Chapter 9 - 3:47 P.M.
At 3:47 p.m., Rebecca got a temporary restraining order freezing disputed transfers.
At 3:51, it reached Briar Capital.
At 3:53, Dominic tried to draw $1.2 million.
Denied.
At 3:55, he called me.
“You froze my company.”
“No. A judge froze disputed assets.”
“You know what that means?”
“Yes.”
“Twenty-seven employees could lose their jobs.”
That hit me.
Because for the first time, there were innocent people beyond Leo.
“What happens to them?” I asked Rebecca.
Dominic heard me.
“Exactly! You don’t even understand what you’ve done.”
Rebecca wrote on her pad.
DO NOT ACCEPT HIS FRAME.
I took a breath.
“Your employees are your responsibility.”
“You’re vindictive.”
“No. I’m stopping you from borrowing against assets you don’t own.”
“We’re married! They’re marital assets!”
“My grandmother’s trust isn’t.”
“Your lawyer is poisoning you.”
“No, Dominic. Paperwork is poisoning you.”
He swore.
Then his voice softened.
The old voice.
The charming one.
“Audrey.”
I closed my eyes.
“We have a baby.”
“I know.”
“You love me.”
My throat tightened.
Once, I had.
Maybe some part of me still loved the man I thought he was.
That didn’t mean that man had ever existed.
“I loved being your wife,” I said quietly.
“You still are.”
“Legally.”
“We can fix this.”
“Did you sleep with Natalie?”
Silence.
“Did you tell her we were divorcing?”
“Audrey—”
“Is her baby yours?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you have Paige sign my name?”
Longer silence.
“You don’t understand the pressure I was under.”
That was my answer.
“Goodbye, Dominic.”
“Wait.”
I ended the call.
Then I cried.
Not beautifully.
Not quietly.
I cried until my incision hurt and Rebecca made me sit down.
Dad stayed on the other side of the room.
He didn’t tell me Dominic didn’t deserve my tears.
He knew grief didn’t work that way.
Eventually I whispered, “How did I miss this?”
Dad came closer.
“You were busy believing the person you loved.”
“I should’ve known.”
“Maybe.”
I looked up.
That wasn’t the answer I expected.
Dad sat across from me.
“People will tell you none of this is your fault because they think that helps.”
I waited.
“It is not your responsibility that he deceived you. But there may be things you ignored. Learn from them. Don’t use them to punish yourself.”
I wiped my face.
“Military wisdom?”
“Divorced-father wisdom.”
I laughed weakly.
Then Rebecca’s phone rang.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
“Understood.”
She hung up.
“What?”
“Dominic’s office was emptied forty minutes ago.”
“By who?”
“Dominic.”
Martin checked his laptop.
“His company server is offline.”
Rebecca stood.
“He’s destroying records.”
Dad shook his head.
“Or running.”
My phone buzzed.
A photograph from Natalie.
Dominic standing outside her apartment building.
Caption:
He’s here.
Then another message appeared.
May you like
He says he wants the folder back.
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