Chapter 8 - THE OFFER
Victor found me alone two days later.
Not accidentally.
He waited inside the hospital café until Julian left for class.
Then he sat across from me and placed an envelope on the table.
“Open it.”
Inside was a cashier’s check.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
I stared at him.
“For what?”
“A fresh beginning.”
“I already have one?”
He smiled.
“That’s what everyone believes.”
The implication was clear.
Victor knew I remembered.
I slipped my phone beneath my purse and activated the recorder.
“You want me to leave Boston?”
“I want you to recover somewhere peaceful.”
“Away from Julian?”
“Away from questions.”
“What questions?”
Victor’s smile vanished.
“The kind that destroy families.”
He explained that Julian had made promises before meeting me.
Promises involving Clara.
Arthur.
The university.
And money.
“Julian has always been ambitious,” Victor said. “Arthur bought his loyalty.”
“You’re saying my husband is corrupt?”
“I’m saying everyone has a price.”
Then he leaned forward.
“Take the money. Sign a confidentiality agreement. File for divorce.”
My chest tightened.
“You came prepared.”
“I’m practical.”
“What happens if I refuse?”
Victor stood.
“Nothing.”
He buttoned his jacket.
“Probably.”
He walked away.
My hands shook as I stopped the recording.
Then I noticed one more document inside the envelope.
A property transfer.
Our townhouse.
The house Julian and I had purchased together.
According to the paperwork, ownership had been moved three weeks earlier.
I stared at the new owner.
JESSICA STERLING REVOCABLE TRUST.
May you like
Julian had secretly transferred the entire house into my name.
And the attorney who prepared the paperwork was Clara Hale.
