The following morning, Emily accompanied me to an attorney named Margaret Collins. I brought every financial document I could find, including the March refinancing papers. Margaret examined them carefully and discovered that the documents involved more than an ordinary refinancing arrangement. There were additional financial authorizations and a pending application connected to a substantial loan against our property. She explained that we needed to obtain the complete records before drawing conclusions. I felt sick remembering how easily Richard had persuaded me to sign everything. I had trusted my husband, not realizing how little he was telling me.

Margaret advised me to contact the lender directly, request copies of all relevant records, and avoid signing anything else. Two days later, the bank confirmed that an application had been submitted using information from our household finances. Some details required further investigation, and the bank placed the application under review after receiving my concerns. When I returned home, Richard was waiting in the kitchen. He looked furious. “You’ve been talking to a lawyer?” he asked. I placed my copy of the bank correspondence on the table. “Yes,” I answered. “And now we’re going to talk about the truth.”