Chapter 7 - Brooke’s Choice
Brooke called Audrey two weeks later.
Her voice sounded exhausted.
“The apartment is too small.”
“It has three bedrooms.”
“It isn’t the mansion.”
“No.”
“Gavin says you froze his company card.”
“He no longer works for the company.”
Brooke became quiet.
“What are we supposed to do?”
“Gavin can find a job.”
“He says no one will hire him because of the investigation.”
“That is a consequence of his decisions.”
Brooke began to cry.
For most of Audrey’s life, Brooke’s tears had ended every disagreement. Their parents rushed to comfort her. Teachers gave her extra chances. Audrey completed the tasks Brooke abandoned.
This time, Audrey remained silent.
“I just had a baby,” Brooke said.
“And I made sure you have housing, medical care, food, and transportation.”
“You took everything else.”
“The money you received came from a trust. It was not an unlimited reward for betraying the trustee.”
“You sound like Grandmother.”
Audrey looked toward the framed photograph on her desk.
“Maybe I finally listened to her.”
Brooke’s voice sharpened.
“Gavin says you are trying to turn us against each other.”
“I don’t need to.”
“What does that mean?”
Audrey opened a copy of the financial report.
“Ask Gavin about the apartment he rented under another woman’s name three months before your baby was born.”
Silence.
“You’re lying.”
“I sent the documents to your attorney.”
Gavin had not only betrayed Audrey with Brooke.
During Brooke’s pregnancy, he had also maintained contact with a former colleague named Natalie. The recovered messages suggested he was preparing another escape in case the relationship with Brooke became inconvenient.
Audrey had discovered the account during the forensic audit.
She took no pleasure in telling Brooke.
But she would not protect Gavin’s lies anymore.
Brooke ended the call.
That evening, she appeared at Audrey’s door alone.
Her face was pale.
“Did you know the whole time?” Brooke asked.
“I learned last week.”
“He said Natalie was a client.”
“He said you were a consultant.”
Brooke sat on the porch step.
For the first time, she looked less like Audrey’s enemy and more like someone awakening inside the ruins of her own choices.
“I thought he chose me,” Brooke whispered.
“He chose whatever benefited him.”
Brooke covered her face.
Audrey did not invite her inside.
But she brought out a blanket and placed it beside her.
“I’m sorry,” Brooke said after several minutes.
Audrey looked at the dark garden.
“Are you sorry you hurt me, or sorry he hurt you?”
Brooke had no answer.
May you like
“That is something you need to understand before we can speak again,” Audrey said.
She closed the door gently.
