Chapter 15 - THE LOWEST POINT
The media discovered my identity the next morning.
Not just hotel heiress.
Not just Arthur Laurent’s daughter.
Beneficiary of a family trust worth hundreds of millions.
Photographers gathered outside my father’s building.
Dominic’s financial collapse became public.
The Hale family mansion was surrounded by reporters.
Chloe’s wedding vendors demanded payment after learning several invoices had bounced.
Richard resigned from two boards.
Michael filed for annulment.
Amanda accepted immunity in exchange for cooperation.
And Eleanor was charged with fraud, conspiracy, forgery, unlawful financial exploitation, and obstruction.
The investigation into my mother’s death remained open.
But none of that felt like victory.
I sat alone in the nursery my father prepared years ago for visiting grandchildren.
My daughter kicked beneath my ribs.
I pressed my palm against the movement.
“I’m sorry.”
I did not know what I was apologizing for.
Choosing Dominic.
Ignoring warning signs.
Believing patience could turn cruelty into love.
Maybe all of it.
A soft knock came.
Dominic entered.
My father had allowed him one supervised visit.
He carried no flowers.
No gifts.
For once, he seemed to understand those things were useless.
He sat across from me.
“I filed a statement with the prosecutor.”
“I know.”
“I admitted everything.”
“I know.”
“I’m selling the house.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“To repay whatever I can.”
“That debt isn’t mine.”
“I know.”
He looked at my stomach.
“I started therapy.”
I almost smiled sadly.
“That’s good.”
“Vivienne.”
He swallowed.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me.”
“Good.”
His eyes dropped.
“But I need you to know something.”
I waited.
“I didn’t marry you for your money.”
I believed him.
Strangely, I did.
That made everything more painful.
“You married me because you loved me.”
“Yes.”
“And then you betrayed me because you were afraid.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“Yes.”
“That might be worse.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
We sat in silence.
Finally he said,
“I signed the divorce agreement Rebecca sent.”
My chest tightened.
“So fast?”
“I don’t want to fight you.”
“Our daughter?”
“I want to be her father.”
He wiped his eyes.
“But I know I haven’t earned your trust.”
For the first time since the wedding, I cried.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just tears I had been holding for days.
Dominic cried too.
Maybe in another life, love would have been enough.
In ours, it wasn’t.
He stood to leave.
Before reaching the door, he turned.
“There's something I remembered.”
“What?”
“Your mother’s patent.”
I stiffened.
“My mother never mentioned a patent.”
“My mother did.”
“When?”
“When I was a kid.”
He frowned.
“She used to say Catherine Laurent became rich from something that belonged to both of them.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know.”
Then his expression changed.
“But I remember where she kept the original papers.”
“Where?”
“At my grandmother’s house.”
“The lake house?”
“No.”
Dominic shook his head.
“The house they demolished twelve years ago.”
I felt disappointment.
Then he added,
“Except my mother saved one wall.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“She had the old fireplace moved into the Hale mansion.”
My mind returned to every Christmas dinner.
The enormous stone fireplace in Eleanor’s formal sitting room.
A decorative brass plate was mounted above it.
I had seen her touch it dozens of times.
May you like
Always when she was nervous.
And suddenly I knew exactly where we needed to look.
