Chapter 3
I couldn't make myself listen to the recording immediately.
My hands were shaking.
My forehead hurt.
And the man I'd married was standing across the table looking at me as though I were the one destroying our relationship.
Julian pointed at Celia.
"That recording is illegal."
Celia remained calm.
"My attorney has reviewed how it was obtained. I'm not going to debate that with you."
Dad looked toward the guests.
"Anyone who wishes to leave may do so."
Nobody moved.
Aunt Vanessa slowly lowered herself into a chair.
Uncle Harold stared at Julian.
Evelyn looked toward the windows.
I wondered whether she was calculating how far she could run.
Dad turned toward me.
"Nia, you don't have to hear this here."
I swallowed.
"I want to."
He studied my face.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
"I've spent three years being told I misunderstand everything. I need to hear what they actually said."
Dad looked at Celia.
She connected the device to her laptop.
Then pressed play.
At first, there was a soft rustling sound.
A chair moving.
Glasses touching.
Then Evelyn's voice filled the room.
"How much longer is this going to take?"
Julian answered.
"I need her signature."
Evelyn laughed.
"Then stop asking and make it happen."
My chest tightened.
Julian looked toward the laptop.
"Turn it off."
Nobody moved.
The recording continued.
"I've tried," he said. "Nia keeps asking questions."
Evelyn sighed.
"Your wife is not as stupid as you promised."
Several guests gasped.
I covered my mouth.
Julian had promised his mother I was stupid.
I looked at him.
He wouldn't meet my eyes.
Then his recorded voice returned.
"She trusts me. I'll handle it."
Evelyn replied, "You'd better. The bank won't hold this financing forever."
A pause.
Then Julian spoke again.
"Once we control her voting rights, the board won't be able to stop the collateral arrangement."
My stomach twisted.
Evelyn said, "And after the money clears?"
Julian laughed.
"We can decide what to do with the marriage."
I stopped breathing.
The recording ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then I heard a chair scrape against the floor.
Vanessa stood.
"Julian, what does that mean?"
My husband looked furious.
"That recording was taken out of context."
I stared at him.
"Which part?"
He turned.
"Nia—"
"The part where you called me stupid?"
His face reddened.
"That's not what I said."
I laughed bitterly.
"I just heard it."
He stepped closer.
Dad moved between us.
"Stay where you are."
Julian glared.
"This is between me and my wife."
I felt something inside me become still.
"No."
Everyone turned.
I looked at Julian.
"It stopped being only between us when you involved your mother, her financial controller, a bank, and forged documents."
His face tightened.
I continued.
"You don't get to decide when everyone else should stay out."
For the first time, I saw doubt in his eyes.
He'd always expected me to retreat.
To cry.
To apologize.
To make dinner afterward and pretend everything was fine.
But tonight, I had stopped protecting him from his own behavior.
Dad asked one of the guests to call the building's security desk.
Then he turned toward me.
"Have you had that scratch examined?"
I shook my head.
"No."
His expression softened.
"Let's have someone look at it."
Julian laughed.
"She's acting like I beat her."
I stared at him.
"You grabbed my wrist and shoved me into a picture frame."
He shrugged.
"I was trying to take back a document you stole from my briefcase."
I felt cold.
"Your briefcase contained a forged authorization for my property."
Julian looked away.
Dad spoke quietly.
"Those details can be addressed properly. Right now, Nia's safety comes first."
A few minutes later, building security arrived.
Dad explained that an incident had occurred and asked them to preserve available security footage.
I also called the police.
My voice shook while I described the confrontation.
But I finished.
For the first time, I didn't minimize what Julian had done.
I didn't call it a misunderstanding.
I didn't tell myself he was simply stressed.
I said he'd grabbed me.
I said I'd been injured.
And I said I wanted the incident documented.
Julian looked shocked.
"You're calling the police on your husband?"
I held his gaze.
"I'm reporting what happened."
He looked toward Evelyn.
She stepped forward.
"Nia, think about the family reputation."
I laughed once.
"That's what you're worried about?"
Her face hardened.
"You don't understand the consequences."
I stared at her.
"I understand them better than I did an hour ago."
The officers arrived and took statements.
Celia provided her contact information and explained that her documents were being preserved separately.
Dad remained beside me.
Julian tried to interrupt twice.
Both times, the officer asked him to wait.
I had never seen anyone tell Julian to wait before.
It was strangely comforting.
After the officers finished their initial interviews, Dad offered to take me somewhere safe.
I looked around the penthouse.
The enormous table.
The chandeliers.
The polished floor.
Everything had seemed beautiful when I first moved in.
Now I noticed how cold it felt.
I turned toward Julian.
"I'm leaving."
He stared.
"You can't just walk out."
I looked at him.
"Watch me."
Evelyn stepped forward.
"Your belongings are in this house."
I nodded.
"Then I'll arrange to collect them safely."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"You're making a mistake."
I looked at the guests.
Then back at him.
"No. I made my mistake three years ago."
I took Dad's arm.
We walked toward the door.
Behind us, I heard Evelyn shouting about lawyers.
Julian threatened to freeze our joint accounts.
I didn't turn around.
But when we reached the elevator, Celia quietly touched my shoulder.
"Nia, there's something else you should know."
I looked at her.
She hesitated.
"The resort financing isn't the only problem."
My stomach tightened.
"What else?"
She swallowed.
"Evelyn's company is already in serious financial trouble."
Dad looked concerned.
"How serious?"
Celia answered.
"Several lenders are demanding repayment, and the resort site may be facing foreclosure."
I stared.
"Then why borrow eight million dollars?"
She looked directly at me.
"Because your inheritance may be the last asset they can reach."
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside.
May you like
And suddenly, I understood that Julian hadn't simply married me for money.
He might have planned to use me to save a family fortune that was already disappearing.
