Part 5
“Yes.”
Daniel turned toward the window.
Traffic slowed near the river. Reflections from office towers moved across his face.
Nora reached for his hand.
He let her touch it but did not close his fingers around hers.
“I wanted one night,” he said. “One night where I was beside you because you chose to have me there, not because you needed a witness you could trust.”
“That isn’t fair.”
“No. It isn’t.”
She withdrew her hand.
Their apartment was a furnished rental in River North, chosen for six weeks while Nora decided whether she could accept the position Julian had offered through the Mercer Foundation. The lease was in Daniel’s name. Nora had insisted on that, telling herself it was because his consulting firm handled relocation more efficiently.
Inside, she removed her heels and left them by the door. One had a fresh scrape along the side.
Daniel found an ice pack in the freezer and wrapped it in a dish towel. She sat at the kitchen counter while he placed it against her hip.
Neither spoke.
The refrigerator hummed. Somewhere above them, a child ran across a floor and was called back by an exhausted parent. A motorcycle accelerated on the street.
Daniel leaned against the opposite counter.
“What happened the night your laptop disappeared?”
Nora adjusted the ice pack.
“I came back from the conference dinner around ten. The door was closed. The latch wasn’t damaged. My laptop was gone, but the cash in my bag and my mother’s bracelet were still there.”
“You called hotel security.”
“Yes.”
“And Paul?”
“He arrived before security did.”
“How?”
“He said Grant had called him because I wasn’t answering.”
“Had Grant called you?”
“Three times.”
“Why?”
“He wanted the original field reports.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “And you gave a statement saying the laptop contained confidential company material.”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell police about the altered authorization?”
“I told company counsel first.”
“You didn’t tell police?”
“They told me the alteration was a version-control error and that accusing Grant without technical proof could expose me to a lawsuit.”
“You were an architect. Not a lawyer.”
“I knew that.”
“So why listen?”
“My mother was two rooms away in the same hotel. She had come to the conference because her first consultation at Northwestern was the next morning. Grant’s counsel told me the company could report me for mishandling confidential documents. They said my professional license might be suspended during an investigation.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Nora continued because stopping would make the next part harder.
“Paul sat with my mother while I talked to the police. He brought her tea. He made her laugh about the hotel carpet. Then he came into the hallway and told me the company would protect me if I stopped making accusations I couldn’t prove.”
“And you believed him.”
“I believed he knew what I was afraid of.”
Daniel walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and washed a clean glass that did not need washing.
“Did Grant ever threaten you directly?”
“Not then.”
“When?”
“After the funeral.”
He shut off the water.
“What funeral?”
“Miguel’s.”
“You went?”
“I stood across the street.”
Daniel waited.
“Grant found me afterward,” she said. “He told me Miguel’s family had accepted a settlement and that reopening the question would delay their payment. He said if I kept pushing, they could lose their apartment while lawyers fought.”
“Was that true?”
“I don’t know.”
“You never checked?”
“I tried. Miguel’s wife wouldn’t speak to me.”
“And Grant?”
“He said my mother’s medical coverage would end with my employment. Then he asked whether I wanted two families ruined instead of one.”
Daniel set the glass down too hard.
It did not break.
“He blackmailed you.”
“He described the choices available to me.”
“That is blackmail.”
“I signed.”
“Under pressure.”
“I still signed.”
He stared at her as if she had become someone larger and less knowable than the woman he had proposed to.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Because you met me after.”
“That is not an answer.”
“I liked that you met me after.”
His face softened for one second, which made the next silence worse.
Nora shifted the ice pack. “In Boston, no one knew why I left Chicago. I could be the person who ordered the same coffee every morning and forgot to charge her phone. I could complain about clients. I could meet your sister and be nervous because she asked too many questions. I didn’t want Saint Alder in every room.”
“It was already in every room.”
“Not for you.”
“For you.”
She looked away.
Daniel came around the counter and crouched beside her.
“I’m not angry because you were afraid,” he said. “I’m angry because you decided fear was something you had to manage for both of us.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From Grant.”
“He shoved you in front of me tonight.”
“And you didn’t hit him.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I’m not.”
“I wanted to.”
“I know.”
“That’s what you were protecting me from?”
“No.”
“Then tell me.”
Nora looked at the engagement ring again.
“Your firm is advising the pension fund that owns twelve percent of Mercer Urban.”
Daniel went still.
“How do you know that?”
“I saw the fund’s name in the reception briefing.”
“We advise one of its external managers.”
“Grant will treat that as leverage.”
“Did you know before we came?”
“Yes.”
Daniel stood.
The room felt suddenly too small for both of them.
“You let me walk into a potential conflict without telling me.”
“I didn’t think Julian would move this quickly.”
“You didn’t think Grant would find out?”
“I didn’t know.”
“You keep saying that after decisions you made alone.”
His phone vibrated on the counter.
Neither of them looked at it.
Then it vibrated again.
Daniel picked it up. His expression changed as he read.
“What?”
May you like
“My managing partner wants a call tonight.”
Nora felt the cold from the ice pack seep through the towel.
