Amber Demands Answers About Co-Parenting Surprise — Then A Hidden Document Reveals Jamal’s True Motive
Chapter 4 — The Missing Joint Funds — Then Jamal Admits Where The Deposit Came From
Amber stared at the banking alert flashing on the screen of her own phone resting beside the mail stack.
The notification was crisp and unmistakable.
A transfer of five thousand dollars had just been executed from their shared college savings account.
The timestamp on the transaction read ten minutes ago.
Amber slowly raised her head to look back across the wooden countertop at Jamal.
“What is this?” Amber asked.
She angled the glowing screen so the digits were clearly visible to him.
“You pulled five thousand dollars out of Leo’s college fund?”
Jamal refused to meet her eyes.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers tapping a rapid, nervous rhythm against his knee.
“It was just a temporary bridge,” Jamal muttered defensively.
“The academy required an immediate registration deposit to hold his spot in the program.”
“That money was locked away for Leo’s university tuition,” Amber said, her voice shaking with disbelief.
“You didn’t just bypass me on the school enrollment. You robbed our son’s future savings without my consent.”
“I was going to put it back,” Jamal insisted, finally looking up with a tight, frustrated grimace.
“Once my quarterly bonus clears next month, I was going to replace every cent before you even noticed.”
“You thought I wouldn’t check the savings ledger until next quarter,” Amber said, finishing his thought with absolute clarity.
“You calculated everything down to the timeline, thinking you could sneak the deposit through while I was distracted with work and household bills.”
Jamal didn’t answer.
He clamped his mouth shut and looked away toward the window.
The silence in the bright kitchen grew suffocating.
Amber scrolled down through the bank app, looking at the recipient details of the wire transfer.
The funds hadn’t gone to a generic holding account.
They had been paid directly to the private academy’s primary operating fund.
Before Amber could demand the account statements to check for any other unauthorized withdrawals, a harsh sound tore through the quiet air.
Jamal’s smartphone, sitting face-up on the edge of the kitchen table, lit up with a blinding flash.
The device began vibrating violently against the wooden surface.
A high-pitched notification chime signaled an incoming video call.
Jamal’s hand shot out instantly toward the screen.
