My stomach dropped.

A cold sensation spread from my chest down to my fingertips.

I turned my head slightly, trying to find Derek’s eyes.

Derek was looking down at his worn sneakers, his shoulders hunched.

He wouldn’t look at me.

“Derek,” I whispered.

He didn’t move. He just gripped the strap of his backpack tighter.

“We have also filed an emergency motion to freeze all assets tied to the building’s operating account,” Vance said, handing the papers toward me.

I didn’t reach for them.

The papers hovered between us in the dusty air of the hallway.

“As of nine o’clock yesterday morning, you no longer have access to those funds,” Vance said.

“This is my husband’s building,” I said, my voice rising. “We are married. That makes this my property too.”

“The Morrison Garden Apartments were acquired by Carl thirty years before your marriage,” Vance said.

“Under state law, it is classified as separate non-marital property.”

Mr. Alvarez let out a short, dry laugh from his doorway down the hall.

“Keep quiet, Alvarez,” Jake snarled, pointing a thick finger at him.

“Jake, don’t,” Derek said softly.