Chapter 2 - THE NUMBER MY FATHER LEFT BEHIND
The footsteps stopped outside Chloe's bedroom.
I wiped my face before the door opened.
Brendan stood there in his expensive black suit, one hand still holding his phone. His expression was annoyed, as if my daughter's funeral had interrupted an important business meeting.
Then his eyes landed on the white urn inside the crib.
For the first time, his face changed.
Not grief.
Surprise.
“You actually brought her home?”
I stared at him.
“Our daughter died three days ago.”
He looked away.
“I know.”
“No. You didn't.”
His jaw tightened.
“I was informed by the hospital.”
“By whom?”
He didn't answer.
I already knew.
Ximena.
His assistant.
The woman who had decided that my daughter's medication wasn't financially reasonable.
Brendan walked toward the crib.
He didn't touch the urn.
Instead, he asked, “Why didn't you arrange a proper burial?”
I almost laughed.
“You didn't even know she died.”
“I was handling business.”
“Our daughter was dying.”
“I told you I authorized her treatment.”
“You authorized an amount. Ximena decided what she was allowed to spend.”
His expression hardened.
“Nora, not tonight.”
“Tonight is exactly when.”
Before he could answer, my phone vibrated.
Raymond.
I answered.
“Put me on speaker,” he said.
I did.
Brendan frowned.
“Who is that?”
“My father's attorney.”
Silence.
Raymond's voice remained calm.
“Mr. Fairchild, I recommend you listen carefully.”
Brendan stepped closer.
“My wife has no reason to involve you.”
Raymond laughed quietly.
“She isn't calling me because of the marriage.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Nora Fairchild has just activated an estate structure your family should have discovered three years ago.”
Brendan stared at me.
“What estate?”
I looked at Chloe's urn.
“My father never trusted you.”
Brendan's face went pale.
Raymond continued.
“Tomorrow morning, several financial institutions will receive notices concerning assets previously controlled by the Fairchild family.”
“Those assets belong to us.”
“No,” Raymond replied. “They belong to Nora.”
Brendan's eyes narrowed.
“How much?”
I didn't answer.
Raymond did.
“Enough to make your current assumptions about your wife dangerously outdated.”
The call ended.
Brendan stared at me.
“You've been hiding money from me?”
“No.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“I've been hiding myself from you.”
His expression changed.
May you like
For the first time in three years, Brendan looked at me as if he had never actually known who he married.
And that frightened him.
