Chapter 8 - THE PRICE OF FIVE YEARS|
The accusation was so absurd that I laughed.
Then I read it again.
According to the filing, Alexander had paid me a substantial sum to enter a confidential marriage so that he could protect certain business interests. It claimed I had agreed to remain hidden in exchange for financial security.
It was a lie.
A particularly cruel one, because it turned the years I had spent loving him into a transaction.
Alexander read the document over my shoulder.
“Who filed this?”
“Your company.”
“Not me.”
“Your company, your signature, your lawyers. How many times do you expect me to separate you from the consequences of your own world?”
He looked at me.
“I never paid you to marry me.”
“I know.”
The words surprised him.
I had no doubt about that particular truth. Alexander had never needed to pay me. He had made promises, and I had believed them.
Evelyn arrived twenty minutes later.
She took one look at the document and placed it on the table.
“This is designed to damage your credibility before the hearing. They're suggesting you have a financial motive.”
“Can we prove it's false?”
“Yes. We have bank records, the original marriage documents, and your financial statements from the time you married.”
Alexander stepped forward.
“I'll provide whatever records you need.”
Evelyn looked at him without warmth.
“You can provide them to the court through your own attorney. Claire doesn't need you managing her case.”
His expression darkened, but he didn't argue.
I appreciated that more than I wanted to.
After he left, Evelyn sat beside me.
“There's one thing I need to ask. Did you ever receive money from Alexander before the wedding?”
“No.”
“After?”
“He paid the rent on the house we lived in. We shared expenses. But I had my own savings.”
“Did he ever ask you to sign a document about the marriage?”
I thought carefully.
“No. Not until we separated.”
“Good. Don't guess when you testify. Answer only what you know.”
The hearing was held Friday morning.
Alexander arrived with two attorneys. Sophia sat behind him, dressed in cream, her expression composed.
I sat beside Evelyn.
When the judge entered, everyone stood.
The opposing attorney presented the claim that I had been paid to marry Alexander. He produced a bank transfer from an account connected to a Moretti company.
The amount was enormous.
I stared at it.
“I never received that money,” I whispered.
Evelyn leaned closer.
“Stay calm.”
The attorney asked Alexander whether he had authorized the transfer.
Alexander looked at the document.
“I don't recognize the account.”
“Did you authorize any payments to Claire Bennett around the time of your marriage?”
“No.”
“Did you know that a payment of this amount was made in your name?”
“No.”
The attorney pressed him.
“Mr. Moretti, are you saying your own company moved money without your knowledge?”
Alexander's jaw tightened.
“I'm saying someone used an account connected to my business without my authorization.”
The judge looked at the document.
“Do you have evidence of that?”
Alexander's attorney stood.
“We have requested the full transaction history.”
The hearing was postponed.
Outside the courtroom, Sophia approached me.
“You should stop this before it gets uglier.”
I looked at her.
“You filed a false statement accusing me of selling my marriage.”
“I didn't write it.”
“But you benefited from it.”
Her smile disappeared.
“Alexander and I have a history you don't understand.”
“I understand enough. You wanted him without the inconvenience of his wife.”
She stepped closer.
“Then perhaps you should ask why he married you in the first place.”
I felt the words land somewhere deep.
Before I could answer, she continued.
“He never stopped loving me, Claire. You were simply there when I wasn't.”
Alexander appeared behind her.
“Sophia. Stop.”
She turned toward him.
“You're still protecting her?”
“No,” he said. “I'm finally listening.”
Sophia's expression changed.
For the first time, her composure cracked.
She looked at him with something close to hatred.
“You have no idea what you've just done.”
Then she walked away.
May you like
Alexander watched her go.
And I realized that whatever had happened between them, it was not over.
