Who is he? 34. Works in the same company, different department. They appear to know each other well. How well?
I have photographs of them arriving together, checking into the hotel, and leaving the next morning in her car. I'll document everything properly before drawing conclusions. I stared at the wall behind my desk. Julia was 49. Colin was 15 years younger.
I wasn't interested in the age difference. I was interested in the fact that my wife had lied about where she was and was sharing a hotel with a man she had never mentioned. "Keep going," I told him. On Friday morning, Liam sent me another update. Julia and Colin had visited two apartment buildings in the same town.
They'd met with a leasing agent at the first property and spent almost an hour inside the second. That wasn't a casual weekend anymore. I opened our financial records and compared the dates of the transfers with the trips Julia had taken during the previous 8 months. Several withdrawals had occurred within days of her supposed business meetings. The pattern was becoming difficult to ignore.
I called a divorce attorney named Patricia Shaw. I gave her a brief explanation and asked for an appointment. She could see me later that afternoon. Don't move money around without advice, she warned. Preserve the statements, keep copies of the records, and don't threaten your wife.
We need to protect your position without creating a problem of our own. Understood, I said. I'm not looking for a fight. I'm making sure I'm not the only person who comes out of this prepared. By then, Julia had been gone for four full days.
I was sitting at the kitchen table when Liam called with something more important. Jeremy, I found a connection between those transfers and a separate account. I can't confirm ownership yet, but the account appears to be linked to a private mailing address. I'm checking the property records now. Why would she need a private mailing address?
I don't know yet. I looked at the empty chair across from me. Julia had always told me that our marriage was built on honesty. She used to say that no matter what happened, we'd face it together. Now she was in another town looking at apartments with another man while money quietly disappeared from our savings.
I ended the call and opened my laptop. There was one thing I could do immediately. I could stop treating this as a problem that might disappear if I waited long enough. I emailed Patricia the bank statements and asked her to prepare the divorce paperwork so I could review it. Then I called the bank again to ask what lawful steps were available to protect the remaining joint funds.
Julia had made her choices. I was making mine. Liam called me an hour later. I found the mailing address, he said. It's a private mailbox registered 6 months ago.
The name on the paperwork is Julia Whitmore. What's she been receiving there? That's what I'm checking. I can't access her private mail, but public property records and the information you've provided point to an apartment lease in the same coastal town where she's staying. I rubbed my jaw.
She's already rented a place. That's what it looks like. I'm verifying the lease through lawful sources. There's something else, too. She's been visiting that property since at least 3 weeks ago.