He Locked Me Out Now He’s Begging Me Back Chapter 34
The next day, my lawyer called to confirm who was living in the house.
“Tessa hasn’t moved out. She just moved from the main house into the ADU. Daniel’s mother sold her own house and plans to help her buy an apartment, but homes in that school district are beyond their budget. They’re still short by two hundred thousand dollars.”
I looked at the video Daniel had sent the night before.
The main house in it had looked empty, yes.
But the camera had carefully avoided the backyard.
His idea of making things right had been to move them from one room to another while luring me back in to keep paying.
That evening, Daniel came to my apartment.
“We need to help Tessa buy that apartment.”
“We?”
He hesitated. “Use the house equity. Take out a HELOC and lend her two hundred thousand.”
“No.”
He rushed on. “It’s just a loan, not a gift. Tessa will pay it back every month, and I can guarantee it.”
“That house is about to enter forced-sale proceedings. I will not add any new debt to it now.”
“If you just withdraw the filing, this can all be worked out.”
So that had been the point of clearing out the main house.
I opened my laptop and turned the numbers I had run toward him.
“Tessa’s net monthly income is under four thousand dollars. The mortgage, HOA fees, property taxes, and insurance on that apartment would come to nearly twenty-six hundred. Add in living expenses and Noah’s costs—what exactly would she be making the HELOC payments with?”
“I told you, I’d guarantee it.”
“You’re already struggling to carry the daily costs of this house.”
Daniel’s face darkened.
“Claire, do you really have to be this practical?”
“Loans are practical.”