This wasn't arranged for the weekend. 6 months. I looked at the bank statements again. The first unexplained transfer was dated almost 8 months earlier. Keep working, I told him.
I want the timeline documented. After the call, I drove to Patricia Shaw's office. I brought every statement, every transfer record, and a list of the dates Julia had supposedly traveled for work. Patricia went through the documents carefully. These transfers don't prove misconduct by themselves, she said.
But combined with the other evidence, they raise serious questions about what she's planning. She's been moving our money into an account I can't identify while arranging an apartment with another man. Then we need to establish what belongs to the marriage, what was transferred, and where it went. Don't make assumptions we can't support. I leaned forward.
I'm not interested in assumptions. I'm interested in protecting what's mine and making sure the court sees the full picture. Patricia nodded and explained the lawful options for preserving records and protecting marital assets while the divorce proceedings were being prepared. Before I left, she looked me directly in the eye. Once this begins, your wife may react badly.
Keep your communication calm and don't give her anything she can use to claim you've threatened or intimidated her. She won't get that from me. Before leaving her office, I authorized Patricia to prepare the divorce filing. I wanted everything ready, but I wasn't going to submit it until I'd reviewed the paperwork and understood my options. 2 hours later, Liam called with more information.
He had documented several meetings between Julia and Colin at the apartment complex. He had also established a timeline connecting Julia's visits with the unexplained financial transfers. Then he told me about something that bothered me even more. Jeremy, your wife has been asking questions about your retirement income, your pension arrangements, and the ownership records for the house. She knows all that information already.
Some of it, yes, but she's been gathering copies of documents and asking about things she normally wouldn't need to know unless she was preparing for a separation. I went quiet for a moment. Julia wasn't simply preparing somewhere to live. She was preparing for a legal fight. That evening, I reviewed the paperwork Patricia had sent me.
I checked the details carefully and followed her advice about documenting and protecting the remaining marital funds. The divorce papers were ready. I had made my decision and I intended to move forward once everything was in order. I also printed the timeline Liam had assembled and placed it in a folder with the financial records. On Saturday morning, Liam called again.
One more thing, Colin appears to believe they're starting a new life together. They've been looking at the apartment as a couple. Does he know she's married? I can't establish exactly what she's told him. I can tell you they've been acting like partners planning a move.
I ended the call and looked around the house. Julia had spent months arranging her departure while continuing to eat dinner with me, sleep beside me, and talk about our future as if nothing had changed. She probably expected to return with her new arrangements in place and dictate the terms of our separation. She had made one serious mistake. She assumed I'd sit here waiting for her to decide what happened next.
By then, everything was in place. Patricia had the records. Liam had finished his investigation and I had documented the financial transfers I could trace. I didn't know exactly when Julia planned to return. But when she did, she wouldn't be walking into the conversation she'd rehearsed.