A pending application appeared on the screen.
Someone had requested a seventy-five-thousand-dollar home-equity line of credit using my townhouse as collateral.
The application had been submitted two days after our wedding.
My entire body went cold.
After returning from our short honeymoon in Cleveland, Ryan had encouraged me to give him access to several household accounts.
He said married couples should never keep financial secrets.
I allowed him access to the electricity, internet, and security services.
I had never given him permission to borrow money against my property.
“Is Ryan listed on the deed?” Melissa asked.
“No.”
“Then there is a strong chance he copied your signature.”
Chloe leaned closer to the screen.
“He borrowed Dad’s scanner last week.”
I immediately called the bank’s fraud department.
The representative froze the application and told me to visit a branch with identification.
She confirmed that the request included a scanned document containing what appeared to be my signature.
It was not mine.
Someone had carefully copied it from our marriage license.
Melissa remained on the phone while I changed passwords and placed fraud alerts on my credit reports.
She explained that Ryan had attempted something similar with her.
During their engagement, he persuaded Melissa to open a joint credit card for wedding expenses.
Then he secretly used it to cover gambling debts.
“How much did he spend?” I asked.
“Almost thirty-two thousand dollars.”
“Why didn’t the police charge him?”
“I reported it. Ryan claimed I had approved the purchases. His father paid part of the balance, and I agreed not to continue because I wanted the entire family out of my life.”
Her voice became firm.
“That was a mistake. My silence made it easier for him to find another person.”
By noon, I was sitting in the office of attorney Rachel Kim.
She specialized in family law and cases involving controlling partners.
I gave her the police report, photographs, Ryan’s messages, the security footage, and copies of the fraudulent loan documents.
Rachel watched the kitchen recording twice.
“Many people assume that a three-day marriage can automatically be annulled,” she explained. “That is not always true. The length of the marriage alone is not enough.”
She turned toward me.
“However, if we can prove that Ryan entered the marriage as part of a financial scheme, fraud may give us grounds for annulment. We can also file for divorce and request exclusive possession of your home.”
“I want the fastest legal way to end the marriage.”
“Then we prepare for both outcomes and allow the court to decide which route applies.”
Rachel instructed me not to communicate with Ryan directly.
All contact was to go through lawyers or law enforcement.
That afternoon, Ryan’s mother, Denise, appeared outside my townhouse.
She did not knock.
Instead, she stood beside her silver SUV and called me.
I watched from an upstairs window as she paced along the sidewalk.
“Emma, open the door,” she said. “We need to settle this privately.”
