permitted to retain for compliance purposes, including invoice histories, approval logs, and correspondence about transactions she had personally processed.
Rachel told her not to access company systems or remove additional material.
Instead, she arranged for June to preserve what she already possessed and provide it through counsel.
Then the hospital telephone rang.
Caroline answered and listened.
When she turned toward me, her expression was serious.
‘Your husband is downstairs,’ she said.
‘He’s insisting on seeing you.’
She paused.
‘Your parents are with him.’
For one terrible moment, my body reacted before my mind could.
My heart raced.
I looked toward the door, expecting Adrian to appear.
Caroline placed a reassuring hand on the bed rail.
‘They won’t be admitted without your permission.’
I swallowed.
‘Tell security I don’t want visitors.
Please don’t give them any information about me.’
She nodded and left to confirm the restrictions.
A victim advocate arrived soon afterward.
Together we discussed safety planning, confidential contact information, temporary accommodation, and the process of seeking a protective order.
I also gave the police a detailed account of the assault.
The officer handling my report explained that medical documentation, photographs, statements, and other evidence would be reviewed.
No one promised me an immediate arrest or a particular outcome.
For once, I appreciated someone refusing to make promises they couldn’t guarantee.
That evening, my father left a voicemail.
‘Your husband is trying to save your marriage,’ he said angrily.
‘Meanwhile, you’ve destroyed our house purchase.
Call me before this becomes something you regret.’
I listened once and saved it for my attorney.
The next morning, Rachel returned with news about the corporate records.
June had supplied transaction reports showing that Cedar Vale received more than $2 million over fourteen months.
Some payments were supported by questionable invoices.
Others were tied to contracts signed by people who appeared to be connected to Adrian.
Rachel had hired a forensic accounting firm to examine the records.
One item immediately stood out.
An invoice for $240,000 had been approved on a day when I was recovering from surgery and had no access to company systems.
The authorization record nevertheless showed my name.
Another purported approval used an email address I had never created.
There were also recurring payments to a private account associated with Cedar Vale’s administrative operations.
Rachel didn’t speculate about criminal charges.
She focused on what we could prove.
‘If these approvals were fabricated, your husband may have exposed himself to serious civil and criminal liability,’ she said.
‘But we need to preserve the records and allow the investigators to establish exactly what happened.’
I asked whether we could remove my name from the business financing immediately.
Rachel explained that existing personal guarantees could not simply be erased by sending a letter.
Releasing me would require action by the lenders, repayment, refinancing, or a negotiated resolution.
However, we could dispute forged authorizations, refuse new guarantees, demand records as a shareholder, and seek court orders to protect the business from further unauthorized transfers.
We began with those steps.
Over the next week, my hospital room became the unlikely center of a complicated legal fight.
Rachel filed the appropriate civil applications seeking preservation of company records and restrictions on disputed transactions.
My independent accountants requested documents under my shareholder rights.
The bank initiated its
