Chapter 9 - The Morning After
Christmas morning arrived beneath a pale winter sky.
Most of the guests had left before midnight. The tree still glowed, but the champagne had gone flat and the food remained untouched.
Anna sat alone beside the fireplace.
The wedding ring was still on the black folder.
James entered carrying two cups of coffee.
“I thought you might need this.”
“Thank you.”
He sat across from her but did not speak for several minutes.
Anna appreciated the silence.
Eventually, she looked toward the bundles of money.
“What happens to that?”
“It becomes evidence.”
“You never intended to give it to me.”
“No. I needed Mark to believe I could be bought. Telling you not to divorce him was the fastest way to keep him in the room.”
Anna almost smiled.
“That was a terrible explanation.”
“It was a terrible evening.”
She studied him.
“Did you know about the baby?”
“I suspected. Jessica refused a paternity test.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.”
They were two people sitting among the ruins of different marriages.
But James had risked his career and safety to expose the truth. He could have taken the money and disappeared.
“Why did you help me?” Anna asked.
“Because Mark and Jessica made choices. You deserved the chance to make yours with the truth.”
Anna looked at her father’s portrait above the fireplace.
For months, she had felt ashamed for failing to recognize Mark’s betrayal.
Now she understood that deception belonged to the deceiver.
Trust was not a crime.
She lifted the folder from the table.
“I’m going to save the company.”
May you like
James nodded.
“I believe you.”
