Chapter 6 - SAVANNAH'S VERSION OF THE TRUTH|
Savannah called me at seven that evening.
I almost didn't answer.
Her name appeared on my screen, followed by a second call before I could decide.
I finally picked up.
“Claire.”
Her voice sounded breathless.
“I think we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Grant.”
I walked toward the living room window.
“You're going to have to be more specific.”
“I know you hate me.”
“I don't know you well enough to hate you.”
She was silent.
Then she said, “I didn't know he was still sleeping with you.”
The sentence was so absurd that I actually laughed.
“I'm his wife, Savannah.”
“I know that now.”
“You knew that when you started seeing him.”
“He told me your marriage was over.”
“Did he tell you he was still sharing my home, my accounts, and my bed?”
Silence.
I heard her take a shaky breath.
“He said you were separated.”
“We weren't.”
“He told me you were only staying together because of the company.”
I closed my eyes.
It was a familiar trick. Grant had always known how to make a lie sound like a complicated truth.
“Why are you calling me?”
“I think he's hiding things from both of us.”
I looked at the dark garden.
“That's not a revelation.”
“He told me the Harbor Point deal was completely legitimate.”
My attention sharpened.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I saw a document.”
“What document?”
“A transfer schedule. My company was supposed to receive a payment when the acquisition closed.”
I said nothing.
“He told me it was a consulting bonus,” she continued. “But I never did the work described in the agreement.”
“Did you receive the money?”
“Some of it.”
“How much?”
“I don't know exactly.”
“Savannah.”
“About four hundred thousand dollars.”
I gripped the edge of the windowsill.
“Did you know where it came from?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?”
She didn't answer.
That was an answer.
“Grant said the company was paying for introductions,” she whispered. “He said the rest was a private arrangement.”
“Did you sign the invoices?”
“I signed some paperwork.”
“Did you create the reports?”
“No.”
I let the silence stretch.
Then she said, “I think he used my company.”
“You allowed him to.”
“I didn't understand.”
“You didn't ask.”
Her voice cracked.
“I'm pregnant. I thought we were building a family.”
I felt something unexpected.
Not sympathy exactly.
Recognition.
I had once believed that Grant's promises were enough to make a future secure.
But I didn't let that feeling change what mattered.
“If you have documents, give them to your attorney. Don't send them to me. Don't delete anything. And don't let Grant pressure you into changing your story.”
“Are you going to destroy him?”
“No,” I said. “I'm going to stop protecting him.”
Before she could answer, I heard a door open on her end.
Grant's voice sounded in the background.
“Who are you talking to?”
Savannah went quiet.
“Claire?”
“I'm here.”
“I think he knows,” she whispered.
Then the call ended.
A moment later, my phone rang again.
This time, it was Grant.
I answered.
“What did you say to her?”
I stared at the dark window.
“Nothing you haven't already told her yourself.”
“You stay away from Savannah.”
I gave a tired smile.
“You should have thought about that before making her part of our marriage.”
His voice dropped.
“Claire, you're making a very dangerous mistake.”
May you like
I ended the call.
And for the first time, I wondered whether Savannah was frightened of me—or of the man she had chosen.
