Chapter 7 - Chloe realizes she was never the partner
During the recess, Chloe cornered Richard.
I could hear them arguing twenty feet away.
“You said everything was legal.”
“Keep your voice down.”
“My name is on those companies!”
“Because I trusted you.”
“No. Because you used me.”
Richard grabbed her wrist.
She pulled away.
A court officer immediately looked over.
Richard released her.
Chloe touched my grandmother’s necklace.
Then looked at me.
For the first time, there was no smugness.
Only fear.
She approached.
Arthur stood between us.
“I need to talk to Evelyn.”
“Through counsel.”
“I didn’t know.”
I looked at her.
“Which part?”
Her eyes filled.
“The reports.”
“Did you know Richard was married?”
Silence.
“Did you know the necklace was mine?”
More silence.
“Did you know he was moving money?”
“I thought it was his.”
“So you knew enough.”
She looked down.
Fair.
Then she whispered:
“There’s a room.”
My blood went cold.
Arthur immediately leaned closer.
“What room?”
Chloe looked at Richard.
He was watching us.
She lowered her voice.
“Under the wine cellar.”
Richard suddenly started walking toward us.
“Chloe.”
She flinched.
Arthur called a court officer.
Richard stopped.
“What room?” I asked again.
Chloe shook her head.
“I never went inside.”
“But?”
“I heard him talking about it.”
“With whom?”
“His head of security.”
Richard shouted across the courtroom:
“SHE’S LYING!”
Judge Hayes had just returned.
She stopped.
Everyone turned.
Chloe stared at Richard.
Then something inside her seemed to break.
“You told me Evelyn made everything up.”
Richard’s face hardened.
“You told me she hurt herself.”
“Chloe.”
“You told me she was insane.”
“SHUT UP!”
The judge slammed her gavel.
Richard’s attorney buried his face in one hand.
Chloe removed my grandmother’s necklace.
Carefully.
She placed it on Arthur’s table.
“I’m sorry.”
I stared at it.
For years, I had imagined getting it back.
I expected satisfaction.
Instead, I felt nothing.
Because Chloe’s mention of the wine cellar had awakened a memory.
One I had spent years convincing myself was a nightmare.
Cold concrete.
A metal door.
A security camera.
Richard’s voice.
And a red light blinking above me.
I turned toward Arthur.
“There’s another archive.”
He frowned.
“What?”
May you like
“The flash drive doesn’t contain everything.”
Richard went completely still.
