Chapter 5 - THE TRUST CLAUSE|
Rebecca arrived at my apartment the next morning carrying two folders and a laptop.
I had spent the night reviewing old financial records, searching for the family trust Gabriel had mentioned. I found references to it in several emails, but the actual agreement was missing from the household archive.
Rebecca examined the documents carefully.
“Blackwood Holdings is a private company,” she said. “The trust appears to hold a substantial portion of the family’s voting shares. We need the original agreement before drawing conclusions.”
“Can Dominic legally prevent me from divorcing him?”
“No. But depending on the terms, a divorce might affect certain benefits, ownership interests, or estate arrangements. That’s why I want to understand exactly what he signed.”
She turned her laptop toward me.
One email had been sent by Dominic’s estate attorney three years earlier, shortly before the date his hearing supposedly returned.
The subject line read: CONFIDENTIAL — MARITAL CONTINUITY REQUIREMENTS.
The message itself was brief.
Mr. Blackwood, as discussed, maintaining the existing marital arrangement is preferable until the trust review is complete. Any change in status may trigger disclosure obligations.
I read it twice.
“Marital arrangement,” I whispered.
Rebecca’s expression hardened.
“That wording is concerning, but we need the underlying agreement. An email alone doesn’t establish why the marriage was maintained.”
I searched the archive again and found a scanned document titled Family Governance Addendum.
Most of it concerned company voting rights and estate management. One paragraph referenced the role of a spouse in administering a private charitable foundation and overseeing certain family records.
The spouse was described as an independent fiduciary.
I had signed a document years ago agreeing to manage the foundation’s community grants and charitable expenditures. Dominic had told me it was a routine responsibility for the wife of a family executive.
I had never been told that the position was connected to a larger trust.
Rebecca read the paragraph aloud.
“Your signature may have legal significance. But we need to determine whether you were properly informed and whether the document created any actual obligation.”
I felt sick.
“Was I supposed to stay married to him because of this?”
“Not necessarily. And even if the trust contains conditions, they cannot automatically erase your rights. We need an attorney who specializes in complex trusts to review it.”
I nodded.
Then I remembered something.
“Dominic keeps a locked cabinet in his study. He told me it contained old company records.”
“Do you have authorized access?”
“No.”
“Then don’t break into it. We’ll request relevant records through the legal process.”
That afternoon, Dominic finally called.
His voice sounded calm, almost tender.
“Emma, we need to talk.”
“We’ve talked.”
“Not about the real problem.”
I almost laughed.
“Which real problem? Your secret hearing recovery? Your pregnant mistress? Or the trust you apparently needed me to help maintain?”
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then he spoke more carefully.
“Who told you about the trust?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before treating your wife like a convenient employee.”
His tone hardened.
“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”
“Then explain it.”
He ended the call.
I stared at my phone.
For three years, Dominic had pretended he could not hear me.
May you like
Now he had hung up because he did not want to answer.
And I was beginning to suspect that his silence had always been a choice.
