Chapter 5
If completed without the required approvals, the transaction could have substantially reduced the value of my trust's equity interest.
It would also have violated protections in the shareholder agreement.
“Did he know this would affect my shares?” I asked.
Rebecca folded her hands.
“The correspondence suggests that he did.”
I stared at the page.
For eight years, I had tolerated his little humiliations because I believed that somewhere beneath his arrogance was the man I had married.
The man who once brought me soup when I had the flu.
The man who held my hand at my father's funeral.
The man who promised me we would build a life together.
I had spent years explaining away the distance between that man and the one who sat across from me at dinner parties, reminding everyone that he paid for my life.
Now I wondered whether I had been defending a memory rather than a marriage.
“Can he complete the transfer?” I asked.
“Not while the contractual restrictions remain in effect. The independent review will determine the next steps. If the evidence supports a claim of breach, we can seek additional remedies.”
I nodded slowly.
“And the divorce papers?”
“Your signature acknowledged receipt of the documents. It did not constitute your agreement to the financial terms. Those terms are disputed, and your signature does not waive your rights under the existing agreements.”
For the first time since the previous evening, I felt my shoulders relax.
Carter had placed the papers beside my dinner plate because he believed humiliation would make me compliant.
He had wanted an audience.
He had wanted my signature to become a performance of his power.
Instead, he had triggered a process he could not control.
Rebecca closed the binder.
“One more thing, Evelyn.”
I looked up.
“Your husband has requested an emergency meeting with the company's board. He's claiming that you are interfering with company operations.”
I almost laughed.
“I'm not on the management team.”
“No. But you are a protected shareholder, and the agreement grants your trust specific rights. The board will need to hear from all relevant parties before making decisions.”
“When is the meeting?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
I rose and gathered my bag.
“Then I suppose I'll see them there.”
Rebecca studied me for a moment.
“Are you prepared for what happens when people discover you were never as powerless as they believed?”
I thought of Patricia laughing over her wine.