Baby. He was calling me baby again. Like he hadn’t just asked for a divorce two days after my mama’s funeral.
«Yeah,» I said quietly. «The lawyer said it’ll take a few weeks to process everything. Probate and all that.»
«Of course, of course. These things take time. And Shanice?» He moved closer to me on the couch. «I want you to know that even though we’re getting divorced, I still care about you. We can still be civil about this. We can still be fair.»
Fair. There was that word again.
«I should probably move back in,» he continued. «Just until we sort everything out. It doesn’t make sense for me to pay for a hotel when we’re both adults who can handle this maturely.»
Every part of me wanted to scream at him to get out. But I remembered what Attorney Jackson said. Document everything. Let him show who he really is.
«Okay,» I said. «You can stay in the guest room.»
Over the next two weeks, I watched Marcus transform into someone I didn’t recognize. Or maybe I was finally seeing who he’d always been. He started asking questions about the inheritance constantly.
When would the money be available? What accounts was it in? Had I thought about how we’d split it? He even suggested we should sell my mama’s house immediately, while the market is hot, and split the proceeds.
My mama’s house. The house where I grew up. The house where she took her last breath. And he wanted to sell it like it was just another asset to be divided.
Keisha came over almost every day. She could see what was happening, and it made her furious.
«Girl, I don’t know how you’re staying so calm,» she said one afternoon while we were sitting in my mama’s kitchen.
I’d started spending more time at Mama’s house, sorting through her things. It was painful, but it was also peaceful. Marcus never came with me; he said it was «too depressing.»
«I’m not calm,» I told her. «I’m just waiting.»
«Waiting for what?»
I wanted to tell her about the trust, about my mama’s plan, but Attorney Jackson had advised me to keep it quiet. The fewer people who knew, the better.
«Just waiting for the right time,» I said.
Keisha looked at me with her knowing eyes. She’d been my best friend since high school. We’d been through everything together.
«Shanice Williams, you’re up to something.»
I smiled a little. «Maybe.»
«Well, whatever it is, I hope it involves making Marcus suffer. That man deserves everything that’s coming to him.»
She had no idea how right she was. That Sunday, I went to church like I’d been doing every week since I was a child. Pastor Williams had known me and my mama for years. After the service, he pulled me aside.
«Sister Shanice, how are you holding up?»
«I’m managing, Pastor.»
He looked at me with concern. «I heard about you and Marcus. I’m sorry to hear that.»
Word traveled fast in our church community.
«Thank you, Pastor.»
«If you ever need to talk, my door is always open. And if you need anything, anything at all, you let me know. Your mama was a pillar of this church, and we take care of our own.»
His words brought tears to my eyes. This was the community my mama had built. These were the people who really cared about me, not because of what I had, but because of who I was.
After church, several other members came up to me with similar offers of support. Sister Martha invited me to dinner. Brother Thompson offered to help with anything I needed at my mama’s house. Sister Jenkins just hugged me and whispered, «Stay strong, baby. God’s got you.»
When I got home, Marcus was on his phone, laughing and talking loud. I heard him say something about «hitting the jackpot» before he noticed me and quickly ended the call.
«Who was that?» I asked.
«Just my brother. Nothing important.» He stood up and stretched. «Listen, I’ve been thinking. Once the money comes through, maybe we should each get our own lawyers to make sure everything is handled properly. No offense to your lawyer, but I think we both need independent representation.»
Translation: He wanted to make sure he got every penny he thought he was entitled to.
«That makes sense,» I said, even though it made me sick.
«Good. I already talked to someone. Guy my brother recommended. He specializes in high-asset divorces.»
He said it so casually, like he’d been planning this for months. Which he probably had. That night I called Attorney Jackson from my car, parked down the street from my house.
«He’s already got a divorce lawyer,» I told him. «Someone who specializes in high-asset divorces.»
«Good,» Attorney Jackson said calmly. «Let him spend his money on fancy lawyers. It won’t matter. The trust is ironclad, Shanice.»
He continued, «I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I’ve never seen a more perfectly structured inheritance protection. Your mama thought of every possible angle.»
«When do we tell him?»
«Soon. I’m waiting for one more thing. Your mama instructed me to wait until Marcus made a specific demand. She said I’d know it when I heard it.»
«What kind of demand?»
«She said he’d eventually ask you to give him money before the divorce was final. He’d come up with some excuse about needing it now, about not wanting to wait. She said when he did that, that’s when we’d know for sure who he really was.»
I thought about that conversation for days. What was my mama waiting for? What final test did she have in mind? I found out three days later.
I was at my mama’s house, going through her closet and crying over her clothes that still smelled like her perfume when Marcus called.
«Shanice, I need to talk to you about something important.»
«What is it?»
«Can you come home? I don’t want to do this over the phone.»
I drove home with a knot in my stomach. When I walked in, Marcus was sitting at the kitchen table with papers spread out in front of him. He looked excited.
«Sit down,» he said. «I have an opportunity, and I need your help.»
