Chapter 12 - The Last Time He Called Me His Wife
Eric looked smaller than I remembered.
Not physically.
He was still tall.
Still handsome.
Still wore expensive suits.
But something essential had changed.
The confidence he carried like a second skin had disappeared.
We sat across from each other in a conference room with our attorneys present.
Eric stared at me.
“Claire.”
I nodded.
“Eric.”
His eyes filled.
“You look well.”
I almost laughed.
Of all the things he could say.
Ten years of marriage.
Three years of sleeping with my sister.
Years of hidden financial activity.
Documents bearing signatures that weren't mine.
A public humiliation designed to pressure me into a false confession.
And he wanted to compliment my appearance.
Rebecca began outlining the civil issues.
The disputed property claims.
The unauthorized transactions.
The documents requiring examination.
Eric's attorney responded.
For several minutes, the discussion remained professional.
Then Eric leaned forward.
“Can I speak to Claire directly?”
His attorney hesitated.
Rebecca looked at me.
I nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Eric took a shaky breath.
“I never wanted things to get this bad.”
I stared at him.
“Then you made an extraordinary number of decisions that pushed us here.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
He nodded.
I leaned forward.
“When did you first start using my financial information without permission?”
His attorney intervened.
“Eric isn't going to address potentially criminal allegations outside the appropriate process.”
I nodded.
“Understood.”
Eric looked frustrated.
“Claire, I loved you.”
I stared at him.
“Did you?”
He flinched.
“Of course.”
“Before our wedding?”
“Yes.”
“While you were discussing my trust with Victor?”
He looked away.
I waited.
He whispered, “It's not that simple.”
I felt a cold smile touch my face.
“It never is with you.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was trying to build something.”
“With my money.”
“I thought we'd both benefit.”
“Without asking me?”
He stopped.
I continued.
“I said no before we married.”
He looked up sharply.
I placed a copy of Raymond Pierce's memorandum on the table.
“Your accountant documented it.”
Eric stared.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he whispered, “I thought you'd change your mind.”
I nodded.
“But when I didn't, you found another way.”
He lowered his head.
I took a breath.
“Why?”
Silence.
“Eric, why wasn't my no enough?”
His face crumpled.
“I hated feeling like I needed you.”
The words hung between us.
I stared at him.
“You hated needing your wife?”
He nodded.
“I wanted to be successful.”
“I supported you.”
“I know.”
“I encouraged you.”
“I know.”
“I paid for your training courses and celebrated every promotion.”
Tears slid down his cheeks.
“I know.”
I felt my own eyes burn.
“Then why did you treat me like an obstacle?”
Eric covered his face.
For a long time, he didn't answer.
Finally, he whispered, “Because you didn't need me the way I needed you.”
I sat back.
There it was.
A lifetime of insecurity compressed into one sentence.
Eric hadn't been angry because I didn't love him enough.
He was angry because I could survive without him.
I looked at him.
“I wanted a partner, Eric.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“Not somebody richer than me.”
Another nod.
“Not somebody more powerful.”
He wiped his eyes.
“I know.”
“I just wanted somebody honest.”
His shoulders began shaking.
I waited.
Then asked the question I'd carried for months.
“Did you ever plan to leave me for Natalie?”
He looked up.
“No.”
I stared.
He continued.
“I told her what she wanted to hear.”
My stomach tightened.
“And the pregnancy announcement?”
He looked toward his attorney.
His attorney raised a hand.
“We shouldn't discuss the details of that allegation here.”
I nodded.
But the answer was already clear.
Eric had been willing to destroy my relationship with my sister.
And Natalie's hopes.
To protect himself.
I looked at him.
“You were going to reconcile with me after the party.”
His face changed.
He said nothing.
“You were going to tell me we could save the marriage.”
He stared at the table.
“Then you were going to ask me to sign that statement.”
A tear rolled down his cheek.
I felt something inside me go still.
For months, I'd imagined this confrontation.
I thought I'd scream.
Throw accusations.
Demand he explain every lie.
Instead, I felt tired.
Very tired.
I sat back.
“I loved you.”
He began crying harder.
“I know.”
I shook my head.
“No, Eric. I don't think you do.”
I looked at him.
“I loved you when you had nothing.”
His eyes lifted.
“I loved you when your business struggled.”
He covered his mouth.
“I loved you when you came home angry because somebody else had more money.”
My voice cracked.
“I never needed you to impress me.”
I took a breath.
“I needed you to stop making me pay for your shame.”
He stared at me.
Then whispered, “I'm sorry.”
I nodded.
The words mattered.
But they couldn't change what he'd done.
Our attorneys returned to the legal discussion.
No settlement was reached.
Eric's proposal still included language suggesting I had knowledge of Harbor Point's financial arrangements.
I refused.
Not angrily.
Not dramatically.
Simply because it wasn't true.
When the meeting ended, I stood.
Eric rose too.
“Claire?”
I stopped.
“I really thought we'd grow old together.”
My throat tightened.
“So did I.”
He stepped toward me.
“Can you ever forgive me?”
I looked at the man I'd married.
For a moment, I remembered the chapel.
The vows.
The way he'd cried when I walked down the aisle.
Then I remembered the nursery wall.
The forged documents.
The microphone.
And my sister standing beneath the chandeliers.
“I don't know,” I said.
His face fell.
I continued.
“But forgiveness isn't a contract you get to negotiate.”
He looked down.
I turned toward the door.
Then he whispered, “You're still my wife.”
I stopped.
For years, those words had been his strongest argument.
You're my wife.
As though marriage meant I owed him endless loyalty no matter what he did.
I looked back.
“Not for much longer.”
Then I walked out.
In the hallway, Rebecca touched my shoulder.
“You did well.”
I shook my head.
“I don't feel strong.”
She smiled sadly.
“You don't have to feel strong to make the right decision.”
I nodded.
As we reached the elevator, my phone vibrated.
A message from Natalie.
I gave my attorney the full statement.
Another arrived.
I told them about the documents before the wedding.
Then a third.
I told them how Eric and Victor planned the anniversary.
I stared at the screen.
For the first time, Natalie was choosing to tell the truth without demanding that I save her from it.
Then another message appeared.
Claire, there's something important about the night before the party.
I closed my eyes.
I was so tired of secrets.
But this one would become the piece that finally exposed the plan.
Because Natalie wasn't going to tell me about another affair.
Or another payment.
May you like
She was going to identify who sent the threats.
And why the original ledger had to be recovered before midnight.
