Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
WREN
The next day, after classes and practice, I sat on the couch in my apartment, looking at my phone.
The conversation with Dad had nagged me all day.
It was time to call Mom and clarify the situation.
When they’d divorced, I’d only been seven, so I understood little of what happened, and I’d never questioned Mom.
I hadn’t wanted to bring up old pain. But I was an adult, and enough time had passed…
I brought Mom’s number up on my phone and called. She was usually showing houses at night and on weekends, so maybe I’d catch her in the office or at home.
The phone rang a few times and clicked. “Hello? Wren?” She was panting.
“What are you doing?” As my chest constricted, I breathed through it. This could be a tough conversation.
“I’m taking a brisk walk around the park. I had a few hours between clients, and I thought I’d fit some exercise in.”
Good. Then maybe I’d get some answers. “I had dinner with Dad last night.” I glanced toward the door. When would Grace be home? If she came in, I’d take this into my bedroom.
“Oh, how was it?” Her breathing slowed.
“It was…interesting.” I wasn’t sure how to describe it. “He’s got a fucking mansion here, and he said he didn’t sell the house in Cali, so I’m wondering how in the hell he could afford it.” Shit, I’d gotten straight to the point. I clenched my fist in my lap. “He doesn’t work full time, right?”
With a sigh, she said, “You know there’s a trust. He inherited money from your grandparents.”
“Okay, but how much?” No one ever talked about it. Why not? I knew I was in the trust somewhere. I held tight to the phone. “Mom?”
“I-I don’t know exactly. I know it’s in the millions, maybe even tens of millions, but I’m not privy to that information.” She huffed. “I don’t think your father has to work.”
My mouth fell open. No wonder he could afford the place in Scottsdale and keep the home in California. “If…if he spends it all—”
“Then you’d get nothing.” She clicked her tongue. “But that won’t happen, Wren. Your Aunt Nadine is the executor, and she manages the money. She makes sure he’s kept in check.”
“Mom, tell me why you divorced.” Bracing myself, I said, “I want the truth. I’m not a child anymore.” And I could handle it.
She drew an audible breath. “Honey, I don’t want what I say to damage your relationship with your father.”
“I’ve got news for you. It’s already damaged.” As heat flickered through my chest, I gritted my teeth. “I want to know.”
She scoffed. “Okay, well, this will be hard to hear, but he started drinking and lost his job. He’d been working remotely for Google, as you know, and he thought he could pick up contract work and make more money than what Google paid him.” She paused.
“Okay, and?” I knew all of this. When would she address the unspoken stuff? I shifted on the couch, tucking my legs beside me.
“And he didn’t…well, he wasn’t working like he said he was. Yes, he picked up odd jobs, but he spent a lot of money too.” She breathed in deeply. “I found out he’d gotten some credit cards and a personal loan, and we were drowning in debt.”
My eyes widened. Mom had been destitute after the divorce. Was this why? I barely remembered the house we had lived in with Dad, but it had been comfortably middle class.
“When I found the credit card bills…” She cleared her throat. “Damn it, I don’t think I should tell you this.”
Through my teeth, I said, “Mom, tell me.” I had to know. It was my right to know.
“There were all these charges from websites. At first, I figured they involved his job. But there were so many,” she said. “Then I looked them up. They were payment portals for porn sites.”
I gasped as shock tore through my body. “What?” This was a little gross. I didn’t want to think of my dad…yuck. No wonder she’d never told me. “Like, how much?”
“Over a thousand dollars every month. Sometimes up to two-thousand,” she said. “I was shocked.”
Holy fuck. I gaped, wrapping my head around it. “The only way to spend that much money on porn is to pay to view and interact with live—”
“I know, Wren. I found him completely disgusting. In my mind, he’d turned outside the marriage for his…needs.” She scoffed. “I won’t say any more about that part of it. The bigger problem was our sinking deeper into debt with no way out. Unless I divorced him.”
With a nod, I pressed my lips together. Looking at porn videos wasn’t a big deal, but knowing your partner was interacting with cam boys or girls?
Hell, I didn’t know what I thought about it.
But then if your partner did it without your knowledge and racked up thousands of dollars when you were married and sharing finances? Yeah, that’s fucked up.
“Wren, are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m…okay. I’m stunned.” I bit my lower lip. No wonder Mom left him. “Does this explain Nadine’s control of the trust?”
