Chapter 11 - THE FIRST MEETING
The charity gala in Boston had never been an accident.
Elena remembered dropping her program.
Julian picking it up.
His easy smile.
“You look like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
She had thought he understood her.
Now she wondered how long he had rehearsed.
Nora studied the photocopy.
“This tells us he knew your connection. We need more before we claim a larger plan.”
Elena nodded.
She was learning the difference between knowing something in her bones and proving it to someone who had never met Julian.
The proof began with an old email account.
Tessa remembered helping Elena set it up before the wedding. They recovered access from Elena’s laptop, which Rosa had brought from the house.
There were messages Julian had forwarded to her when they were newly engaged.
Venue proposals.
Travel schedules.
One contained a forgotten attachment: a spreadsheet of guest contacts.
Hidden among the tabs was a page labeled Prospects.
Elena’s name appeared near the top.
Mother’s trust.
Only child.
Estranged father.
Property assets.
Nora’s face changed.
Below Elena were other women.
Some names crossed out.
Some marked unavailable.
One entry included a photograph of Chloe.
Not as a prospect.
As a contact.
“They knew each other before me,” Elena said.
Gabriel stood behind her chair.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Detective Ortiz returned the next day.
Investigators had spoken to the notary whose stamp appeared on the disputed documents. He denied meeting Elena.
His journal did not contain the transaction.
Meanwhile, Bell’s office could produce no intake form, appointment record, or consent signed by her.
The walls around Julian’s story were starting to crack.
Then Chloe called.
Elena stared at the screen.
Nora nodded toward the speaker button.
“You don’t owe her a conversation.”
Elena answered anyway.
“What?”
Chloe’s voice had lost its polished sweetness.
“I didn’t know how far he was going.”
“You kicked flowers at me while I was having contractions.”
Silence.
“I know.”
“Then don’t start with what you didn’t know.”
A shaky breath.
“He’s leaving.”
Nora picked up a pen.
“When?”
“Friday. He has money moved already.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because he booked one ticket.”
Elena closed her eyes.
Even now, Chloe’s conscience had arrived carrying a suitcase.
“What do you want?”
“A lawyer. Protection. I can give you the originals.”
“What originals?”
“The forms he practiced your signature on.”
A door slammed somewhere near Chloe.
May you like
Her voice dropped.
“And the contract he made me sign before he ever met you.”
