I looked down at the pen. Then I looked at the signature line. It didn’t say Mortgage Restructuring Application. In tiny, microscopic print at the very bottom of the page, it read: Grantor: Valerie Miller (née Vance). Grantee: The C&B Legacy Trust.
If I signed this, I lost my home. If I didn’t sign this, Bruno would know I knew. He would know I had found the safe. And given the life insurance policy I had just discovered, if he knew I was onto him, I might not make it out of this house alive.
“Valerie?” Bruno’s voice lost its warmth, a cold, metallic threat slicing through his tone. “Is there a problem? Grab the pen.”
I looked up, forcing a nervous, ditzy laugh. “Oh, you know me, Bruno. My hands are so slippery from the furniture polish. Let me just go wash them in the bathroom first, and then I’ll sign whatever you need.”
