Chapter 18 - Phoebe's Choice
I knew at once that Phoebe would never have signed away the house without telling Emmett.
But certainty built on love was not enough to resolve a document dispute.
Naomi obtained the contract and reviewed the recorded property history.
The supposed option bore a copy of Phoebe's signature beside a date when she had been out of town at a school conference.
I still had her conference itinerary and photos from the trip.
Emmett remembered calling her that evening while she was eating takeout with colleagues.
The evidence did not by itself prove who had prepared the disputed document, but it raised a serious question about how the signature had been obtained.
Naomi asked for the original and the records surrounding its creation.
Richard's lawyer said the company would look into the matter.
Two days passed without another demand.
During that time, Emmett spoke with a counselor about how to explain the broken wedding to Margot in age-appropriate language.
He told her that adults sometimes make promises they cannot keep, and that Claire's behavior was not Margot's responsibility.
He repeated that he was her father and always would be.
Margot listened solemnly.
“Can I still like the flowers?” she asked.
“Of course,” he replied.
“Then maybe the whole wedding wasn't bad.”
I looked at my granddaughter with astonishment.
She was making room for complicated truth more gracefully than any adult at the reception.
That afternoon Claire sent Naomi a written statement admitting that she'd directed the photographer to exclude Margot and that she'd concealed the purpose of some paperwork from Emmett.
She disputed several other accusations and said her family had pressured her about the house.
Naomi told Emmett the statement might help establish facts but did not substitute for independent evidence.
The marriage itself would require a separate legal decision.
Emmett took that news quietly.
He had loved Claire, and even betrayal did not turn those two years into nothing.
When he came to my house that evening, he placed Phoebe's blue envelope on the table.
“I thought I knew what this meant,” he said.
“Now I think I missed the most important part.”
He pointed to a sentence at the bottom of the final page.
May you like
Love her well enough to notice when she grows quiet.
