The next morning, Rebecca’s colleague called with an update.

After reviewing the financing agreement, the attorney had identified several provisions that required further examination. The ownership structure, the notice of default, and the relationship between Meridian and Sterling raised serious questions, but the legal consequences could not be determined without the complete records and a more detailed review.

The attorney recommended that Robert decline to sign Daniel’s proposed restructuring agreement, preserve all relevant communications, and seek independent advice regarding the company’s obligations.

Robert agreed.

He also instructed his accountant to prepare a complete account of the company’s financial position and to identify which debts were immediately due.

It was not a miracle.

The company still owed money.

Suppliers still wanted payment.

Employees still needed their wages.

And the future remained uncertain.

But Robert had stopped trying to solve the crisis by handing control to the person who had helped create it.

Over the following days, he worked with his attorney and accountant to establish the facts. They contacted the relevant financial institutions, requested supporting records, and examined the payments to Sterling.

Some expenses were supported by invoices. Others required further explanation. The three transfers to Holly’s account remained disputed, and the condominium purchase documents needed to be reviewed alongside the financing arrangements.

The process was exhausting.

There were evenings when Robert sat at the kitchen table, staring at spreadsheets until his eyes reddened.

There were mornings when he wanted to call his father and demand answers.

And there were moments when he looked at me and asked whether he would ever be able to trust anyone again.

I never promised him that everything would work out.

I promised him something more useful.

That he wouldn’t have to face the truth alone.

Two days after the first legal review, Holly returned to the house.

She arrived without her usual designer handbag, wearing jeans and a plain white shirt. Her eyes were swollen, and she looked as though she hadn’t slept.

Robert opened the door but didn’t step aside immediately.

“Can we talk?”” she asked.

“Yes.””

She glanced toward me.

“Can I speak to my husband privately?””

Robert looked at me.

I stood.

“I’m going to take a walk. I’ll be back in half an hour.””

Outside, the afternoon air was warm, and the neighborhood was quiet. I walked past a row of palm trees and stopped at a small park where children were playing on the swings.

I thought about Ethan.

I hadn’t seen him since his birthday.

I missed his laugh, his small hands, and the way he used to call me whenever he discovered something new.

I wondered what Holly had told him about my absence.

I wondered whether he remembered me standing outside the door.

When I returned, Robert was sitting on the sofa, and Holly was beside him.

The atmosphere was tense, but neither appeared angry.

Robert looked up.

“Holly has something to tell you.””

She folded her hands in her lap.

“I owe you an apology, Ellena.””

I sat in the armchair across from them.

“All right.””

She swallowed.

“I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did on Ethan’s birthday. You traveled all that way because you wanted to see him, and I made you feel as though you didn’t belong.””

I waited.

She looked down.

“I was angry about the business. I was afraid of losing our home, and Daniel kept telling me that Robert was hiding how bad things had become. I convinced myself that I had to protect Ethan, and I stopped thinking about how I was treating other people.””

“Why didn’t you let me see Ethan?””

She pressed her lips together.

“Because I was afraid you would see how much trouble we were in. I thought if you knew, you would judge me.””

I considered her answer.

“And did humiliating me make the situation better?””

“No.””

“Did it make you feel safer?””

She shook her head.

“No.””

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I was wrong.””

I believed that she was sorry about something.

Whether she fully understood the harm she had caused remained to be seen.

“Thank you for apologizing,” I said.

“But we need to talk about more than the birthday party.””

She nodded.

“I know.””

Robert leaned forward.

“Holly has agreed to provide the remaining financial records to the attorney. We’re going to have the condo agreement reviewed, and she’s agreed not to make any further transfers related to the business while the review is underway.””

I looked at Holly.

“Is that your decision?””

“Yes.””

“Because you want to be honest, or because you’re afraid of what might happen?””

She took a long breath.

“Both.””

It was the first answer she had given me that sounded completely honest.

I nodded.

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