Chương 6
She was coloring a blue sky.
The sky covered almost the entire page.
"That is a lot of sky."
Mia looked down.
"Because the sky is big."
"Fair point."
She handed him a purple crayon.
"You color."
"I am not good at this."
"You don't have to be."
The simple answer made him smile.
Children had a way of saying things adults spent years trying to learn.
He took the crayon.
For several minutes, they colored without speaking.
The silence felt different from the one in the garden.
This silence had safety inside it.
Then Mia asked quietly.
"Is Victoria leaving?"
Sylvester looked at the page.
"I don't know."
"Do you want her to?"
He paused.
That was not an easy question.
Because adults liked pretending every situation had a clean answer.
They liked heroes and villains.
Good people and bad people.
But real families were more complicated.
"I want you to be safe."
Mia nodded.
"Mommy wanted everyone to be nice."
Sylvester looked at her.
"Your mommy was a good person."
"She was funny."
A small smile appeared.
"She made funny faces."
"She did."
Sylvester remembered.
She had always hated serious family dinners.
She would make ridiculous expressions when nobody was watching.
Mia laughed softly.
"She made Grandpa laugh."
"She did."
The memory hurt.
But it was not the sharp pain from before.
It was something quieter.
Something he could hold.
Later that night, Derek returned to the property.
Not through the front entrance.
Through the side gate.
He stood outside for several minutes before walking in.
Sylvester was in the study when the knock came.
"Come in."
Derek entered.
He looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The kind of exhaustion that came from realizing your own choices were waiting for you.
"I need to talk."
Sylvester did not invite him to sit.
Derek noticed.
"I made a mistake."
"Several."
Derek looked down.
"Yeah."
The admission surprised both of them.
"I thought Victoria had everything under control."
Sylvester remained silent.
Derek rubbed his hands together.
"I know how that sounds."
"It sounds like you are explaining why you followed someone."
Derek looked up.
"I didn't think about it."
"No."
Sylvester's voice stayed calm.
"You did."
The younger man flinched.
"You made a decision."
Derek looked away.
The truth was uncomfortable because it removed the excuse of being unaware.
He wanted to say he was manipulated.
He wanted to say Victoria convinced him.
He wanted to say he had no idea.
But pieces of the past week came back.
Every time Mia became quiet.
Every time Victoria laughed at something that was not funny.
Every time he chose not to ask questions.
"I thought if I stayed on her side, things would work out."
"For you?"
Derek did not answer.
That was answer enough.
Sylvester walked to the desk.
"Why did you really help her?"
Derek sat down slowly.
"My father was never proud of me."
The confession came unexpectedly.
Sylvester listened.
"He had money. Connections. Expectations."
Derek laughed once.
A bitter sound.
"I was always the disappointing one."
He stared at the floor.
"Victoria made me feel useful."
There it was.
Not an excuse.
A wound.
"But being needed is not the same as being valued," Sylvester said.
Derek looked at him.
The words hit because they were true.
"I know."
"No."
Sylvester shook his head.
"You know now."
Derek sat in silence.
For the first time, he did not look like someone defending himself.
He looked like someone meeting himself honestly.
"I can help you."
Sylvester looked at him.
Derek immediately continued.
"I know things."
"What things?"
"Things about Victoria."
The room became quieter.
Derek reached into his jacket and placed a small envelope on the desk.
"I kept copies."
Sylvester did not touch it.
"Why?"
Derek looked toward the door.
"Because yesterday I realized something."
"What?"
His voice dropped.
"She never cared if I got hurt."
The envelope sat between them.
A small object.
A simple piece of paper.
But sometimes the smallest things carried the weight of a person's entire downfall.
Sylvester looked at it.
Then at Derek.
"Tell me everything."
Derek looked at the envelope for a long moment.
His fingers hovered above it.
Then he pushed it across the desk.
"I should have brought this sooner."
Sylvester did not open it immediately.
"Why didn't you?"
Derek looked uncomfortable.
Because the answer was not flattering.
"Because I was hoping I could fix it without admitting how bad it was."
Sylvester nodded once.
That was more honest than most people became when they were afraid.
"What is inside?"
"Copies of messages."
"Between who?"
"Victoria and someone named Alan Brooks."
Sylvester's expression changed slightly.
"Who is Alan Brooks?"
"I don't know everything."
Derek rubbed his forehead.
"But I know Victoria has been talking to him for months."
"About what?"
Derek looked toward the window.
"The house."
The word felt heavier than it should have.
Sylvester opened the envelope.
Inside were printed messages, bank statements, and handwritten notes.
Nothing looked dramatic.
Nothing looked like the kind of evidence people expected from serious problems.
But serious problems were rarely announced with obvious signs.
They appeared through small decisions.
Small lies.
Small things people hoped nobody would connect.
The first page contained a conversation.
Victoria:
"I need confirmation before I make my move."
Alan:
"You cannot rush this."
Victoria:
"I have waited long enough."
Sylvester read the next page.
Alan:
"Your position is complicated."
Victoria:
"Then make it less complicated."
He placed the papers down.
"Who is Alan Brooks?"
Derek hesitated.
"A financial consultant."
"For Victoria?"
"I think so."
"You think?"
Derek looked ashamed.
"I was not exactly investigating."
"No."
Sylvester looked at him.
"You were participating."
Derek accepted the correction.
The room stayed quiet.
Then he said something Sylvester did not expect.
"I know I deserve whatever happens."
Sylvester leaned back.
"That is not the point."
Derek looked confused.
"What?"
"Guilt can be useful."
Sylvester tapped the papers.
"But sometimes people hide inside it."
May you like
Derek said nothing.
"If you spend all your energy punishing yourself, you never have to do the harder thing."
