for his exit but he'd made one crucial mistake he used our joint account to pay for the House's construction every penny spent building that house could be traced back to our marital assets in our state that menai had a claim to half its value regardless of whose name was on the deed another text answer me Rebecca what fine print I set my phone aside and pulled up the county assessor website right on schedule there it was a notice of review triggered by the recent sale David would be receiving official notification any moment now my phone started ringing David's name flash on the screen but I let it go to voicemail let him sweat for a while I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing documents a claim for division of marital assets a petition for emergency injunction to prevent any further Property Transfers and a detailed accounting of every penny spent on a house's construction by the time I left the office I had seven Miss calls from David and a dozen increasingly frantic texts the last one read you knew about this you knew this would happen of course I knew I was a real estate attorney who specialized in Property Transfers and tax law did he really think I wouldn't find a way to protect myself I drove home to our apartment the one I'd insisted on keeping even after the house was finished much to David's annoyance he'd wanted to sell it immediately but something had held me back maybe some part of me had sensed what was coming as I parked I saw David's car in the visitor spot he was waiting by the entrance pacing back and forth his earlier smugness replaced by barely contained Panic do you have any idea what you've done he demanded as I approached the tax bill it's more than I make in 5 years I keyed in the entry code ignoring him that's unfortunate you have to help me fix this he said following me inside you can release the deed restriction please Becca I'll lose everything I turned to face him taking in his desperate expression the man I'd love for 12 years who had betrayed me in every way possible was now asking for my help you already lost everything I said quietly you lost it the moment you decided to give our dream house to your girlfriend the tax bill is just a consequence of your choices I'll contest it he threatened I'll say I didn't know about the Clause I laughed go ahead you signed the deed you're a businessman David everyone will expect you to have ra and understood the documents you signed but please by all means tell a judge you transferred a two . 8 million property for $1 without reading the deed restrictions I'm sure that will go over well the color drained from his face as the reality of his situation sank in what do you want want I repeated I don't want anything from you you made your choice now you get to live with it I unlocked my apartment door and stepped inside leaving him standing in the hallway through the door I heard him call out what about Amber she can't afford the property taxes either then then I guess she'll have to sell I replied hope she gets more than a dollar for it I closed the door on his protests and leaned against it my heart pounding the first phase of my plan was in motion David had just discovered the tax implications of his impulsive decision but he had no idea what was coming next tomorrow he'd be served with my petition for division of marital assets the day after that he'd learn about the emergency injunction preventing any further Property Transfers and by the the end of the week he'd realized that his attempt to hide our joint funds was about to backfire spectacularly my phone buzzed again another text from David we can work this out please I made a mistake I set my phone to silent and poured myself a glass of wine David was right about one thing he had made a mistake several in fact but his biggest mistake was underestimating me I sat down at my desk and pulled out the stack of documents I gathered every bank statement every construction receipt every transfer from our joint account it all told a story a story of betrayal yes but also of carelessness David had been so focused on his affair with Amber that he gotten sloppy with the details and details as any good attorney knows are everything the next morning I ragged at my office early three manala envelopes sat on my desk the serving papers for David ready to be delivered I checked my phone five more Miss calls and a string of increasingly desperate text from him the county assessor called the tax bill is $980,000 please help me fix this Amber's freaking out she can't afford the property taxes we can work something out n your price I set my phone aside and focused on my computer screen the county records showed that the D transfer to Amber had been officially recorded perfect now she was legally responsible for the property taxes going forward while David was on the hook for the transfer tax bill my assistant knocked on my door Rebecca your 9:00 a.
m. is here I nodded straightening my jacket sent him in Marcus Chen the forensic accountant I'd hired walked in carrying a thick folder you were right he said without Preamble the money Trail is clear your husband didn't just use joint funds for the house he's been systematically moving assets for months he spread the documents across my desk bank statements transfer records investment accounts David had been planning this for longer than I'd realized the good news Marcus continued is that he's terrible at covering his tracks every transaction is documented he used your joint account as a pass through probably thinking that would make it harder to trace instead it gives us a perfect record I smiled grimly how much total diverted assets just over $3. 2 million not including the house the number hit me like a physical blow all those years of building our life together and he been planning to take it all my Thum buzzed again another text from David the bank is threatening to freeze my accounts what did you do what i' done was file a request for emergency asset freeze as part of my divorce petition given the evidence of his financial maneuvering the judge have granted it immediately the timing works in our favor Marcus said Gathering his papers most of these transfers happened after he started Ed his relationship with Amber we can argue this was premeditated fraud I thanked Marcus and walked him out when I returned to my office there was a new email from the county assessor's office they completed their review of the property transfer the official tax bill would be issued today right on Q my fum rang this time it was Amber Miss Mitchell her voice was shaky I I need to talk to you about the house you mean your house I kept my tone professional the one you bought for a dollar I didn't know she said quickly about the tax thing David never told me I can't afford the property taxes and the bank won't give me a loan because she trailed off because you have no equity in the property I finish for her since you only paid a dollar for it please she said her voice cracking I don't know what to do David says his accounts are frozen and I don't have that kind of money I leaned back in my chair thinking about the young woman on the other end of the line she was barely older than my youngest sister sell it I said finally that's your best option the property taxes are due in 30 days if you sell now you can use the proceeds to pay them and walk away with something but won't David be mad I almost laughed David's anger is not your problem anymore Amber he used you as a pawn in his game and it backfired my advice get out now while you still can there was a long pause he said you try to take the house back she said softly that's why he put it in my name I don't want the house I replied I want what's fair and right now you're caught in the middle of something that's about to get very messy sell the house pay the taxes and move on with your life after I hung up I sat there thinking about how different things looked from just 24 hours ago David's careful plans were unraveling and he was about to learn just how thoroughly he miscalculated the next few days passed in a blur of legal proceedings David hired an attorney one of the best in the city but even they couldn't dispute the paper trail he' left every transfer every account every attempt to hide our marital assets was documented the tax bill arged exactly as calculated $980,000 for the transfer tax due immediately David's attorney tried to argue that the deed restriction was unconscionable but the judge didn't buy it the Clause was standard in our area and David had signed the deed willingly a week after everything began I received another call from Amber I'm selling the house she said I have a buyer willing to pay market value I just I wanted you to know that's a smart decision I replied David's Furious she continued he says I'm betraying him but I owe him loyalty after everything he did for me she laughed bitterly as if putting me in this position was doing me a favor I felt the unexp expected surge of sympathy for her you don't owe him anything Amber he used you to try to hurt me and he didn't care what happened to you in the process after she hung up I pulled up the latest bank records Marcus had sent over David's attempt to hide our assets had left a clear Trail one that would ensure everything was divided fairly in the divorce the house sold 2 weeks later for $2.
