Chapter 6
Margaret Mercer had spent years convincing everyone she belonged to New York's wealthiest circles.
She hosted charity dinners.
Attended private galas.
Wore diamonds to afternoon lunches.
And never missed an opportunity to mention the Mercer family name.
What she didn't mention was that her family's money was disappearing.
I discovered the truth during another meeting with Rebecca and Mr. Bennett.
"Margaret has outstanding financial obligations," Rebecca explained.
"How much?"
"Several million dollars, based on the records we've obtained so far."
I stared at her.
"Several million?"
"Her estate appears to be heavily leveraged. There are also debts connected to a family investment business."
Mr. Bennett placed another document in front of me.
It showed that Margaret had introduced Julian to a private investor group that was considering financing some of the disputed property transactions.
"Why would she do that?" I asked.
"We're investigating whether she expected to benefit."
I thought about my wedding.
Margaret had insisted on inviting dozens of wealthy acquaintances.
She had told everyone how proud she was that her son was marrying into the Carter family.
I used to think it was affection.
Now I wondered whether she had been celebrating a financial rescue.
Rebecca continued.
"There's one more thing."
I looked at her.
"The investor group withdrew its preliminary commitment after our legal notices."
"Good."
"But someone has approached them again, offering alternative collateral."
My stomach tightened.
"What collateral?"
"An interest in a property Julian doesn't own."
I stared at her.
"Which property?"
"The Madison Avenue building."
The first building my parents had purchased together.
The one tied to almost every important memory of my childhood.
I stood so suddenly that my chair scraped the floor.
"He can't have it."
"He doesn't," Mr. Bennett assured me. "And our attorneys have notified the relevant parties of the disputed documents."
I pressed my hands against the table.
"Why is he still doing this?"
Rebecca looked at me sympathetically.
"Because he may be trying to solve a financial problem that existed before his access was suspended."
That afternoon, a call came from an unfamiliar Hawaii number.
I nearly ignored it.
Then I remembered that Julian had been avoiding my attorney.
I answered.
"Hello?"
"Clara?"
It was a woman.
Her voice sounded strained.
"Who is this?"
A pause.
"Sienna."
Every muscle in my body tightened.
"What do you want?"
"I need to talk."
"You can speak to my attorney."
"Please. Just listen."
I said nothing.
Then she whispered something unexpected.
"Julian lied to me."
A bitter laugh escaped my mouth.
"Congratulations. Now we have something in common."
She began crying.
I wasn't moved.
Not yet.
"He told me you two had an arrangement."
I closed my eyes.
"What arrangement?"
"He said your marriage was mostly for business. That you didn't care who he spent time with."
I stared at the wall.
"And you believed him?"
"At first."
"At first?"
She went silent.
I waited.
Finally, she whispered, "I knew you loved him before the wedding."
My voice hardened.
"Then don't pretend you were innocent."
"I know."
For once, she didn't argue.
Then she said something that changed the conversation.
"He's blaming everything on me."
I sat straighter.
"What?"
"He's telling people I stole from the company. He says I used his passwords."
"Did you?"
She hesitated.
"I processed payments he instructed me to process."
"Did you know they were fraudulent?"
"I knew some of them were questionable."
I felt anger surge.
"Then you should have stopped."
"I know."
She was crying harder now.
"Clara, I thought he was going to marry me eventually."
I looked down at my wedding ring, still sitting in a small velvet pouch beside my notebook.
"You thought he was going to marry you while he was marrying me?"
"He said it wouldn't last."
The words hurt more than I expected.
I swallowed.
"Why are you calling?"
"Because I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of going to prison for something he planned."
I closed my eyes.
I could have insulted her.
I could have told her she deserved everything coming.
Part of me wanted to.
But another part understood something important.
If Sienna had evidence, it belonged with investigators.
Not in a private argument between two women Julian had deceived.
"Listen carefully," I said.
She became quiet.
"Do not destroy anything. Don't alter messages or delete records. Get an independent attorney and tell the truth."
She sniffled.
"Will you help me?"
"I won't protect you from consequences. But I won't hide evidence that could establish what actually happened."
There was a long silence.
Then she said, "I have recordings."
My heart stopped.
"Recordings of what?"
"Julian talking about the property transactions."
I gripped my phone.
"Have you given them to an attorney?"
"Not yet."
"Then do that immediately."
She hesitated.
"There's something else."
I waited.
"His mother knew about the marriage plan."
My stomach sank.
"How much did she know?"
"She knew he needed your signature."
I closed my eyes.
"And the affair?"
Another pause.
"She knew about that too."
I felt as though someone had struck me.
Margaret had smiled at my wedding.
She had embraced me.
She had called me family.
All while knowing her son was cheating.
"She told Julian to be careful until the documents were completed," Sienna continued.
I couldn't speak.
Then I heard a door open on Sienna's end.
A man's voice.
"Who are you talking to?"
Julian.
Sienna inhaled sharply.
"Nobody."
"Give me the phone."
The call ended.
I immediately contacted Mr. Bennett.
He recorded the details of what Sienna had said.
Then he advised me not to initiate further contact.
That evening, Julian called from a new number.
I let it go to voicemail.
His message was different.
"Clara, I know you're talking to Sienna. She's lying to save herself. You need to stop listening to people who want to destroy us."
I stared at the screen.
Us.
There was no us anymore.
Two hours later, another voicemail arrived.
This time, he sounded almost gentle.
"I miss you, Clara. Please remember what we had."
I listened once.
Then forwarded it to my attorney.
I didn't answer.
The following morning, Rebecca called with news.
Investigators had received information indicating that Julian was preparing to return to New York.
"He may arrive tonight," she said.
I felt fear tighten my chest.
"Do we know why?"
"Not yet."
Mr. Bennett had already advised me to avoid any private confrontation.
Dad arranged for additional home security.
Olivia offered to stay with me.
I accepted.
By midnight, Julian's flight had landed.
At eight the next morning, a black car stopped outside my father's gate.
The security camera showed Julian stepping onto the sidewalk.
He looked exhausted.
Angry.
And determined.
Then he held up a large envelope toward the camera.
Inside was a document.
Across the front, in bold lettering, were the words:
"PETITION FOR DIVORCE."
May you like
I stared at the monitor.
And realized my husband had decided that if he couldn't control the marriage, he would try to control how it ended.
