The next morning, Sasha checked every message on her phone.
She found nothing.
No conversation about selling the property.
No plans to move.
No discussion with an agent.
Nothing.
“I never said it,” she told Omar again.
“I believe you.”
“Then how did she know?”
“I don't know.”
They called me.
I asked Sasha to think carefully.
“Who knew you were considering expanding the bakery?”
“No one outside us.”
“Who knew about the postnuptial agreement?”
“Omar's father. The attorney. Denise eventually.”
“And who knew the property might become valuable if the business grows?”
Sasha frowned.
“Nobody.”
That wasn't entirely true.
Derek had once asked how much the land was worth.
At the time, Sasha had dismissed the question.
Now she remembered it.
“He asked me about the acreage.”
“When?”
“Before everyone left.”
Omar looked at me.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because it seemed harmless.”
“Maybe it was.”
Sasha shook her head.
“No. He asked twice.”
The memory returned in fragments.
Derek had stood near the kitchen window, looking across the orchard.
He had asked whether the entire five acres belonged to Sasha.
She had said yes.
He had asked whether she planned to keep it.
She had laughed and told him she had no reason to leave.
At the time, nothing about the conversation seemed important.
Now it did.
Omar called Derek.
Derek answered after several rings.
“What?”
“Did you tell Mom Sasha was thinking about selling the property?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Omar's voice tightened.
“Mom said someone told her.”
Derek paused.
Then he said, “Maybe she misunderstood.”
“Did you tell anyone about the property?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Then Derek added, “Why are you interrogating me?”
“Because my wife is getting dragged into another family problem.”
“You're the one making everything complicated.”
Omar hung up.
Sasha looked at him.
“What did he mean?”
“I don't know.”
That evening, Taylor called.
She apologized before saying anything.
“I need to tell you something.”
Sasha put the call on speaker.
Taylor's voice sounded nervous.
“I heard Mom talking to Derek.”
“About what?”
“Your house.”
Sasha sat upright.
“What did they say?”
Taylor hesitated.
“Derek said he knew someone who might buy land in the area.”
Omar's face hardened.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Taylor.”
“I really don't.”
“What else?”
“He said if Sasha sold the property, she could make enough money to start her business somewhere better.”
Sasha stared at the wall.
“I never said I wanted to sell.”
“I know.”
Taylor's voice dropped.
“I think Derek has money problems.”
Omar closed his eyes.
“Why?”
“Because he borrowed from Mom.”
The pieces were beginning to fit.
Derek had seen the acreage.
He knew Sasha owned it.
He knew the land was valuable.
He had a reason to imagine a sale.
But none of that proved he was behind the rumor.
Sasha wanted to call him immediately.
I stopped her.
“Don't accuse him without evidence.”
“But—”
“You've already learned the cost of acting while angry.”
She nodded reluctantly.
Instead, Omar called his father.
His father confirmed that Derek had recently asked questions about property values in the area.
“What kind of questions?”
“Whether land prices were rising.”
“Did he say why?”
“He said he was thinking about investing.”
Omar looked at Sasha.
That sounded plausible.
Too plausible.
The following week, they discovered something else.
A real estate brochure had been left under the windshield wiper of Sasha's car.
There was no name on it.
Only a handwritten note.
You should know what this land is worth.
Sasha stared at it.
Her hands began shaking.
Omar took the paper.
“Don't touch it.”
She stepped back.
I arrived twenty minutes later.
The brochure was photographed before anyone moved it.
Omar contacted the attorney.
The attorney advised them to document every communication and avoid confronting anyone until they knew more.
Sasha hated waiting.
“I feel like someone is circling the house.”
“You don't know that,” I said.
“I know what it feels like.”
I understood.
The house had once been invaded openly.
Now the threat was invisible.
That was harder.
For several days nothing happened.
Then a letter arrived from a local real estate company.
It was addressed to Sasha.
The company claimed someone had requested a preliminary valuation of her property.
Sasha stared at the page.
“I didn't request this.”
The company confirmed that the inquiry had been made using information available from public property records.
They could not disclose who had asked.
Omar became furious.
He wanted to confront Derek.
Sasha wanted to call Denise.
I told them both to wait.
“If you start accusing everyone, whoever is actually responsible will learn exactly what you know.”
That calmed Omar.
For the first time, he looked at the problem as something that required strategy rather than emotion.
He contacted the attorney again.
They checked the property's records.
There had been no sale attempt.
No transfer.
No mortgage application.
Nothing official.
The house was still entirely secure.
But the rumor continued.
A week later, Denise sent Omar another message.
You need to sell before the market changes.
He stared at it.
Then he showed Sasha.
She felt sick.
“Why is she so interested in my house?”
Omar didn't answer.
The question had become impossible to ignore.
Then his phone rang.
It was his father.
“Derek is here,” he said.
“What does he want?”
“He says he needs to talk to you.”
Omar glanced at Sasha.
“About what?”
His father lowered his voice.
“He's asking whether you would lend him money.”
Omar's jaw tightened.
“How much?”
“Thirty thousand dollars.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“He says he has a business opportunity.”
Sasha looked at me.
Thirty thousand dollars.
Almost the amount she had once needed for the property down payment.
Omar asked his father another question.
“Did he say what business?”
“No.”
The call ended.
Omar stood.
“I think we know why he's interested in the land.”
Sasha's eyes filled with anger.
“He wants us to sell.”
“Maybe.”
“No,” she said. “He wants us to sell because he needs the money.”
Omar looked at her.
“We still don't know what he has done.”
“I know what he asked about.”
That night, Derek appeared unexpectedly at their front door.
Sasha refused to open it.
Omar stood beside her.
Derek knocked again.
“Can we talk?”
Omar opened the door only halfway.
“What do you want?”
“I need help.”
“With what?”
“My business.”
“I'm not lending you money.”
Derek looked past him.
His eyes landed on Sasha.
“I didn't ask you for money.”
“Then why are you here?”
Derek hesitated.
“Mom said you might sell the land.”
Sasha stepped closer.
“I never said that.”
Derek looked uncomfortable.
“I heard it from someone.”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
Omar's voice became quiet.
“Derek.”
His brother looked at him.
“Who told you?”
Derek finally spoke.
“An investor.”
“What investor?”
Derek's face changed.
And that was the moment Omar realized the story was much larger than a family rumor.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: Derek Finally Admitted Who Had Been Asking About the Acreage, but His Explanation Raised a More Dangerous Question About What Had Already Been Set in Motion
I Expected to Find My Daughter Resting in the House I Had Given Her, Until the Voices Inside Made Me Realize Someone Else Had Taken Charge
Part 6 of 12
