Chapter 5 - THE HUSBAND WHO WANTED HER BACK|
Richard arrived at Sarah's hotel without an appointment.
Security called upstairs, and Sarah almost refused to see him. Curiosity won.
He entered carrying white roses, the same flowers that had filled the penthouse before the gala.
"I know you're angry," he began.
"That's an impressive understatement."
"I should have stopped my mother."
"Yes."
"I was wrong."
Sarah waited for the familiar excuses. They came within seconds.
"Everything happened so quickly. The foundation was under pressure, and Mom thought the earrings were missing. I didn't know she would make it public."
"You watched her do it."
"I froze."
"So did I. The difference is that I was the person being humiliated."
Richard placed the roses on the table.
"I miss you."
Sarah looked at him, remembering their first apartment and the evenings when he listened to her read unfinished stories aloud.
"I miss who you were when we met."
"I'm still that man."
"No, Richard. You're the man who watched security pull at my dress because you were afraid of upsetting your mother."
His jaw tightened.
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing. That's the point."
He stepped closer.
"You're suddenly connected to Stefan Volkov. Your life is about to change. You don't need to throw away our marriage over one terrible night."
Sarah stared at him.
"Would you be asking me to reconsider if the test had been negative?"
He didn't answer quickly enough.
She nodded.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For making the decision easier."
Richard's expression darkened.
"You think Stefan will protect you forever? You think his money makes you invincible?"
"No. I think I can protect myself now."
He left without the roses.
Later that afternoon, Elena informed Sarah that Richard's attorneys had requested a private meeting regarding the divorce. They were willing to offer a generous settlement if Sarah signed a confidentiality agreement and agreed not to discuss the gala.
Sarah refused.
"I won't trade my silence for money."
Stefan supported her decision but resisted the urge to intervene directly.
"Tell me what you need," he said.
"Help me understand the legal documents. Don't negotiate my life for me."
He nodded.
"Fair enough."
That evening, Sarah received an email from an anonymous address. It contained a photograph of a ledger page showing a payment to Maria Bennett, followed by a handwritten note: The child must never be connected to Stefan Volkov.
At the bottom was a signature.
Beatrice Montgomery.
Sarah forwarded the message to Elena.
"Can we prove it's authentic?"
"Not yet."
Another email arrived before midnight.
Stop asking about your mother, Sarah. The people who separated her from Stefan are still alive.
For the first time since the gala, Sarah locked every door and checked the windows twice.
May you like
Someone had noticed her investigation.
And someone was afraid of what she might find.
