Chapter 14 - The Meeting
I almost refused.
Rachel recommended that I refuse.
Dad refused to give an opinion.
That was how careful he had become about letting me choose.
Eventually, I agreed to a controlled meeting at Rachel’s office.
Glass walls.
Security outside.
Attorneys present in adjoining rooms.
David entered wearing a gray suit.
No tie.
He looked tired.
For three years, I had learned to read every movement in his face.
The tightening jaw before anger.
The lowered voice before threats.
The smile he used when lying.
That smile appeared now.
“Anna.”
I said nothing.
He sat across from me.
“You look well.”
“Why am I here?”
His smile faded.
“I want this to stop.”
“It will.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“Your father is destroying me.”
“My father has said nothing publicly.”
“He doesn’t have to.”
David’s voice sharpened.
“Everyone knows who he is.”
I almost felt sorry for him.
Even now, David could not imagine consequences that were not caused by someone more powerful.
“You destroyed yourself.”
His eyes hardened.
“I loved you.”
“No.”
“I did.”
“You loved what you thought you could own.”
He looked away.
Then he tried another approach.
“My mother is lying.”
“She recorded you.”
“She manipulated the conversation.”
“Maria heard you.”
“She hates us.”
“Claire recorded Christmas.”
“She was drunk.”
I stared at him.
Every piece of evidence became someone else’s fault.
David finally exhaled.
“What do you want?”
“The truth.”
“You already have your version.”
“No.”
I leaned forward.
“I want to hear why.”
He looked at me for a long time.
Then something in his expression changed.
The performance stopped.
“I was tired of being nobody.”
The words surprised me.
He continued.
“My whole life, I watched people with family names walk into rooms I had to fight to enter.”
“And I didn’t have a family name.”
“You had money.”
“Not enough.”
“Respect.”
“Not enough.”
“Me.”
David laughed softly.
“You were supposed to be simple.”
That sentence hurt more than shouting would have.
“You had no family.”
“No connections.”
“No complications.”
He paused.
“Then I found the trust letter.”
“And suddenly I realized you had lied to me too.”
“So you tried to take it.”
His eyes met mine.
“I thought after the baby, you’d finally understand that marriage means sharing everything.”
I stood.
“This meeting is over.”
“Anna.”
I turned.
For the first time, David looked afraid.
“If I lose everything, you caused it.”
I opened the door.
May you like
“No, David.”
“You just finally ran out of people willing to carry the blame for you.”
