Chapter 11 - WHY HE CHOSE ME
I couldn’t breathe.
Jason looked at me.
“I did love you.”
“Stop.”
“Emily—”
“Stop talking.”
My hands were shaking.
Caroline quietly pushed a glass of water toward me.
I didn’t touch it.
“You met me because Robert wanted access to my identity?”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Jason swallowed.
“He had someone look into people.”
“What people?”
“People without complicated finances.”
My stomach turned.
“People like me.”
“Yes.”
“No criminal record.”
“Yes.”
“Good credit.”
“Yes.”
“Stable job.”
“Yes.”
“No wealthy family to ask questions.”
He didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
I stared at the man I had shared a bed with for four years.
The man who had held my hand while Lily was born.
The man who used to bring me coffee on Sunday mornings.
Had any of it been real?
“You married me for Robert?”
“No.”
“You just admitted—”
“I met you because of him.”
Jason’s voice cracked.
“But I married you because I loved you.”
I laughed.
A broken sound.
“You expect that to make it better?”
“No.”
He wiped his face.
“I don’t expect anything.”
“Good.”
Jason looked at me.
“After Lily was born, I wanted out.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was scared.”
“Of Robert?”
“Yes.”
“Of prison?”
“Yes.”
“Of losing money?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
There it was.
The whole man.
Afraid.
Weak.
Greedy.
And somehow convinced that fear excused betrayal.
I stood.
“I’m done.”
Jason panicked.
“Wait.”
“No.”
“There’s something else.”
I stopped.
He reached into his jacket.
His attorney immediately said, “Jason.”
Jason ignored him.
He pulled out a small flash drive.
Robert’s attorney wasn’t there.
Only Jason’s.
Caroline’s eyes narrowed.
“What is that?”
“Insurance.”
“Against Robert?”
Jason nodded.
“I copied files.”
“When?”
“Two years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew someday he’d sacrifice me.”
Jason looked at me.
“And he will sacrifice you too.”
I almost laughed.
“He already tried.”
“No.”
His face turned serious.
“You don’t understand.”
He slid the drive across the table.
“There are recordings.”
“Of what?”
“Family meetings.”
My stomach tightened.
Jason whispered, “Including the night Diane decided how to handle you if you ever left.”
Caroline took the drive.
Jason’s attorney looked furious.
“You were advised not to do this.”
Jason stared at me.
“I should’ve done it years ago.”
We left the room.
Marcus checked the drive.
Clean.
No malware.
Then we opened the audio files.
Most were financial.
Robert giving instructions.
Diane discussing accounts.
Brooke asking questions.
Then we found a recording dated six months earlier.
The exact month I started planning my escape.
Diane’s voice came first.
“She’s getting suspicious.”
Robert answered.
“Then keep her busy.”
Jason said, “Leave Emily out of this.”
Diane laughed.
“You brought her in.”
Then Robert said something that made every hair on my body rise.
“If she leaves, we take the child.”
I froze.
Jason protested.
Robert continued.
“You make her look unstable.”
Diane said, “That won’t be hard.”
Then Brooke laughed.
May you like
And in that second, I understood the birthday dinner had not created their plan.
It had activated it.
