Chương 5
“You did more than ruin a lunch.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
He looked down.
“I think I do now.”
I wanted to believe him.
That was the dangerous part.
A person can hurt you and still have moments of honesty.
A person can regret something and still have caused damage.
“I loved you,” I said.
His face changed.
“I know.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t.”
He looked at me.
“I loved the version of you I thought existed.”
His eyes dropped.
“That is fair.”
The acceptance made it worse.
I had prepared myself for anger.
For excuses.
Not for sadness.
“I did love you,” he said quietly.
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because I did not know what else to do.
“You say that like it fixes anything.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then why say it?”
“Because it’s true.”
I looked away.
The kitchen clock moved forward.
One second at a time.
“I need to ask you something.”
His voice changed.
Serious.
“What?”
“Was Natalie the only reason you were distant?”
I waited.
I needed the truth.
Not a version designed to save him.
Ethan sat down.
That was when I knew the answer would hurt.
“Claire.”
“Answer me.”
He stared at the table.
“There were other things.”
My chest tightened.
“What things?”
“Business decisions.”
“That is not an answer.”
He rubbed his hands together.
“I made mistakes.”
“What kind?”
He did not speak.
And suddenly the silence told me more than his words could.
“Ethan.”
“I thought I could fix it.”
The room became colder.
“Fix what?”
He looked up.
“The company.”
I stared at him.
“What did you do?”
His eyes moved toward the window.
And for the first time since this started, I saw something I had not seen before.
Not guilt.
Fear.
“I made a deal that I should not have made.”
My heartbeat changed.
“What kind of deal?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face went pale.
He stood immediately.
“Who is it?”
He did not answer.
He just stared at the name.
Then he turned the phone toward me.
The caller ID belonged to Marcus Vance.
Marcus’s name on the screen made my stomach tighten.
Ethan looked at me.
“Do not answer that.”
The way he said it told me everything.
Not because he was hiding the call.
Because he was afraid of what Marcus might say.
I picked up the phone before he could stop me.
“Marcus.”
There was a brief silence.
“Claire, is Ethan with you?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“Put me on speaker.”
I looked at Ethan.
He shook his head.
That was enough.
I pressed the button.
“Go ahead.”
Marcus exhaled.
“I just received information from the forensic accounting team.”
Ethan sat down slowly.
“What information?”
Marcus did not answer him immediately.
“Ethan, did you authorize a transfer from Grayson Capital’s operating account three weeks ago to a private consulting entity called Northbridge Advisory?”
Ethan looked away.
My chest tightened.
“Ethan.”
He rubbed his face.
“I was going to explain.”
Marcus’s voice became sharper.
“That was not my question.”
The silence was unbearable.
“Yes,” Ethan said finally.
“Why?”
“I needed time.”
“For what?”
“To solve a problem.”
Marcus let out a slow breath.
“That answer is exactly why we are in this position.”
I stood there holding the phone.
“What problem?”
Neither of them spoke.
Then Marcus said, “Claire, I think you need to know.”
Ethan stood.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“No?”
He looked desperate.
“Not like this.”
“Then when?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Marcus continued.
“The Apex Tech acquisition was not as stable as Ethan represented.”
I felt my anger shift into confusion.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the projected returns were based on assumptions that were not holding.”
Ethan looked down.
“He knew.”
The words came out quietly.
I stared at him.
“What?”
“He knew the numbers were getting worse.”
Marcus continued.
“He attempted to cover the gap by moving funds and delaying certain disclosures.”
My hand went cold.
“You lied to investors.”
Ethan immediately looked up.
“I was trying to protect everyone.”
“No.”
My voice surprised both of us.
“You were trying to protect yourself.”
He flinched.
The accusation hurt because it was true.
“I thought I could fix it.”
“That is what people say right before they make things worse.”
“I had a deadline.”
“You always have a deadline.”
He looked at me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means there was always something.”
I stepped away from the table.
“Always another meeting.”
“Another investor.”
“Another emergency.”
“Another reason why you could not be home.”
His face tightened.
“I was building something.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You were running from something.”
The sentence stayed in the room.
I had not planned to say it.
Maybe because some truths only appear after you stop trying to protect someone.
Marcus interrupted quietly.
“There is another issue.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course there was.
“What?”
“The transfer to Northbridge was not the only unauthorized action.”
Ethan looked toward the phone.
“Marcus.”
“What else?”
Marcus ignored him.
“Several company assets were pledged as collateral without full approval from the board.”
My heart sank.
“How many people knew?”
“We are still determining that.”
I looked at Ethan.
“Natalie?”
His expression changed.
A small hesitation.
But I saw it.
“She knew something.”
“Something?”
“I did not tell her everything.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Ethan sat back down.
“She knew the acquisition was under pressure.”
“Did she know you were moving money?”
He did not answer.
That was an answer.
I walked to the window.
Outside, neighbors walked their dogs.
A teenager rode a bicycle down the sidewalk.
Someone across the street watered flowers.
The ordinary world felt almost insulting.
“How long have you been living like this?” I asked.
Ethan looked at me.
“What?”
“Pretending everything was fine.”
He did not respond.
“How long?”
“Six months.”
I closed my eyes.
May you like
Six months.
Six months of birthdays.
