Chapter 10 - THE PRICE OF HIS SILENCEAndrew requested a formal meeting with prosecutors.
He offered information about Margaret.
In exchange, he wanted immunity.
They refused.
He lowered his demand.
Reduced charges.
They refused again.
Finally, he agreed to speak without guarantees.
I did not attend the interview.
But Gabriel received a summary.
Andrew admitted authorizing improper transfers.
He admitted giving Victor confidential company information.
He admitted knowing Brenda before the night he introduced her as a charity consultant.
Then he revealed why he slapped me.
It was not only anger.
Margaret had told him police were already outside.
She said if he forced me to confess publicly, the theft allegation would appear credible.
Andrew believed a confession would activate the criminal-conduct clause in our agreement.
He had ordered me to kneel because Margaret instructed him to break my resistance.
I sat very still while Gabriel explained.
“He knew they were framing you?” I asked.
“He claims he believed the necklace had been placed in your bag after being found in your room.”
“That makes no sense.”
“No.”
“He wanted to believe it.”
“Yes.”
Because believing I was a thief protected his pride.
If I was guilty, his betrayal became justified.
If I was worthless, his cruelty became reasonable.
Andrew had never needed proof.
He needed permission.
Later that day, he came to my attorney’s office to sign preliminary divorce documents.
His criminal lawyer accompanied him.
The room felt colder when he entered.
He sat across from me.
“I told them everything,” he said.
“You told them what they could prove.”
“That is not fair.”
“Fairness ended when you struck me.”
He looked at the table.
“I keep remembering that night.”
“So do I.”
“I do not know why I did it.”
“Yes, you do.”
“My mother…”
“Do not blame her for your hand.”
His mouth closed.
“I was ashamed,” he said.
“Of what?”
“That you were stronger than me.”
The honesty surprised me.
He continued.
“Every time the company survived something I could not fix, you fixed it.”
“And you resented me.”
“I told myself I was protecting you from pressure.”
“But?”
“But I was taking credit.”
He looked toward the window.
“When Brenda admired me, I felt like the man I pretended to be.”
“And when I questioned you?”
“You reminded me I was pretending.”
For the first time, Andrew described himself accurately.
It changed nothing.
“I am sorry,” he said.
The words hung between us.
For years, I imagined hearing them.
Now they felt too small.
“Are you sorry you hurt me?”
“Yes.”
“Or sorry the world saw who you were?”
He did not answer quickly enough.
I signed the divorce petition.
Andrew watched my pen move.
“Is there any chance?”
“No.”
“What if I change?”
“Then change.”
I closed the folder.
“But do it without expecting me as a reward.”
His eyes filled with tears.
I felt grief.
Not for the marriage we had.
For the one I had believed we could have.
As I stood, Andrew said, “I never wanted your fortune.”
“No.”
I looked down at him.
“You wanted the life it created.”
Then I walked out.
Outside, Gabriel handed me a new report.
Victor Kane had fled the country.
His private jet landed in Switzerland.
The same country holding the secret accounts.
He was not running blindly.
He was going to retrieve something.
Or destroy it.
My father’s investigators were already moving.
But Victor had one advantage.
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He knew where Margaret’s money was hidden.
And according to the account records, nearly thirty million dollars had disappeared that morning.
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