Chapter 17 - DANIEL’S ARGUMENT
Daniel filed for divorce first.
The petition described me as financially coercive.
Controlling.
Punitive.
It cited:
Immediate suspension of family support.
Revocation of his household card.
Threats to ruin his business.
Refusal to fund his mother.
Use of premarital wealth to dominate marital decisions.
Some facts were real.
Interpretation contested.
His attorney produced texts.
ME:
If your mother keeps insulting me, I’m done paying for her.
Two years earlier.
Another:
Tell Matthew I am not an ATM.
Another:
I pay for this entire ridiculous family circus.
I winced.
Grace said:
“Did you write them?”
“Yes.”
“Then we deal with them.”
Daniel’s theory:
I used money as leverage.
My theory:
I used money badly, but that did not transfer ownership or justify deception.
The distinction mattered.
He also argued the mansion had become marital through use and improvement.
That would take time.
No instant:
May you like
My deed, my house, get out.
Real life is slower than foyer dialogue.
