Chapter 17 - THE CONFESSION
Michael followed Diane into the hallway.
I followed him.
“What did you mean?”
Diane kept walking.
Michael grabbed the elevator door before it closed.
“What did you mean about Lauren?”
Diane turned.
“She took the money.”
“She was paid.”
“She signed.”
“Because you threatened her.”
“She could have said no.”
I stepped forward.
“You threatened to take her baby.”
Diane looked at me with disgust.
“And she believed me.”
Michael’s face twisted.
“Stop.”
“No.”
Diane laughed.
“You want truth?”
She looked at him.
“I’ll give you truth.”
Several board members had entered the hallway.
Robert.
Thomas.
Rachel.
Karen.
Everyone heard what came next.
“Lauren was weak.”
Michael stared at her.
“She loved you more than she loved herself, and that made her easy.”
My stomach turned.
Diane continued.
“I told her you wanted the baby gone.”
Michael stopped breathing.
“I told you she had another man.”
His eyes filled.
“I returned her letters.”
Lauren had been right.
“I changed your phone number after the divorce.”
Michael covered his mouth.
“I had Karen redirect every payment.”
Karen began crying.
Diane pointed at her.
“And yes, I forged Frank’s signature.”
The hallway became completely silent.
Diane was shouting now.
She didn’t care.
Years of control were collapsing, and rage had taken the place of caution.
“He was going to hand everything to a bastard child and some frightened little girl who couldn’t survive one difficult conversation.”
Michael whispered, “Noah is my son.”
“He was a problem.”
Michael’s eyes changed.
Not anger.
Something colder.
Finality.
Diane kept going.
“And then Claire came along.”
She pointed at me.
“Another woman telling you to think for yourself.”
I stared at her.
“So you framed Rachel.”
“Yes.”
“You forged my signature.”
“Yes.”
“You stole money.”
“I moved family money where it belonged.”
“You sent Karen to my house.”
Diane looked at Karen.
“That idiot wasn’t supposed to talk to Emma.”
The confession hung in the hallway.
Every person heard it.
Not one accusation remained theoretical.
Diane realized it one second too late.
She looked around.
Thomas was staring at her.
Robert looked disgusted.
Karen was crying.
Rachel had gone completely still.
Michael said nothing.
Diane’s face drained.
“You set me up.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I touched the fading bruise on my cheek.
“You did exactly what you did Sunday.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“You got angry.”
I stepped closer.
“And you thought everyone would stay silent.”
May you like
For the first time since I met her, Diane had no answer.
*
