Chương 10
“She benefits from the apartment.”
Claire’s voice sharpened.
“I know, Thomas.”
He stopped.
Claire folded her arms.
“I am not defending Chloé.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I’m separating being cruel from committing fraud.”
Emma quietly picked up Claire’s empty coffee cup and carried it toward the kitchen.
Paul looked like he wanted to disappear into the couch.
Thomas rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’m sorry.”
Claire’s anger dropped a little.
“Stop apologizing every four minutes.”
“I don’t know what else to do.”
“That is becoming obvious.”
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message from Chloé.
Please just talk to me before you do something permanent.
Thomas read it twice.
Claire stood beside him.
“What does permanent mean?”
He typed back.
What are you afraid I’m going to do?
The reply arrived quickly.
Ruin Mom’s life.
Thomas stared at the words.
Claire watched his thumb hover over the keyboard.
He typed, Did Mom sign my name on the loan?
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then returned.
Paul stood.
“She’ll call Marie.”
Thomas looked at him.
“Probably.”
The dots vanished again.
A full minute passed.
Emma returned and leaned against the doorway.
“No answer?”
“No.”
Then the phone rang.
Chloé.
Thomas looked at Claire.
She nodded once.
He answered and put it on speaker.
“Hello.”
Chloé’s breathing came through before her voice.
“What are you doing?”
“Answer my question.”
“You’re being insane.”
“Did Mom sign my name?”
“This is exactly what Claire wanted.”
Claire’s jaw tightened.
Thomas looked at her but did not react.
“Chloé.”
“No, seriously, you’ve changed since marrying her.”
Thomas shut his eyes.
Paul looked sick.
“Did Mom sign my name?”
“You told her she could use the money.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“She has done everything for you.”
Thomas laughed once.
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“Name one thing.”
Silence.
Thomas’s face shifted.
Claire could tell he regretted asking because he already knew how childish it sounded.
Chloé answered anyway.
“She raised you.”
Thomas looked toward Paul.
“So we’re billing childhood now?”
Emma covered her mouth.
Claire shot her a look.
Chloé raised her voice.
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
“Then answer me.”
“I don’t know who physically signed it.”
Thomas went still.
Claire did too.
The wording was wrong.
Not I don’t know anything about a signature.
Not What are you talking about.
Physically signed it.
Thomas heard it.
“So you knew someone signed for me.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It is exactly what you said.”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“No.”
Thomas’s voice dropped.
“Mom taught you that sentence.”
Chloé inhaled sharply.
Paul looked away.
Thomas continued.
“When did you find out?”
“I didn’t.”
“You just said you don’t know who physically signed it.”
“Because you keep accusing Mom.”
“No, Chloé.”
Thomas sat down.
“When did you find out my signature was on your loan?”
A long silence followed.
Claire could hear a television somewhere behind Chloé.
Then a door closed.
When Chloé spoke again, her voice was quieter.
“I found out after the appointment.”
“What appointment?”
“At the lender.”
Thomas looked at Claire.
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
Paul sat down heavily.
“You were there?”
Chloé hesitated.
“Yes.”
Claire felt the room change again.
Thomas’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“Start from the beginning.”
“I don’t remember everything.”
“Try.”
Chloé exhaled.
“Mom said she had found a way to make the apartment work.”
“What did you think that meant?”
“That she was helping with the deposit.”
“And the loan?”
“She said you were helping.”
Thomas stared at the wall.
“Did she say I agreed?”
“Yes.”
“Did you speak to me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she said you didn’t want Claire involved.”
Claire felt something cold move through her.
Thomas looked at her immediately.
Chloé continued.
“She said the money came from your grandfather and that you considered it family money, but Claire would make a problem if she knew how much you were helping.”
Thomas’s face went red.
“That never happened.”
“I know that now.”
The words came quickly.
Too quickly.
Thomas leaned forward.
“When did you know?”
Chloé started crying.
Not loudly.
It sounded like she was trying very hard not to.
“After the appointment.”
Thomas waited.
“Tell me.”
“There were papers.”
“What papers?”
“Loan papers.”
“Yes, Chloé.”
“I saw your name.”
Thomas’s voice became almost gentle.
“And?”
“And I asked why you weren’t there.”
Claire watched Paul put one hand over his mouth.
“What did Mom say?”
“She said you’d already signed everything.”
Thomas looked at the document on Emma’s coffee table.
“Was my signature already on it?”
“I think so.”
“You think?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see it?”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
Thomas closed his eyes.
Claire moved closer to him.
Chloé’s voice broke.
“I asked her if it was really yours.”
Nobody in the room moved.
Thomas opened his eyes.
“And what did she say?”
“She said I needed to stop being difficult.”
Thomas stared ahead.
Chloé began speaking faster.
“She said you had authorized her to handle it and that signing was just paperwork.”
Claire pressed her fingers against her lips.
Thomas’s voice was very quiet.
“And you accepted that?”
“I wanted the apartment.”
There it was.
Not confusion.
Not innocence.
Something uglier and more human.
Thomas looked down.
Chloé continued through tears.
“I had already paid notice on my rental.”
“With whose money?”
“My money.”
“And you were already at the lender?”
“Yes.”
“And Mom told you it was authorized?”
“Yes.”
“Did you believe her?”
Chloé did not answer.
Thomas waited.
“Did you believe her?”
“I wanted to.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Paul bowed his head.
Thomas leaned back.
The anger seemed to leave him, and that frightened Claire more than when it was there.
“What happened after that?”
“We signed the remaining documents.”
“We?”
“The documents I had to sign.”
“And nobody called me.”
“No.”
“Nobody emailed me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Mom give them an email address?”
“I don’t remember.”
Thomas looked at Claire.
That would matter.
May you like
Daniel would want it.
He picked up a pen and wrote email on the back of the lawyer’s list.
