Chương 11
Lena’s hand tightened around the phone. “Were they?”
“They don’t know yet.”
“What do you think?”
“I think my mother asked staff questions she had no right to ask. I don’t know whether she described it as work.”
“And you?”
“I’m on paid leave.”
“Did you resign?”
“No.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“Thank you.”
“I wanted to.”
“I know.”
“I told them I had failed to disclose a conflict because I was trying to contain a family matter.”
“What did they say?”
“That I may have violated internal policy.”
“Did you?”
“Probably.”
The honesty frightened her less than reassurance would have.
“Where are you going now?” she asked.
“Home.”
“Your home?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He was silent.
“What?” Lena asked.
“My mother waited outside the meeting.”
“What did she say?”
“She asked whether you got your scan results.”
Lena looked at the wrapped gifts. A silver bowl reflected the window in a warped oval.
“What did you tell her?”
“That it was private.”
This time Lena laughed.
Ethan did too, once, without humor.
Then he said, “She gave me something for you.”
“I don’t want it.”
“It’s a letter.”
“I don’t want that either.”
“All right.”
“Did you read it?”
“No.”
“Will you?”
“Not unless you ask.”
Lena pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“Keep it,” she said.
Two days later, Vivian appeared at Lena’s apartment.
She did not come alone. Daniel stood behind her in the hallway, looking as if he had been forced into the role of chaperone at gunpoint.
Lena nearly closed the door.
Vivian wore a navy suit, low heels, and no jewelry except a watch. Without the sequined gown and diamonds, she seemed smaller.
“I asked her not to come,” Daniel said.
“And yet you drove her,” Lena replied.
“She took a cab. I intercepted her downstairs.”
Vivian held a large cream envelope.
“I would like five minutes,” she said.
“No.”
“Lena, please.”
“You had five minutes at the cathedral. You used the first three seconds badly.”
Daniel looked at the floor.
Vivian’s mouth tightened, but she did not answer defensively.
“I have resigned as chair of the foundation,” she said.
“Temporarily?”
“Permanently.”
Lena waited.
“I also resigned from the board.”
“That was your decision?”
“The review would likely have recommended it.”
“So you chose the version that allowed you to announce it.”
Vivian looked tired. “Yes.”
The admission disturbed Lena’s prepared anger.
“What’s in the envelope?”
“A copy of the letter I gave Ethan. And the name of the person who told me where you were receiving treatment.”
Lena did not reach for it.
Vivian continued. “It was not a foundation employee. It was Marisol Grant, the wedding planner.”
Lena’s stomach tightened.
Marisol had coordinated dress fittings, transportation, dietary restrictions, and the private room where Lena kept medication during the reception. She had been recommended by Vivian.
“How did she know?” Lena asked.
“She saw an appointment reminder on the schedule you shared.”
“I removed medical details.”
“You labeled it E.C.C.”
“That could mean anything.”
“Marisol recognized the address because her husband was treated there.”
“And she told you.”
“I asked her whether the schedule conflicts were related to illness. She said she believed they were.”
“Believed.”
“Yes.”
“Did she know I had cancer?”
“Not at first.”
“At first?”
Vivian looked toward Daniel.
He said, “Tell her.”
Vivian’s fingers tightened around the envelope. “I asked a driver to note where he took you after the final dress fitting.”
Lena stared at her.
“What driver?”
“The car I arranged.”
“You tracked me.”
“I asked for confirmation of the destination.”
“You tracked me.”
“Yes.”
The hallway seemed too narrow for air.
Daniel spoke quickly. “The driver reported only the address. There were no photographs.”
Vivian looked at him. “That does not make it better.”
“No,” he said. “It doesn’t.”
Lena stepped back and opened the door wider.
“Come in,” she said.
Neither Mercer moved immediately.
“I’m not inviting you to stay,” Lena added. “I don’t want my neighbors hearing this.”
They entered.
Wedding presents lined the living room. Lena had begun returning some of them, but the department store required individual shipping labels, and she had lost patience after four boxes.
Vivian looked at the gifts and then at the bare ring finger on Lena’s left hand. The engagement ring was in a ceramic dish beside the bed. She had removed it because every photograph of her hand online included comments asking whether the wedding was officially over.
Lena remained standing.
“Did Ethan know about the driver?” she asked.
“No,” Vivian said.
“Daniel?”
“No,” Daniel answered.
“Marisol?”
“She knew I wanted the destination confirmed,” Vivian said.
Lena picked up her phone and called Marisol.
Vivian’s face changed. “Now?”
“Yes.”
Marisol answered on the fourth ring.
“Lena,” she said softly. “I’ve been trying to find the right time to call.”
“The right time was before you gave my medical location to Vivian.”
Silence.
Then Marisol began to cry.
It was not loud. Lena heard a sharp inhale and the rustle of fabric.
“I am so sorry.”
“Did you tell the driver to report where I went?”
“Mrs. Mercer asked me to confirm the transportation route. She said there had been a security concern.”
“What security concern?”
“She implied someone might be approaching you for money.”
Lena looked at Vivian.
Vivian closed her eyes.
“Did you believe her?” Lena asked Marisol.
“I didn’t know what to believe. She was paying the bill. She said Ethan had asked her to be careful.”
“Did you ask Ethan?”
“No.”
“Did you ask me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Marisol’s voice became smaller. “I thought I was protecting the event.”
“The event.”
“I know how that sounds.”
“No, I think you know now.”
Marisol cried harder.
Lena felt no satisfaction. Only fatigue.
“Send me every message between you and Vivian about me,” she said.
“I signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“With whom?”
“The Mercer family office.”
“Send them to my lawyer.”
“Do you have one?”
May you like
“I do now.”
Maya’s attorney had agreed to speak with her after all. Lena had not decided what action to take, but she had learned that uncertainty was easier when someone could explain the available doors.
