Chương 7
She hated that.
She hated that David had trained her to question kindness.
She hated that she still did.
Fiona looked up from the floor.
“Mommy?”
Blaire forced her face to relax.
“Yes?”
“Where’s Luca?”
She looked at the door.
“He’s making a phone call.”
“Is he coming back?”
The question was innocent.
Simple.
But Blaire felt the weight behind it.
Fiona had lost enough people recently.
A home.
A routine.
A father who had become unpredictable.
Blaire crouched beside her.
“I think so.”
Fiona accepted that.
She picked up Captain the rabbit and walked toward the couch.
Children were strange that way.
They could carry uncertainty without letting it consume them.
Adults rarely could.
Blaire moved to the window.
Outside, Luca stood near the entrance.
He was turned away.
She could not hear him.
But she could see the tension in his shoulders.
A man who looked composed from a distance.
A man who looked less certain when nobody was watching.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time it was Emma.
Blaire answered immediately.
“Hey.”
“Are you alone?”
The question was unusual.
Blaire looked toward the door.
“No.”
A pause.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I do not know yet.”
Emma sighed.
“That is the most concerning answer you have given me today.”
Blaire sat down.
“Something happened.”
“David?”
“Not exactly.”
She hesitated.
Then she told Emma about the photograph.
The silence afterward lasted long enough that Blaire checked the call.
“You still there?”
“Yes.”
Emma’s voice was quieter.
“Blaire.”
“What?”
“Did David ever mention Sterling Horizon?”
Blaire frowned.
“Why?”
“Just answer.”
“No.”
Another pause.
“That is weird.”
“Why?”
“Because when I searched David’s name after you called me last week, I found something.”
Blaire sat straighter.
“What?”
“I did not tell you because you were already overwhelmed.”
“Emma.”
“I know.”
Her cousin exhaled.
“There were articles about David’s company working with some investors connected to Sterling Horizon.”
Blaire looked toward the door.
“Connected how?”
“I do not know.”
“That is not helpful.”
“I know.”
Emma sounded frustrated with herself.
“I should have looked deeper.”
“No.”
Blaire rubbed her forehead.
“This is not your fault.”
The words felt strange coming from her.
She had spent so long being the person who apologized.
It felt unfamiliar to comfort someone else.
Emma continued.
“There is something else.”
Blaire closed her eyes.
“What?”
“I found a picture.”
“Of what?”
“David at a business event.”
Blaire waited.
“He was standing with Luca.”
The room became very still.
Blaire looked at the closed door again.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“About a year ago.”
A year.
The number bothered her.
Because a year ago, she and David were still married.
A year ago, she had been making dinner.
Packing Fiona’s lunches.
Trying to understand why her husband came home later and later.
A year ago, Luca Sterling was apparently somewhere inside their life.
“You need to be careful,” Emma said.
Blaire almost laughed.
“I am trying.”
“No.”
Emma’s voice softened.
“You are trying not to need anyone.”
Blaire looked down.
“That is different.”
“Is it?”
She did not answer.
Because she knew.
The door opened.
Luca stepped inside.
Blaire ended the call.
His eyes immediately moved to her face.
Something had changed.
He noticed.
“What happened?”
Blaire held up her phone.
“You tell me.”
Luca stopped.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
“What is that?”
“A picture from my old apartment.”
His expression tightened.
“Who sent it?”
“I do not know.”
He came closer.
She noticed he did not reach for the phone.
He waited.
Another small thing.
Another choice.
“Can I see?”
She handed it over.
Luca studied the image.
His face became unreadable.
Blaire watched him carefully.
“You know something.”
He did not answer.
That was answer enough.
“Luca.”
He looked at her.
“I know about David.”
“How much?”
“More than I told you.”
The honesty hurt.
Not because she was surprised.
Because she wanted to believe he would say something else.
“I thought you said you did not know enough.”
“I did not know everything.”
“That is not the same.”
“No.”
He handed the phone back.
“You are right.”
Blaire looked at him.
“Why was David afraid of you?”
Luca looked toward the window.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he sat down.
A billionaire sitting on a temporary apartment couch looked strangely ordinary.
“I met David three years ago.”
Blaire remained standing.
“Why?”
“Business.”
“Only business?”
Luca looked at her.
“No.”
The answer was quiet.
And that frightened her more than a lie would have.
“What does that mean?”
“David’s company was struggling.”
Blaire frowned.
“He never told me that.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because he asked for an investment.”
The room felt smaller.
“You invested in him?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Luca looked down at his hands.
“Because I saw something I did not like.”
“What?”
“Debt.”
Blaire crossed her arms.
“Everyone has debt.”
“Yes.”
His voice remained calm.
“But not everyone hides it from their spouse.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying David was in financial trouble.”
“That does not explain why you are involved.”
“No.”
Luca paused.
“It explains why he was afraid.”
Blaire waited.
“He came to me because he needed money.”
“And you refused?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the numbers did not make sense.”
She looked confused.
“What numbers?”
“The company reports.”
Blaire stared.
“You investigated him?”
“Before investing, yes.”
“And you found something?”
Luca did not answer immediately.
That silence told her there was more.
“There were inconsistencies.”
“What kind?”
“Money moving between accounts.”
“Whose accounts?”
“Several companies.”
Blaire felt a cold sensation move through her.
“Are you saying David stole money?”
“I am saying I did not have enough proof to accuse him.”
That distinction mattered.
Luca was careful.
But careful did not mean harmless.
“Why did you not tell me?”
He looked at her.
“Because I did not know you.”
The answer hurt because it was reasonable.
“And after you knew?”
“I was going to.”
May you like
“When?”
“After I understood what was happening.”
