Chapter 5: The Husband Who Came Home Early
I let it ring four times before I answered.
"Vivian." His voice was careful.
Measured.
The voice he used in board meetings when he wanted to sound reasonable before saying something unreasonable.
"I'm back in the city.
We need to talk."
"About what, Adrian?"
"About what you've done to the house.
About the asset freeze.
About the fact that my attorney was served with papers while I was on my honeymoon."
"Your honeymoon," I said.
"With the woman you married while I was in surgery."
"That's not—" He stopped.
Started again.
"That situation is complicated.
But what you're doing right now is going to hurt both of us."
"I'm not sure that's true."
"Vivian, I'm asking you to meet with me.
One conversation.
No attorneys."
"No."
"I'm not asking you to forgive anything.
I'm asking you to be rational."
"I am being rational.
That's the problem for you."
A beat of silence.
Then his voice shifted — not angry, but harder.
The other voice.
The one I had heard him use with vendors he was about to cut loose.
"You don't know everything that happened.
There are things about the loan, about Celeste, about the company — things that will come out in court that you will not want made public.
I'm trying to protect you."
"You tried to protect me while I was unconscious in a hospital and you were livestreaming a wedding."
"That's not fair."
"Adrian." I let the word sit for a moment.
"You used my father's estate as collateral without my knowledge.
You moved ten million dollars into an account registered to your mistress.
You publicly declared our marriage a habit.
And now you want to meet without attorneys to protect me." I paused.
"Call Raymond's office.
Everything goes through him."
I ended the call.
Marina looked up from her laptop.
"He's back," I said.
"I know.
Security flagged his car outside the house this morning.
He sat there for forty minutes, then drove away."
"He went to the house first." I thought about that.
"He wanted to see it for himself."
"The movers left it clean.
Furniture he brought into the marriage, his personal items, his clothing.
Everything else is gone."
I nodded.
I had seen the inventory.
The house Adrian had believed he controlled now held his things and nothing that had ever been mine.
My phone rang again.
Not Adrian this time.
A number I didn't recognize — but not the unknown number from before.
A local area code.
I answered.
"Is this Vivian Cole?" A woman's voice.
Older.
Slightly uncertain.
"Yes."
"My name is **Nora Voss**." A pause.
"I think we need to speak.
I've been trying to decide whether to call you for some time.
Something happened yesterday that made me stop waiting."
My hand tightened on the phone.
"What happened yesterday?" I asked.
"A woman came to my door," Nora said.
"She said her name was Celeste Grant.
She told me that if I ever contacted you or your attorney, she would make sure certain information about my past became very public." A breath.
"I recorded the conversation.
I thought you should know."
The room felt very still.
"Ms.
Voss," I said.
"Are you safe right now?"
"I'm at home.
She left.
But I don't think she expected me to call you."
"No," I said.
"She didn't." I looked at Marina.
"I'm going to give you a number.
I want you to call it immediately and tell the person who answers exactly what you told me.
Her name is Marina.
She will arrange for someone to stay with you tonight."
Marina was already reaching for her bag.
"Why would you help me?" Nora asked.
"You don't even know who I am."
May you like
"I know enough," I said.
"And I think you know something that Celeste very much does not want me to hear."
