“You Don’t Fit My World Anymore” — He Divorced His Billionaire Wife on a $41 Cab Fare. She Owned…
Chapter 8
Daniel stepped backward.
“No.”
Mia stared at the document.
“It can’t be.”
They read it again.
The language was unmistakable.
Richard’s remaining private assets would transfer to the spouse of Mia Hawthorne if certain conditions were satisfied.
Daniel looked at her.
“Your father named me?”
“Apparently.”
“Why?”
Mia’s hands trembled.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel laughed nervously.
“He met me twice before we got married.”
“Three times.”
“That doesn’t help.”
They turned on the recorder.
Richard’s voice filled the room.
Older.
Weaker.
But unmistakable.
“If you’re hearing this, I’m already dead.”
Mia covered her mouth.
Her father continued.
“I don’t know which of them betrayed me.”
Daniel and Mia exchanged a glance.
“But I know this much. The fortune cannot remain in one person’s hands if the person is alone.”
The recording continued.
“My daughter has been protected all her life by money. That money has also made her a target.”
A pause.
“I need someone outside the family structure.”
Daniel’s heart raced.
“Someone who cannot be controlled by the people who have waited for my death.”
The recording crackled.
“If that person is Daniel Mercer, then I made the right choice.”
Daniel stared at Mia.
Richard knew his name.
Before they married.
The recording continued.
“If he does not love her, the trust will close.”
Mia frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“The marriage isn’t just legal,” Daniel said.
“Apparently not.”
Richard’s voice softened.
“My daughter has spent her life believing everyone eventually wants something from her.”
Then the sentence that broke both of them came.
“I hope one day she meets a man who wants nothing.”
The recorder clicked off.
Silence.
Daniel looked at Mia.
“He chose me because he thought I loved you.”
Mia whispered,
“Maybe.”
“And if we divorce?”
“The trust changes.”
“To whom?”
Mia picked up another document.
“To the Hawthorne Foundation.”
Daniel exhaled.
“So I don’t get your fortune.”
“No.”
“You never planned to use me.”
“I never knew this clause existed.”
Daniel looked at the document.
Then he noticed something unusual.
The signature at the bottom.
Richard’s signature.
But the date was after his supposed death.
Daniel pointed.
“That’s impossible.”
Mia took the paper.
Her face turned pale.
“My father signed this three weeks after he died.”
They looked at each other.
Someone had forged Richard’s signature.
Which meant the legal document wasn’t simply a strange inheritance clause.
It was part of a larger deception.
And someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to make Daniel believe he was tied to Mia’s fortune.
“Who benefits?” Daniel asked.
Mia shook her head.
“I’m not sure.”
The answer came from the hallway.
“I do.”
They turned.
Evan Cole stood in the doorway.
Gun lowered.
Eyes cold.
Daniel’s former best friend looked at him.
“You finally figured it out.”
Mia stepped between them.
“Evan.”
He smiled.
“You still look exactly like your father.”
Mia froze.
Daniel looked confused.
Evan continued.
“Because yes, Mia…”
He raised the gun slightly.
“Richard wasn’t your biological father.”
The room went silent.
