Chapter 10: What Daniel Did Next
The letter from Grace arrived at Daniel's hotel on a Wednesday.
By Thursday morning, he had retained his own solicitor — a man named Clifford Brent, who had a reputation for drawing things out.
Grace mentioned his name with the particular neutrality she used when she meant the opposite.
"He'll delay," she said.
"It's his method.
He'll request extensions, challenge the disclosure scope, question the valuation timeline.
It could add months."
"Let him," I said.
"I'm not in a hurry."
But Daniel didn't wait for Clifford Brent to work his method.
He called me directly on Friday evening.
I almost didn't answer.
Then I thought about the account, and the document, and the photographs, and I picked up.
"I want to talk," he said.
"Not through solicitors.
Just us."
"That's not advisable and you know it."
"I know." A pause.
"I'm asking anyway."
I thought for a moment.
"One hour.
Public place.
I'll bring Nora."
"Fine."
We met at a hotel bar near the river — neutral ground, quiet on a Friday evening.
Daniel was there first.
He looked like he hadn't slept well in days.
He stood when we came in, and I noticed he didn't try to kiss my cheek or touch my arm.
He had learned that much, at least.
We sat.
Nora ordered sparkling water and said nothing.
She had the particular stillness of someone who has decided to witness rather than intervene.
"I'm not going to fight the freeze," Daniel said.
"I want you to know that."
"Your solicitor's approach suggests otherwise."
"Clifford is doing what I hired him to do.
I'm telling you what I've decided." He looked at the table.
"The money — most of it — I was putting aside for Max.
Not to hide it from you.
To make sure he had something.
Because I couldn't put it in his name, and I couldn't explain it to you, and I didn't know what else to do."
"You could have told the truth," I said.
"Yes." He didn't argue it.
"I could have."
"Daniel." I leaned forward slightly.
"Grace tells me the account balance is two hundred and ten thousand pounds.
Our joint savings over the same period are sixty-three thousand.
You were putting more away for a child I didn't know existed than you were building with me."
He had no answer for that.
"I want a clean settlement," I said.
"I want the house.
I want my share of the joint assets.
I want Max's financial position secured through a formal legal arrangement — not a handwritten letter on nice paper.
And I want it done without Clifford Brent running the clock for six months."
Daniel looked up.
"You want the house."
"I've lived in it for nine years.
My name is on the mortgage.
Yes."
He was quiet.
"And Max," he said.
"You'd — you'd actually make sure he's protected.
Even now."
"He's a child," I said.
"What kind of person would I be?"
Daniel looked at me for a long moment.
Something moved across his face — not quite grief, not quite relief.
Something that had no clean name.
"I'll tell Clifford to stand down," he said.
"I'll instruct him to cooperate fully with Grace's office."
Nora's water glass paused on the way to her mouth.
"Just like that?" she said.
It was the first thing she'd said all evening.
Daniel looked at her.
"I've caused enough damage," he said.
"I'm not going to cause more."
"See that you don't," Nora said, and drank her water.
We stayed another twenty minutes.
We talked about logistics — who would collect what, the timeline, the mortgage transfer.
We did not talk about the marriage itself.
There was nothing left to say about it that hadn't already been said in the living room, or in the silence after the front door closed.
When we stood to leave, Daniel said my name once more.
"Olivia."
I turned.
"I am sorry," he said.
"I know I've said it before.
I know it doesn't fix anything.
But I need you to know that I — I did love you.
I just wasn't brave enough to love you honestly."
I looked at him for a moment.
"I know," I said.
"That's the saddest part."
I walked out into the cool evening air with Nora beside me.
"Well," she said, after a moment.
"Well," I agreed.
"Are you all right?"
I thought about it genuinely.
"I think I will be," I said.
"Not tonight.
May you like
But I think I will be."
She took my arm as we walked, and we didn't say anything else for a long time, and that was exactly right.
