Emma Meets Rebecca Sloan
My hands still trembled as I stepped into Rebecca Sloan’s cramped office, the smell of stale coffee mixing with the faint scent of legal paper.
“Sit,” she said, sliding a chair back. “First thing—pull your credit report. I need the full picture.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of the suitcase at my feet, the bruises on my cheek still fresh.
She handed me a glossy form, her eyes soft but sharp. “You’ll know everything once you see it.”
At home, I logged onto the credit bureau’s site, heart thudding louder than the keyboard clicks.
The report loaded. My name, address, and a line that made my stomach drop:
Second Mortgage – $29,800 – 123 Maple Street Townhouse – Jan 2023
I stared at the numbers, the amount I never remembered signing for.
“What the—?” I whispered, fingers brushing the edge of the page, as if the ink might dissolve.
Rebecca’s voice crackled through the phone later, “Emma, that loan is tied to the townhouse you live in. It’s a second mortgage.”
My mind whirled. The house I thought was mine—now a debt I never took.
She paused, then said, “You need to act fast. The bank’s foreclosure timeline is only a few weeks.”
The words hit like a cold wind, and I felt the room spin.
Rebecca’s Revelation and Nathan’s Denial
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