“David—” she stopped as her mind began swirling unpleasantly. She knew that her emails had made it to David’s inbox, because she had received replies in return, but he clearly knew nothing about them, which meant that he obviously hadn’t been the one replying. “This is unbelievable. Except it isn’t,” she muttered.
He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. “Am I missing something?”
“Yes.” She got her phone out and opened up her email app, her hands oddly steady, even though her brain was raging. “These are all the emails I’ve sent you since the divorce,” she told him, getting into her correspondences with David. “And all of the responses I’ve gotten from you in return.”
His eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Responses? From me?”
“Yes.”
With trepidation, he took her phone and opened the oldest email and reply.
David:
I know how much you wanted me to have the house, but I just can’t stay here anymore, especially after losing Spook—he was the only thing that made it seem like a home after the divorce.
I’m sure you probably won’t be happy about this, but I’ve made the decision to put the house up for sale in a few weeks.
I hope you’ll be able to understand and forgive me.
Anyway, after I sell it, I want to send you a check for half of the proceeds. I never felt right about you giving me the house in the first place, so I’d like to give you what is rightfully yours.
Paige
Paige:
I wanted you to have the house, which means it’s yours to sell if you’re not happy living there. I do understand and I’m not angry. When you do sell it, please don’t send me any of the sale proceeds. I don’t want the money. Please keep it and do whatever you want with it.
David
He thought back to that night on the phone, when Paige had said she’d emailed him about the house and he’d been a complete dick to her.
With a heavy sigh, he kept reading.
David:
The house sold faster than I thought it would, so I’ll be moving into my new place in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I don’t have room for a lot of our furniture, so if you would like to have anything—like the leather sectional—let me know. Otherwise, I’ll be selling what I don’t have room for.
The house also sold for more than asking price. I know you said you didn’t want any of the proceeds, but your half of the sale is a little over $20,000 dollars and I really want you to have it. Please reconsider.
Paige
Paige:
Thanks for the offer of the furniture, but I don’t have much room, either. I wish I could take the sectional, but I can’t.
As for the house, I’m glad it sold quickly and that you got more than asking price for it, but I still don’t want any of the proceeds. That money is yours to spend however you want, with my blessing.
David
When he got to her email about Carter, he frowned, even though he’d been forewarned about it a few minutes before.
David:
I know this is going to seem odd, but I was wondering if we could get together for a little while. There are a few things I really need to talk to you about and I would prefer to do it in person. I don’t want to go into too many details here, but it specifically has to do with my Uncle Carter.
Paige
Paige: