Mrs. Marshall held up a small brass key between her long manicured fingers.
Mrs. Marshall: I found what Julian was trying to keep hidden from me.
Ava: You broke into his private home office while I was sleeping?
Mrs. Marshall: It is my duty to protect my family's wealth from outsiders.
Ava: I am his legal wife, not an outsider in this home.
Mrs. Marshall: You brought nothing into this marriage except medical bills and debt.
Ava pulled herself up onto her knees using the edge of the dresser.
The bandage on her head felt tight and soaked with cold sweat.
She looked straight into her mother-in-law's dark, unforgiving eyes.
Ava: My parents left me the trust fund that bought this entire estate.
Mrs. Marshall: That trust fund was supposed to be transferred to my management!
Ava: Julian signed the legal papers making sure it stayed in my name alone.
Mrs. Marshall: He had no legal right to exclude me from the estate board!
Mrs. Marshall shook the key ring with an angry, sharp motion.
She opened her leather handbag and pulled out a thick blue document folder.
Ava recognized the gold seal of the city court on the front cover.
It was the original land deed for the grand estate they lived in.
Mrs. Marshall: I have a lawyer waiting to file a claim on this property today.
Ava: You cannot claim property that is legally registered under my name.
Mrs. Marshall: A judge will grant me power of attorney if you are declared unfit.
Ava: I am sick with a simple infection, not mentally unfit!
Mrs. Marshall: Who do you think the court will believe when I show them your records?
Mrs. Marshall pointed to a stack of forged medical papers inside the folder.
She had been planning this legal trap for several long months behind their backs.
She wanted the deed, the mansion, and the entire family trust fund.
Ava felt a terrible chill run down the length of her spine.
She realized why her mother-in-law had canceled her doctor appointments this week.
The cruel woman wanted Ava to get weaker and weaker until she collapsed.
Ava: You deliberately kept my heart medication away from me yesterday.
Mrs. Marshall: You are just confused because of your high fever, my dear.
Ava: You are trying to break my health to take my inheritance.
Mrs. Marshall: This mansion belongs in proper hands, not with a weak girl.
Suddenly, the heavy double front doors downstairs slammed open with a loud bang.
Heavy footsteps echoed rapidly up the marble grand staircase toward the room.
Mrs. Marshall's hand trembled as she tried to shove the papers back in her bag.
The bedroom door flew wide open, hitting the stop with a sharp crack.
Julian stood in the doorframe, his dark business suit messy and his face dark with rage.
He carried a black briefcase in one hand and official court seals in the other.
His eyes swept across the messy bedroom, landing instantly on his pale wife on the floor.
Julian: Mrs. Marshall! Step away from her immediately!