Chapter 6 - THE WRONG KIND OF SILENCE
“Answer him,” I said.
Dad rubbed one hand over his mouth.
“My office sent me the proposal. I knew the letter wasn’t ours. I told our attorney to contact Roland.”
“And you called me?”
“Twice. Then I got a message asking me not to interfere.”
“From my phone?”
He nodded.
Roland folded his arms.
“She was overwhelmed.”
I didn’t look at him.
“What else?” I asked Dad.
“I asked Roland to correct what he’d told people.”
“You gave him time.”
“Yes.”
“Because he was my husband.”
“Yes.”
The answer hurt more because Dad didn’t try to make it prettier.
“I thought exposing him days before you gave birth would hurt you,” he said. “I convinced myself I was protecting your peace.”
“So everybody decided what I could handle.”
Dad lowered his eyes.
“Yes.”
Roland spread his hands.
“Exactly. We all made mistakes.”
“No,” I said.
He stopped.
“My father made a bad decision about telling me the truth. You created the lie.”
Mrs. Alvarez brought Wren downstairs.
Roland’s whole face softened when he saw her.
That hurt too.
He loved our daughter. I believed that.
I also knew love had not stopped him from draining the account meant to keep her safe.
He held her for twenty minutes while Maya and I sat nearby.
He kissed her forehead.
“Daddy misses you.”
I wanted to scream that he had left six hours before I did.
Instead, I watched his hands.
Steady. Gentle.
The contradiction made me tired.
Before leaving, he turned to Dad.
“If this gets ugly, you helped make it ugly.”
Dad didn’t answer.
After the door closed, he sat beside me.
“You’re allowed to be angry with me.”
“I am.”
“I know.”
“Don’t fix this by taking over.”
He nodded once.
“Tell me how to help.”
“Ask me before you decide.”
“I will.”
That evening, Faye sent the loan paperwork and a copy of the forged funding letter.
Maya asked for the original emails too.
Then she called me from the dining room.
“Simone, there’s something you need to see.”
The forwarded thread included a message Roland had sent Celeste.
Faye needs reassurance before she signs. Can you help me word it?
Celeste’s reply was short.
Use her father’s office letterhead. People relax when something looks official.
I read it standing beside Wren’s bassinet.
Then I scrolled down.
May you like
There was another line.
And keep Simone out of it until after the baby. She’ll only make trouble.