“Yes. You know she and I were always close. I warned her about the problem. Originally your father was the executor, but Aunt Nadine got your grandmother to change it.” She sighed. “Aunt Nadine forced your father into a recovery center to receive any funds from the trust.”
“Shit, so that’s why Dad was in recovery. I thought it was for alcoholism.” I vaguely remembered visiting him at the recovery center. But now he was still drinking. Was he still using porn? I doubted Karen would allow something like that.
“Wren, when I divorced your father, we lost everything. I had to file bankruptcy to remove the debt he’d racked up, and the house went into foreclosure.” She huffed. “He tried to ruin me.”
Pain sliced through my chest. “Mom, I’m sorry.
I didn’t know. I remember you taking me to the dollar store to get toys if my grades were good.
Before the divorce, we’d go to Target.” And we’d moved into a cheap apartment.
It was like my entire life had changed overnight, but I hadn’t dared to question it.
Hell, I’d buried everything for so long, it was like I’d forgotten that part of my life.
“Yes, well, it’s all I could afford. We were on nutrition assistance, and you got free meals at school. Do you remember going to the food bank?”
“Yeah…” Fuck, it all came rushing back. “I was happy about it because all the baked goods were free, and I could have all I wanted.” I chuckled.
“But you only let me pick one.” How the hell had she gone from that to owning a successful brokerage?
She was one hell of a strong woman. Goddamn, she was amazing. I’d never realized how much.
“So, now you know the entire story,” she said. “Tell me what spurred this.”
“I don’t trust Dad. I think he’s hiding something from me.” After twisting my lips, I said, “I think it’s something to do with finances.” I couldn’t put my finger on it. Why, if I were involved in this trust, wouldn’t he ever discuss it with me?
“Well, shit.” She tutted. “I didn’t want to say anything, but we don’t trust his new wife, Karen.”
“We?” Karen had been standoffish at dinner, but then that was typical.
“Has she been keeping Dad from me?” He hadn’t met her until he’d moved to California to help my grandmother, who’d had cancer, which eventually killed her.
And here I’d always wondered if it was my coming out to him that caused our distance.
“I think so. Aunt Nadine knows her much better than I do, and they don’t get along.” Mom exhaled loudly. “She says Karen is always trying to get your father to buy things with the trust for them.”
“Like a mansion in Scottsdale.” The puzzle pieces clicked in my head.
“Dad said Karen’s family are land developers and so they purchased their new house at a good price.
I’ll bet that was the leverage they used with Aunt Nadine.
” And why Dad hadn’t wanted to discuss it.
They could use it to take money from the trust and my inheritance and give it to Karen if they paid for their new house in cash.
Of course, they were married, and they’d both be on the deed.
“Mom, can you check their new house in the MLS and tell me if it’s listed in both of their names? ”
“Sure, but I doubt your Aunt Nadine would allow such a thing.” She tutted. “What are you driving at?”
“It might offer Karen a method of getting funds held in the trust. She has Dad buy property and puts both their names on the deeds, and if something happens to him, it reverts to her.” I clenched my jaw.
“She’s a lot younger than he is, you know.
” Not that I cared so much about the money, but it was the principle that bothered me.
The trust was from my grandparents, intended to stay in the family.
If it ever came to me, I’d be sure and share it with Mom.
She deserved it after what Dad had done to her.
“Wren, that’s…that’s sort of evil.”
“Yeah, well, I guess if they end up buying more properties, we’ll know what’s going on.
” I swallowed hard. Wouldn’t Dad understand the consequences of his actions?
If he did, why would he agree to it? Pain lodged in my heart.
It felt like I was being abandoned all over again.
Fuck. “Can you, uh, check all of this? Find out what Aunt Nadine knows and check the deeds on all his properties.” Maybe he had sold the California house and was lying? “I don’t trust him.”
“Yes, I’ll check and get back to you. Something sounds fishy here.” She sighed. “But Wren, let’s give your father the benefit of the doubt, okay?”
Hell no. “Sure.” As I chewed my lower lip, my gaze caught a shadow outside the window.
Grace strolled along the walkway, her keys dangling from her hand and backpack slung over a shoulder.
“Uh, Grace is home. I’ll talk to you later.” I’d keep this all to myself until I knew more. “Love you, Mom. Bye.”
“Bye, honey, and love you too.” The call ended.
Grace stepped inside the apartment. “Hey, Wren. Who were you talking to? Eli?” She gave me a wry grin.