Chapter 9 - The Bigamy
Rachel's folder contained more than I expected.
Marriage certificates. Divorce decrees. Bank statements. Emails. Photos. A timeline of Daniel's relationships, stretching back fifteen years.
But the most important document was buried at the bottom.
A second marriage certificate. Daniel Hawthorne and Melissa Crane. Dated eight years ago.
And a third. Daniel Hawthorne and Emily Chen. Dated six days before our wedding.
But there was no divorce decree between the second and third.
I stared at the document. My hands were shaking.
Daniel was still married to Melissa. Which meant our marriage was invalid. Which meant everything I had signed—the trust amendment, the joint accounts, the estate planning documents—was void.
Or it would be, once I proved it.
I called Marcus.
"He's a bigamist," I said. "He never divorced Melissa."
Silence. Then: "Emily, that's—"
"I know." I took a breath. "I need you to verify this. Find the divorce records. If they don't exist, I need a certified statement from the court."
"I'm on it. But Emily—if this is true, your marriage is invalid. You're not legally married."
"I know."
"Which means you don't need a divorce. You can just walk away."
I looked at the marriage certificate. At Daniel's signature. At my own.
"No," I said. "I'm not walking away. I'm going to destroy him."
Marcus was quiet. Then: "What do you need me to do?"
"Find Melissa. I need to know if she's alive."
"And if she's not?"
"Then Daniel is guilty of more than fraud." I stood up. "And I'm going to make sure he pays for all of it."
May you like
I hung up and called the police.
"Hello," I said. "I'd like to report a crime."