«What kind of opportunity?»
«You remember my friend Derek, from college? Well, he’s starting a business, and he needs investors. It’s a tech startup, and it’s going to be huge, Shanice. Huge. He’s only offering shares to a select few people, and he’s offering me a chance to get in on the ground floor.»
I stared at him. «And?»
«And I need a hundred thousand dollars to invest. I know it sounds like a lot, but think about the return. Derek says we could triple our money in a year, maybe less.»
«Marcus, we’re getting divorced. Why are you telling me this?»
He leaned forward, and his voice got softer, more manipulative. «Because technically, we’re still married. And technically, your mama’s money is still community property until the divorce is final. So I was thinking, what if you gave me a hundred thousand now, as kind of an advance on my share?»
He added, «Then, when the divorce goes through and we split everything, we can adjust the numbers to account for what you already gave me.»
There it was, the demand my mama had predicted. He wanted me to give him money right now, before he even knew for sure he’d get anything. I felt anger rising up in me, hot and fierce.
But I remembered Attorney Jackson’s words. Stay calm. Document everything.
«I don’t know, Marcus. That’s a lot of money.»
«But think about it, Shanice. If this investment pays off, that’s more money for both of us to split. It’s in your best interest, too.»
In my best interest. This man really thought I was stupid.
«Can I think about it?» I asked.
«Sure. But Derek needs an answer by Friday. This opportunity won’t last forever.»
I left the house and drove straight to Attorney Jackson’s office. I didn’t even call first. I just showed up. And thank God he was there.
«He asked for the money,» I said as soon as I walked into his office. «A hundred thousand dollars, for some fake investment opportunity.»
Attorney Jackson smiled. And it wasn’t a kind smile. It was the smile of a lawyer who’d just been handed exactly what he needed.
«Then it’s time. It’s time to show him what Gloria did.»
«What do we do?»
«We call a meeting. You, me, Marcus, and his fancy divorce lawyer. We all sit down together, and we lay out exactly how this divorce is going to go. And Shanice?» He looked at me seriously. «I need you to be ready. Because when Marcus finds out the truth, it’s not going to be pretty.»
«I’m ready,» I said. And I meant it.
The meeting was scheduled for the following Monday, at Attorney Jackson’s office. I told Marcus we were just going to discuss the terms of the divorce and how to split the assets. He seemed excited about it.
Probably thinking he was about to secure his million dollars. He had no idea what was coming. That Sunday I went back to church.
I prayed harder than I’d prayed in my whole life. I prayed for strength. I prayed for courage. I prayed that my mama could see me, could know that I was finally standing up for myself the way she’d always wanted me to.
After church, Keisha grabbed my arm. «Girl, what’s happening tomorrow? You’ve got that look in your eye.»
«Everything,» I said. «Everything is happening tomorrow.»
Monday morning, I woke up early and put on my best outfit. A navy blue suit my mama had bought me for my 30th birthday. She’d said every woman needed a power suit for important moments.
I guess she knew this moment was coming even then. Marcus was already dressed and ready to go.
«Big day,» he said. «Finally going to get all this sorted out.»
«Yeah,» I said. «Finally.»
We drove to Attorney Jackson’s office separately. When I walked in, Marcus was already there with his lawyer, a slick-looking man in an expensive suit named Richard Barnes. They were both smiling and talking like old friends.
Attorney Jackson greeted everyone professionally and invited us all to sit at the conference table. I sat on one side with Attorney Jackson. Marcus and his lawyer sat across from us.
«Thank you all for coming,» Attorney Jackson began. «We’re here today to discuss the dissolution of the marriage between Shanice and Marcus Williams, and to address the division of assets.»
«Before we start,» Marcus’s lawyer interrupted, «I want to make sure we’re all on the same page about the community property in question. My client has provided me with documentation showing that Mrs. Williams’s mother passed away recently and left an estate valued at approximately $1.7 million.»
He continued, «As this inheritance was received during the marriage, it is subject to community property laws and should be split equally between both parties.»
Attorney Jackson nodded calmly. «I’m familiar with your position, Mr. Barnes. However, there are some facts about Mrs. Patterson’s estate that your client seems unaware of.»
Marcus frowned. «What facts?»
Attorney Jackson pulled out a folder and opened it slowly. «Mrs. Gloria Patterson, in her wisdom and foresight, established an inheritance protection trust six months before her passing. Every asset she left to her daughter was placed into this trust with very specific terms.»
«So,» Marcus’s lawyer said, «trusts can still be considered community property depending on how they’re structured.»
«Not this one,» Attorney Jackson said, and his voice had an edge to it now. «This trust was specifically designed to protect Mrs. Shanice Williams’s inheritance from any claims by her spouse in the event of a divorce. It is an irrevocable trust with Mrs. Williams as the sole beneficiary.»
He tapped the paper. «According to Texas law, and I have the case law right here if you’d like to review it, assets placed in such a trust prior to the knowledge of divorce proceedings are considered separate property and are not subject to division.»