Seconds later, he appeared wrapped in the blanket, coughing theatrically.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a strained smile.
“I brought soup,” I said, watching him carefully.
When I asked who he’d been speaking to, he replied, “Work stuff,” without meeting my eyes.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with an email: Midwest Federal Bank – Account Change Confirmation.
I had never set up those alerts.
At the bank, an employee informed me that a new phone number had been added to our account that morning. Mail notifications were redirected to an address tied to someone named Jordan Russell. There was also a pending request to remove me as a joint account holder.
I immediately froze the account and required in-person verification for any changes.
Then I called my friend Holly, a paralegal, and told her everything.
“Check the property records today,” she advised.
At the county recorder’s office, we found a quitclaim deed scheduled for filing on Friday—transferring Gavin’s share of our home to an entity called Russell Asset Group LLC. Gavin was listed as the registered agent.
The LLC had been formed two months earlier.
This wasn’t impulsive. It was planned.
That night, I acted normal while observing him. He only coughed when I walked into the room.
The next morning he casually mentioned, “You may need to sign refinancing papers Friday.”
“Of course,” I replied—already scheduled to meet a real estate attorney.
On Thursday, my lawyer helped me file a Notice of Marital Interest, preventing any unilateral transfer of the house.
