Chapter 7
"I handled that badly."
"You told me I was worthless."
"I was upset."
"You threatened to take everything while I was standing beside my father's coffin."
His face tightened.
"Eleanor, please. We have a baby coming."
I felt my daughter move.
"Yes," I said quietly. "We do."
He stepped closer.
"That's why we need to work this out."
"What happened with Sterling Crest?"
His expression changed.
"There it is."
"What?"
"Your father's people have been filling your head with nonsense."
"Answer the question."
"It's complicated."
"Then explain it."
He looked toward the door.
"Not here."
"Here is fine."
Caleb exhaled sharply.
"Some investments didn't perform the way we expected. That's all."
"Then why did you conceal your interest in one of the companies receiving payments?"
He froze.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Finally, he whispered, "Who told you that?"
And there it was.
Not a denial.
Not an explanation.
A question about how much I knew.
I felt something inside me settle.
For months, I'd been waiting for him to become the man I thought I'd married.
Standing there, I finally understood that I had been waiting for someone who did not exist.
"I've retained my own attorney," I said. "All communication about our finances and marriage will go through her."
Caleb stared.
"You're divorcing me?"
"I've decided to begin that process."
He laughed bitterly.
"You're making a huge mistake."
"Maybe," I said. "But this time, it'll be my decision."
He stepped toward me.
Grace appeared in the doorway.
"Caleb, it's time to go."
He looked at her, then back at me.
"You think you can raise my daughter without me?"
My voice trembled, but I held his gaze.
"Our daughter deserves a father who treats her mother with respect. Whether you choose to become that man is up to you."
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
And walked out.
The next morning, Vanessa called me.
I nearly ignored the unfamiliar number.
But something made me answer.
"Eleanor?"
I recognized her voice immediately.
"What do you want?"
She was crying.
Not delicate, theatrical tears.
Real tears.
"I need to tell you something."
I sat down.
"Then tell me."
"Caleb lied to me."
I closed my eyes.
"That doesn't surprise me."
"He said you two were already separated. He said your marriage existed only on paper."
I didn't respond.
"He told me your father approved of our relationship."