“What happened?” Jason demanded over the phone.
“You’ll understand when you get here,” the building manager replied before ending the call.
Linda insisted they drive as quickly as possible, convinced someone had broken into the apartment.
When they arrived, two police officers were already waiting in the lobby with the building manager.
Jason pushed forward.
“What is going on? This is my apartment!”
The manager calmly corrected him.
“It’s jointly owned, sir.”
One officer handed Jason copies of the emergency protective order.
“You are prohibited from contacting your wife directly until the court hearing.”
Linda exploded.
“This is ridiculous! She’s lying!”
The officer looked at her without emotion.
“The hospital photographs, witness statements from neighbors, and surveillance footage suggest otherwise.”
For the first time, Linda went silent.
The elevator doors opened.
Jason rushed toward the apartment.
His key card no longer worked.
Neither did his fingerprint.
A locksmith opened the door for the officers.
Jason froze.
The apartment was nearly empty.
The expensive artwork purchased with Claire’s inheritance was gone.
Her designer furniture.
Her office equipment.
Her jewelry.
Even the grand piano inherited from her grandfather had been professionally removed.
Nothing illegal had occurred.
Every item had been documented, inventoried, and transported under court-approved instructions.
Only Jason’s personal possessions remained.
His clothes.
His gaming equipment.
His sports memorabilia.
Everything else had belonged either to Claire individually or jointly to both spouses.
Then Jason noticed something worse.
His home-office desk was completely bare.
The laptop holding his freelance client database was gone.
The officer immediately clarified.
“Don’t misunderstand. The laptop belongs to Mrs. Carter according to the purchase records. However, your personal files were copied onto an external drive.”
The drive rested neatly on the desk.
Jason picked it up without speaking.
Linda walked from room to room in disbelief.
“She took everything!”
