Chapter 19
Vanessa was not with him.
He stood when I entered.
“Evelyn.”
“Sit down.”
He did.
I placed Meredith’s letter on the table.
His eyes moved to the envelope.
“Where did you get that?”
The question answered more than denial would have.
“You knew about it.”
Dominic leaned back slowly.
“I knew Meredith had concerns.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
“Before or after you gave me the diamond pendant?”
His face tightened.
“Those things were unrelated.”
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I never meant for this to happen.”
“What did you mean to happen?”
He looked down at his hands.
“The company was expanding. We had lenders, partners, employees, projects in progress. Your trust interest was complicated. My attorneys said the restructuring could proceed if the trustee accepted the acknowledgment.”
“My acknowledgment.”
“They told me you had signed it.”
“You never asked me.”
“I believed the document was valid.”
“Then why did Meredith write that you ignored her?”
He was silent.
The silence was not confusion. It was shame.
“I was afraid,” he said finally.
I almost laughed.
“Of what?”
“That if I brought the issue to you, you would want to become involved again.”
“I was your wife.”
“You had made it clear you didn’t want the business.”
“I didn’t want to be controlled by it. That isn’t the same as giving you permission to use my name.”
“I know that now.”
“You knew it then.”
His eyes lifted to mine.
“Yes.”
The admission sat heavily between us.
“I knew the documents needed your approval. I told myself the signature had come through the attorneys. I told myself Meredith was being overly cautious. Then the company grew, and every year it became more difficult to stop and unravel.”
“And when she died?”
“I asked Thomas to find the original file.”
“To hide it?”
“To understand what had happened.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?”
He looked away.
“Because by then I had made too many decisions without you.”
The truth was painful, but its honesty made it worse.
“You brought Vanessa to the gala,” I said.
“I did.”
“You told me our marriage was over.”
“It is.”
The answer was quiet.
“I’m not going to pretend I said those things because of the documents. I had been unhappy for a long time. So had you.”
I felt the familiar ache, but it no longer had the power to bend me.