Julian’s mouth worked, but nothing came out. The county representative stepped forward with a clipboard, and the lender’s man opened a folder of his own. “Mr. Ashcroft,” the lender said, “the credit line you drew against this property has been frozen pending a fraud investigation. Forging a co-owner’s signature on a secured loan is a felony.” Sabrina’s oversized sunglasses trembled in her hand. She looked at the empty foundation, then at the man she had crossed an ocean to marry, and something in her face finally cracked.

Theo stood beside me now, close enough that his shoulder touched mine, the first time in weeks. Nora had not moved from the gravel. “Mom,” she whispered, “is it true? Everything he told us?” Before I could answer, Julian spun toward Diana with the desperate energy of a man watching his story collapse. “This is entrapment,” he shouted. “None of this holds up.” Diana simply reached into the blue folder again and pulled out one last page.