Chapter 13 - THE TRUTH I WOULD TELL MYSELF
“I heard the recording,” Adrien said.
“Did you teach her that line about my father?”
“No.”
“Did you say it to me?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
“Then she didn’t have to learn much.”
His breathing sounded uneven.
“I’m sorry.”
I closed my eyes.
There had been a time when I wanted him to hurt enough to understand me.
Now I just wanted my life to stop depending on whether he understood.
“Your apology doesn’t answer the papers.”
“I’ve told the investigators I instructed my office to send the summary.”
“And the transfer signature?”
“I didn’t sign your name.”
“Someone did.”
“I’ve told them to examine the originals and the files.”
“You don’t get credit for allowing an investigation you tried to avoid.”
“I know.”
This time, he said it without defending himself.
Naomi had been preparing my divorce petition.
Before it was filed, she asked whether there was anything that would affect the paperwork.
I told her about the pregnancy.
She didn’t look surprised.
She just set down her pen.
“We’ll protect your privacy. We also need to handle the required disclosures accurately.”
I nodded.
I had left without telling him.
I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life arranging secrets around him.
I chose to tell him myself, with Naomi present.
He arrived at her office that afternoon.
I kept the ultrasound in my bag.
“I’m pregnant,” I said.
He stopped breathing for a moment.
Then he leaned forward.
“What?”
“I was five weeks pregnant on our anniversary.”
His eyes went to my stomach.
“The cake.”
“Yes.”
He pressed his palm over his mouth.
I watched the truth reach him.
The dinner.
The dress.
The untouched wine.
All the things he had walked past.
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m receiving care. There’s a heartbeat.”
He started crying.
Quietly.
It hurt to see.
It didn’t change what had happened.
“Come home,” he whispered.
“No.”
“I’ll change.”
“You need to do that whether I come home or not.”
He looked at Naomi.
She remained still.
“This doesn’t stop the divorce,” I said.
He nodded, but I could see how badly he wanted to bargain.
Then he caught himself.
“What are you asking me to do?”
“Respect my decisions. Tell the truth. Stop letting your people contact my tenants.”
“I will.”
That evening, Naomi received an urgent message from Cole Group’s outside counsel.
May you like
The board meeting had been moved forward.
Adrien’s future would be decided in forty-eight hours.
