Chapter 10 - The Proposal That Had Never Been Innocent
Derek arrived at my attorney's office at 4:00 p.m.
Not because I invited him.
Because I demanded answers.
Ethan sat beside me.
Lena sat on the other side.
Two attorneys were present.
Derek came alone.
No lawyer.
That was either brave or stupid.
"Tell me exactly what you knew."
He sat across from me.
"The night I proposed, Mom told me Robert had died because of your father's company."
"Did she tell you she introduced us intentionally?"
"Yes."
My stomach sank.
"And you still proposed."
"Yes."
"Why?"
He looked directly at me.
"Because by then I loved you."
"Stop saying that."
"I did."
"You were also willing to use me."
His face tightened.
"At first."
There it was.
The truth I had feared.
Derek confessed that during our first three months together, he knew Patricia wanted him close to me for business reasons.
Not the whole takeover.
Not Robert's real story.
Just access.
He told himself it wasn't serious.
Then it became serious.
He tried to pull away from Patricia.
She responded by reminding him of debts she had paid, opportunities she created, sacrifices she claimed to have made.
"You didn't pull away from me," I said.
"No."
"You doubled down."
He nodded.
"I was afraid if you knew how we met, you'd leave."
"So you started controlling whether I could."
His eyes filled with shame.
"Yes."
The room remained silent.
No excuses.
I appreciated the truth and hated him for needing eighteen months to give it.
Then one attorney slid a folder toward Derek.
"Mr. Hale, Claire is filing for annulment based on fraud and coercion, with divorce pleaded in the alternative."
Derek looked at the folder.
His face barely moved.
"Okay."
I expected resistance.
"Okay?"
He nodded.
"You should."
That almost made me angry.
"Don't make yourself noble now."
"I'm not."
He signed acknowledgment of receipt.
Then he reached into his bag.
"I brought something."
A stack of documents.
Original communications between Patricia, Colin, and Thomas.
Bank records.
Draft contracts.
The complete takeover strategy.
"Where did you get these?"
"Mom's home office."
"When?"
"This morning."
My attorney frowned.
"You entered without permission?"
"I still have a key. It's legally complicated. Use whatever you can lawfully use and ignore the rest."
He turned toward me.
"But there's one thing you should see regardless."
A printed email dated fourteen months earlier.
FROM: Thomas Reed.
TO: Patricia Hale.
SUBJECT: CLAIRE.
She's not like her father. If Derek pressures too hard, she'll walk. He needs to get her emotionally dependent before discussing shares.
I felt nauseated.
Another email.
Patricia:
He's working on it. She's already reduced contact with two friends.
I looked at Derek.
He stared at the floor.
"Lena was one."
"Yes."
"Who was the other?"
"My cousin Rachel."
I had stopped speaking to Rachel after Derek insisted she disrespected him.
He had manufactured distance piece by piece.
Then another email appeared.
Thomas:
Marriage must happen before annual board meeting. Once Claire's voting block is neutralized, Edward has no defense.
Edward.
My father.
I looked up.
"This is about removing Dad."
My attorney nodded.
"Yes."
Derek pushed forward one final sheet.
A proposed board resolution dated Monday morning.
Remove Edward Mercer as chairman.
Install Thomas Reed.
Authorize sale to Vance Capital.
The entire marriage had been one arm of a corporate coup.
But a handwritten note at the bottom changed everything.
It was from Thomas to Patricia.
After transfer, deal with Derek. He knows too much.
Derek had never been intended to win either.
He had been another disposable piece.
He read the note beside me.
Then gave a hollow laugh.
"Looks like everyone gets betrayed eventually."
I didn't comfort him.
But for the first time, I understood something important.
Derek had hurt me because he chose control.
Yet somewhere above him, people had been controlling him too.
That explained him.
May you like
It did not excuse him.
And the difference between those two things would decide what happened next.
