Chapter 8 - The Lie About Clara|
Morgan read Julian's message three times.
I'll tell them what your grandmother did.
For years, Julian had treated Clara as a sentimental obstacle. He mocked the cottage, dismissed its history, and complained that Morgan's attachment to it made her irrational.
Now he was threatening to expose something about her grandmother.
Morgan called Patricia.
The attorney advised her not to respond.
“People who are losing control often try to make others panic. Save the message and let us examine the evidence.”
Morgan followed the advice.
But she could not stop thinking about the possibility that Clara had kept something important from her.
That evening, Eleanor came to Denise's apartment.
She looked exhausted.
“Julian has contacted me,” she said.
“What did he want?”
“He asked whether I had told you about Clara's arrangement with his father.”
Morgan stared.
“His father?”
Eleanor explained that Julian's father, Robert Hayes, had worked for a regional property company before his death. He had been involved in negotiations with Northstar's predecessor.
Years earlier, Robert had signed a confidentiality agreement concerning the utility corridor. He believed the company was conducting a legitimate land survey. When he discovered that the documents contained misleading terms, he tried to withdraw.
The company threatened to sue him.
Clara intervened, hiring a lawyer and forcing the agreement to be withdrawn.
Morgan had never known any of this.
“Why didn't my grandmother tell me?”
“She wanted to protect your father from embarrassment. He was young, and he had been manipulated by people who knew more about property law than he did.”
“Was he involved in the fraud?”
“No. Not knowingly.”
Morgan exhaled.
“So Julian is using his father's history to threaten me.”
“Possibly.”
Eleanor reached into her bag and removed another envelope.
“This is a letter Clara wrote to me shortly before she died.”
Morgan opened it.
The letter described how Clara had discovered that Northstar was attempting to revive the old development plan. She had contacted a lawyer and prepared to challenge the easement.
The final paragraph was underlined.
If the company approaches Morgan through marriage, friendship, or any other personal connection, do not assume the approach is accidental.
Morgan read the sentence again.
“Through marriage?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Clara believed the company might try to influence whoever eventually inherited the cottage.”
Morgan felt sick.
Julian had known about the property long before their wedding.
He had known that Clara would leave it to Morgan.
But had he married her because of the cottage?
The question was unbearable.
She remembered their first date, the way he had made her laugh, the night he waited outside her office in the rain, and the simple gold band he had placed on her finger seven years earlier.
Were any of those moments real?
Eleanor seemed to understand.
“I'm not telling you he married you for the property. I don't know that.”
“But you think it's possible.”
“Yes.”
Morgan walked to the window.
For years, she had defended Julian against friends who called him irresponsible. She had covered his debts, forgiven his failed ventures, and told herself that loyalty meant standing beside someone when life became difficult.
She had confused his dependence on her with love.
Now she wondered whether he had been studying her weaknesses from the beginning.
Her phone rang.
Julian.
Morgan answered, placing the call on speaker.
“What do you want?”
His voice was strained.
“Please come home.”
“No.”
“Morgan, I need to explain.”
“You can explain to my attorney.”
“Your grandmother wasn't innocent.”
“Then show me proof.”
He hesitated.
“I have documents.”
“Send them to Patricia.”
“She won't understand.”
“Then you should have no problem explaining them in writing.”
His breathing grew uneven.
“Do you remember the summer before we married? Your grandmother offered to help me start my first business.”
Morgan froze.
Clara had told her she had helped Julian with a small loan.
“What about it?”
“She didn't give me money. She gave me an opportunity. She introduced me to a man who promised to invest.”
“Gregory Vance?”
“Yes.”
Morgan closed her eyes.
Julian continued.
“She knew what he was like. She knew he could destroy people, and she still sent me to him.”
Eleanor's face tightened.
Morgan felt the last of her uncertainty harden into anger.
“Even if that's true, it doesn't explain why you put a device in my necklace.”
Julian went silent.
“Why did you do it?” she asked.
He whispered, “Because they told me I had no choice.”
Morgan ended the call.
For the first time, she no longer wanted an explanation.
May you like
She wanted the truth.
And she intended to get every piece of it.
