Chương 7
The thought made something inside me hurt.
"You knew all these people?"
She looked away.
"I knew enough."
Mr. Graves touched the folder.
"Elena discovered financial records that didn't make sense."
My mother nodded.
"Money was being moved between companies."
"By Victor?"
"Yes."
Mr. Graves leaned forward.
"But when she tried to report it, nobody listened."
My mother looked at him.
"You didn't listen."
The accusation landed.
He accepted it.
"I was trying to protect the company."
"You were trying to protect your father's reputation."
"I thought I could handle it."
"And while you were handling it, Victor destroyed evidence."
Mr. Graves looked down.
I watched his face.
This was not a story he liked telling.
Maybe because he was not the hero.
Maybe because he was not even close.
"What does this have to do with me?"
My mother's eyes filled.
"Everything."
I waited.
She looked at Mr. Graves.
Then back at me.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I was already afraid."
"Why?"
"Because Victor knew about us."
My eyebrows tightened.
"About you and him?"
She nodded.
"About me and Nathaniel."
I looked at Mr. Graves.
He looked away.
"I was afraid he would use you against us."
"Use me how?"
Nobody answered.
My mother took a breath.
"After you were born, there was an incident."
The word sounded too small.
Incident.
Like someone spilling coffee.
"What incident?"
Mr. Graves spoke quietly.
"There was a car accident."
My mother looked at him.
"That is not what happened."
The room went still.
He stopped.
"What do you mean?"
She looked at him with an expression I had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Betrayal.
"You really believed that?"
His face changed.
"I was told—"
"Exactly."
She leaned forward.
"You were told."
The sentence hung there.
Mr. Graves looked suddenly uncertain.
"What are you saying?"
My mother reached for the folder.
Her hands shook as she opened it.
She pulled out another document.
It was older.
The paper was yellowed.
She placed it in front of him.
"I found this three years ago."
He picked it up.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
I watched the color leave his face.
"What is it?" I asked.
He did not answer.
My mother did.
"A report."
"About what?"
Her voice became barely audible.
"The day Nathaniel was told we died."
My heart stopped.
"We?"
She looked at me.
"You and me."
I stared at her.
"What?"
She nodded.
"The accident report said our car went off the road."
My fingers curled around the edge of the chair.
"But you are alive."
"Yes."
"And I am alive."
"Yes."
"Then who died?"
Nobody spoke.
The silence answered before they did.
Mr. Graves looked at the report again.
His hands were shaking now.
"Elena."
She looked at him.
"You were supposed to believe we were gone."
The room felt cold.
"Why?"
My mother looked at me.
And when she answered, her voice broke.
"Because someone wanted you both to disappear."
A knock came from the door again.
This time nobody moved.
The door opened slightly.
A security guard looked inside.
"Mr. Graves."
He swallowed.
"There is someone downstairs asking for Ruby Ellis."
Mr. Graves stood immediately.
"Who?"
The guard hesitated.
Then said the name.
"Victor Hale."
The name echoed through the conference room.
Victor Hale.
My mother immediately stood.
"No."
It was barely a whisper.
But everyone heard it.
Mr. Graves moved toward the door.
"Keep him downstairs."
The security guard nodded.
"He said he wants to speak with Ruby."
My mother grabbed my arm.
"No."
Her fingers tightened around my sleeve.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough to tell me she was scared.
I had seen my mother worried before.
I had seen her count bills at the kitchen table.
I had seen her stare at overdue notices.
I had seen her sit in silence after a bad day at work.
This was different.
This was the first time I saw my mother afraid of a person.
"Why does he want me?" I asked.
She did not answer.
Mr. Graves did.
"Because he knows you matter."
I looked at him.
"That is not an answer."
He nodded slowly.
"You are right."
The fact that he admitted it made me more nervous.
He walked toward the door.
"Ruby stays here."
My mother stepped in front of him.
"No."
He stopped.
"What?"
"You don't get to decide that."
His face hardened slightly.
"Elena, he is dangerous."
"And you weren't?"
The words hit him.
He did not respond.
My mother looked away first.
The room became quiet again.
I was starting to understand that adults carried entire histories inside the spaces between their sentences.
Things they never said.
Things they hoped nobody noticed.
The security guard remained at the door.
"Mr. Graves, what should I tell him?"
Nobody answered.
Then I spoke.
"Let him come up."
Both adults turned toward me.
My mother immediately shook her head.
"No."
"I need to know."
"Ruby."
"I need to know why everyone keeps deciding what I can handle."
My voice sounded stronger than I felt.
Inside, I wanted to run.
I wanted to go home.
I wanted my mother to make dinner and complain about the broken sink and ask me about school.
I wanted my life back.
But that life was gone.
Maybe it had been gone for years.
Mr. Graves looked at me.
Then at my mother.
Then he nodded.
"Bring him up."
My mother closed her eyes.
"You are making a mistake."
"Maybe."
He looked at the door.
"But hiding has not protected us."
The guard left.
The three of us waited.
Waiting was the worst part.
Nobody spoke.
My mother sat beside me.
For once, she did not try to comfort me.
Maybe she knew I would not accept it.
Maybe she was too tired.
She reached into her purse and pulled out a small tissue.
She folded it once.
Then again.
Then again.
May you like
I remembered that habit.
She did it whenever she was nervous.
