Chapter 6 - He Came Home to an Empty House
Julian returned twenty-four hours early.
I knew because the security camera sent me an alert.
I watched from Rebecca’s office as his Mercedes entered our driveway.
Julian got out before the driver could reach his door.
No suitcase.
No relaxed smile.
He ran.
For the first time since I had known him, Julian Mercer looked genuinely afraid.
He unlocked the front door.
“Elena?”
Silence.
He crossed the foyer.
“Elena!”
He checked the living room.
Kitchen.
Upstairs.
Harrison’s room.
Then he returned to the foyer and finally noticed what I had left on the console.
My wedding ring.
Nothing else.
His face changed.
I expected satisfaction.
I felt none.
Eleven years of my life sat inside that small circle of gold.
Not all of those years had been lies.
That was what made leaving hurt.
My phone rang.
I answered.
“Elena.”
His breathing was ragged.
“Where are you?”
“Safe.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“You tell me.”
Silence.
Then:
“Isabel called you.”
Not Did Isabel call you?
He knew.
“You should talk to Rebecca.”
“I don’t want Rebecca. I want my wife.”
“You should have thought of that before Aspen.”
He stopped breathing.
“Elena—”
“Or Northstar.”
Another silence.
Longer.
“Where is Harrison?”
“With me.”
“I’m his father.”
“And I have not stopped you from being his father.”
“Bring him home.”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“You can’t take my son.”
“Our son.”
“Elena, don’t do this.”
Something about those words made me laugh.
Quietly.
Almost sadly.
“Don’t do what, Julian? Notice?”
“That isn’t what I mean.”
“What did you mean when you forged my signature?”
“I never forged anything.”
“Then Andrew did?”
Silence.
That was enough.
“Goodbye, Julian.”
“Wait.”
I almost ended the call.
Then his voice changed.
“Elena, Victor threatened Harrison.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“What?”
“That’s why I did it.”
I said nothing.
Julian rushed forward.
“Victor’s company was collapsing. He owed people money. He came to me two years ago. I tried to get out.”
“By stealing from me?”
“I borrowed against assets.”
“Mine.”
“I was going to replace everything.”
“With what?”
Silence.
“Exactly.”
“You don’t understand Victor.”
“Then explain.”
“He threatened us.”
“When?”
“Last year.”
“And you never told me?”
“I was protecting you.”
“You prepared custody documents.”
Another silence.
“That wasn’t me.”
“Your attorney prepared them.”
“Victor forced—”
“Stop.”
I was suddenly exhausted.
Every truth arrived wrapped inside another excuse.
“Were you sleeping with Isabel because Victor forced you too?”
That silenced him.
Finally.
I ended the call.
But one thing bothered me.
The threat against Harrison.
I told Rebecca.
She did not dismiss it.
Neither did Daniel.
They began digging.
That evening Daniel found an email.
It had been sent from Victor to Julian eleven months earlier.
Fix Northstar or your family becomes part of the problem.
There it was.
A threat.
Julian had not invented everything.
For the first time, the picture became more complicated.
He had betrayed me.
He had lied.
He had helped misuse my money.
But somewhere along the way, he may also have become trapped.
That did not absolve him.
It did change the truth.
Then Nathan called.
I answered.
“Elena.”
“What do you want?”
“To help my brother.”
“He has plenty of lawyers.”
“I don’t mean Julian.”
I frowned.
“Then who?”
“Harrison.”
My blood chilled.
Nathan continued.
“Victor knows where you’re staying.”
I stood.
“That’s impossible.”
“No. It isn’t.”
“How?”
“Andrew.”
“How would Andrew know?”
“Because Rebecca’s office was compromised months ago.”
I immediately looked toward the hallway.
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Apparently honesty was becoming fashionable.
“But if you’re at the Westchester apartment, leave now.”
My breath caught.
He knew.
“Who told you?”
“Victor.”
I hung up and called Rebecca.
Within minutes, Daniel was downstairs.
We moved Harrison.
No panic.
No explanation he could understand.
I told him we were going on an adventure.
He clutched his dinosaur while I strapped him into the car.
We had driven less than five minutes when Rebecca called.
“Someone just entered the apartment.”
My skin went cold.
“Police?”
“On their way.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
Then Daniel’s phone rang.
He answered through the car speakers.
Listened.
His face changed.
“What?”
He ended the call.
“The police found someone.”
“Victor?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Andrew?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
He looked at me through the mirror.
“Julian.”
I stared at him.
“What was Julian doing there?”
Daniel hesitated.
“He wasn’t looking for you.”
May you like
“What was he doing?”
“He was fighting the man who was.”
