Chapter 2 - The Blue Folder
Inside the mansion, Damian walked toward his study mostly because he was tired of hearing about the folder. That was what he told himself. He intended to glance at it, confirm it was another dispute over money, and return before Elena found a new way to turn an accusation into a grievance.
The blue folder was exactly where she had said, wrapped in waterproof cloth, with a wet corner marking his desk. He paused. Elena had stood outside getting soaked while protecting the papers she wanted him to read.
He opened the folder.
The first page was from a bank. He read it once, then again. The account held nearly six hundred thousand dollars transferred during their marriage under Elena’s name. Damian knew the account; Marcus’s monthly summaries categorized the transfers as household and spousal support. He had believed Elena controlled the money.
According to the bank, she didn’t. Elena was the beneficiary, but she was not authorized to make withdrawals. The trustee was Victor Vale—Saraphina’s father.
Damian sat down. A handwritten sentence appeared beneath the bank’s explanation: If this money is mine, why am I not allowed to use it?
Underneath were copies of Elena’s unanswered requests. Money for Maya’s wheelchair modifications. Repairs to the roof of Elena’s glass studio. Cardiac treatment.
Damian’s eyes stopped. Cardiac?
He flipped the page. A medical summary was clipped behind it: implanted defibrillator, dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, continuing treatment following penetrating chest trauma.
Recommended lead revision. Original injury date—
Damian stopped breathing. Pier 9. Eighteen months ago. The night someone had tried to kill him.
May you like
A cry came from outside. Not thunder. A woman.
Damian was out of the chair before he understood he had moved.
