Chapter 7
Not because she loved me.
Perhaps some part of her thought she did.
But Sabrina understood visibility as power.
Being publicly chosen mattered to her more than being privately desired.
“You forced my hand,” I said.
“No. I removed your ability to keep two lives.”
“That isn’t your decision.”
“Apparently it wasn’t yours either.”
I ended the call.
My fingers were numb.
Ben had heard enough.
“What did she say?”
“She leaked it.”
He gave a small nod.
“No denial?”
“No.”
He looked almost relieved.
At least one uncertainty had disappeared.
My phone rang again.
The chairman.
I answered.
“Ethan, where the hell are you?”
“Home.”
“Get to the office.”
“I can’t.”
“You can and you will.”
“I need to find my wife.”
“Your wife is not currently causing lenders to call me.”
I almost laughed.
That sentence was the purest description of my life anyone had ever given me.
“I’ll be there in an hour.”
He ended the call without goodbye.
Ben’s phone vibrated.
He looked down.
Then looked at me.
“What?”
“I heard from your solicitor.”
“And?”
“Clara contacted a family lawyer this morning.”
Every part of me went still.
“Divorce?”
“Possibly. They haven’t sent documents yet.”
“And Noah?”
Ben read the message again.
“He was seen by a doctor overnight.”
I swallowed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Clara got him medical attention.”
“Is he all right?”
“I don’t know more than that.”
“Call them.”
“They won’t give us private medical information.”
“I’m his father.”
“They still won’t give me private medical information.”
I turned away.
That was the first moment I understood how completely wealth had distorted my sense of reality.
Doors opened for me.
Restaurants found tables.
Banks returned calls.
Developers moved deadlines.
People rescheduled weddings to attend my events.
If I wanted a meeting, a car, a room, an answer, I had been trained to believe wanting strongly enough was the first half of receiving it.
But there was no premium service for learning whether the son you abandoned during a fever was safe.
There was no concierge for trust.
At 8:42, my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
My heart stopped.
Noah has been seen by a doctor. His temperature is down. He is safe.
I read it twice.
Then another message appeared.
Please communicate through my solicitor from now on.
Clara.
I typed immediately.
Please tell me where you are.