My Wife Just Died Of Alzheimer’s. Two Weeks Later, My Daughter Sued Me For $3.2 Million To Pay Off Her Fiancé’s Debts. How Do I Stop This Nightmare?

“Charleston PD is on the way! Stay where you are!” Curtis had yelled. Lucian froze, caught completely.

“Mr. Sinclair,” Detective Hayes said. “Do you have anything to say?” He asked. Lucian’s legal instincts kicked in despite his situation.

“I want my attorney,” Lucian replied. “That’s your right. But you were recorded on camera inside someone else’s home, holding their property,” Hayes noted.

Hayes turned to Curtis. “Officer Porter, you said Ms. Hartley is staying elsewhere, correct? I’ll contact her. She’ll need to give a statement,” He said. “Mr. Sinclair, please stand up,” He added.

An officer helped Lucian to his feet and led him toward the door. As he passed me, Lucian stopped. “This isn’t over,” He whispered viciously. I met his eyes, surprising myself with my calmness.

“Yes it is. It’s over,” I replied. They took him to the patrol car. Detective Hayes approached me.

“Mr. Merik, we’ll need your statement too and contact information for Mr. Blackwell. The district attorney will want to coordinate,” He explained. I gave him Malcolm’s information.

“Mr. Sinclair’s phone was seized during arrest. With permission or a search warrant, that phone could illuminate quite a bit,” Hayes noted. Curtis and I watched the patrol car drive away, red and blue lights fading into the pre-dawn darkness.

The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky pale orange. Curtis checked his phone. “Malcolm just texted. He’s on his way,” He said.

“Curtis, how did you know to watch June’s house?” I asked. “I didn’t know for sure. But I know how desperate people think. They’re running out of moves. June’s evidence is the biggest threat to them. It was logical,” He explained.

“Thank you for being paranoid,” I said. Curtis smiled. “25 years as a cop… paranoia kept me alive,” He replied.

Malcolm arrived 15 minutes later looking like he’d dressed while driving. He spoke with Detective Hayes, got the details, then joined Curtis and me. “The DA is going to want this case badly. Breaking and entering, evidence tampering in an active lawsuit… Lucian’s looking at felony charges,” He assessed.

“And his phone?” Malcolm continued. “Curtis, tell me there’s a way to—” He started. “Already asked. Hayes is getting a search warrant. With circumstances like this, a judge will sign it this morning,” Curtis replied.

Malcolm looked at me. “This changes everything. Lucian’s arrest gives us leverage. And his phone… phones don’t lie. They keep everything,” He stated. I looked at June’s house, crime scene tape being strung up, and the sunrise painting the sky gold and pink.

I thought about Lucian in that patrol car, desperate enough to break into someone’s home. Malcolm was right; desperate people make mistakes, and Lucian had just made a big one. But I couldn’t shake the feeling: what would Lillian do when she found out?.

The Confession in the Coffee Shop

The next morning, Malcolm and I met Dr. Monroe at a coffee shop on King Street, somewhere public and neutral. She was already seated at a corner table when we arrived. I barely recognized her.

Doctor Monroe looked like she hadn’t slept: no makeup, hair pulled back hastily, expensive clothes wrinkled, and hands trembling as she gripped her coffee cup. Malcolm set his briefcase down. “Dr. Monroe, thank you for meeting us. You understand I’m recording this?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yes. I want everything documented. I need it documented,” She replied. “This is Malcolm Blackwell, attorney for Clayton Merik, meeting with Dr. Simone Monroe on May 28th, 2024,” Malcolm continued with the full legal recording preamble.

I sat across from the woman who’d destroyed my case, feeling conflicted and angry, but also seeing the desperation in her eyes. I couldn’t stay silent. “Why? Why did you lie about my wife?” I asked.

Dr. Monroe’s face crumpled and tears started falling. “I’m so sorry. I was—I was drowning,” She said, taking a shaky breath. “I’m $200,000 in debt. Student loans from medical school, divorce settlement, alimony. I have two kids in college. I was working 18-hour days and still falling behind,” She explained.

Malcolm leaned forward. “When did Lillian Merrick approach you?” He asked. “Last April. Three weeks before the preliminary hearing. She came to my office for a private consultation,” She answered.

Dr. Monroe described the meeting: Lillian, professional and calm, making it sound like a business arrangement. “She offered 50,000 upfront, 50,000 after successful testimony, plus a long-term consulting contract with her firm,” She detailed. Her voice dropped.

“All I had to do was testify that Josephine Merrick was completely incapacitated during the final 18 months of her life. That any wishes she expressed were medically meaningless,” She confessed. “Did you believe that was medically accurate?” Malcolm asked.

Dr. Monroe shook her head. “No. Josephine had moderate to advanced Alzheimer’s, yes, but she had lucid periods. Sometimes days, sometimes just hours, but real moments of clarity where she could understand, communicate, and make decisions,” She explained. She looked directly at me.

“I falsified my testimony. I committed perjury. I made your memories of your wife look like delusions. I’m truly sorry,” She said. My throat tightened.

“You took away the last thing I had. The moments when Joe recognized me, when she told me she loved me. You made the judge think I imagined them,” I said. “I know,” Dr. Monroe was crying openly now.

“I betrayed my oath, betrayed her memory, betrayed you,” She sobbed. Malcolm’s voice turned cold and clinical. “Why are you coming forward now?” He asked.