Chapter 8 - GABRIEL'S CONFESSION
The next morning, Gabriel contacted me.
Not through Dominic. Through my attorney.
Evelyn told me he had requested a meeting and that he wanted to speak privately, without Dominic present.
“Do you want to see him?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then decline.”
I thought of the foundation documents.
“Ask him what he knows first.”
Gabriel’s response was immediate.
I know why Emma was added to the account.
My pulse quickened.
Evelyn arranged the meeting at her office.
Gabriel arrived carrying no briefcase or coat, as if he had come directly from somewhere nearby. He looked less polished than usual, his face drawn and his dark hair damp from the rain.
He stopped when he saw me.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“For all of it.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No. It isn’t.”
He sat across from me while Evelyn remained near the window.
“Did you know about the foundation?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you create the account?”
“No.”
“Did you sign anything?”
“No.”
“Did you know I was listed as an administrator?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Gabriel’s gaze dropped to his hands.
“Because Margaret asked me to witness the designation.”
“Why did you agree?”
“I didn’t know she intended to hide it from you.”
“You knew my name was on the document.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t think I should know?”
“I thought Dominic knew.”
“He didn’t.”
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly.
“Then I made a mistake.”
“You made several.”
He accepted that.
“What is Project Bellflower?”
He looked at Evelyn, then back at me.
“It was a plan Margaret created after Dominic’s surgery.”
“What kind of plan?”
“She believed the family needed an heir. She was convinced your marriage was failing because you couldn’t have a child.”
I felt my shoulders stiffen.
“She knew I was seeking medical advice?”
“She knew you had gone to the clinic.”
“How?”
“Your insurance records were sent to her office. She handled the family policy.”
I remembered the consultation. The receptionist had asked whether my husband was aware. I had said no.
“Why would she create a fund?”
“To protect the child.”
“Whose child?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“At first, she intended it for any child you might have. She wanted to make sure you could not leave the family with nothing if the marriage ended.”
“That sounds generous.”
“It wasn’t entirely.”
“What does that mean?”
“She wanted to control the terms. The money would be available only if you remained married to Dominic and raised the child in the Moretti household.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“She wanted to use my pregnancy to keep me in that house.”
Gabriel looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
I stood and walked toward the window.
Below us, pedestrians moved along the wet pavement, each carrying umbrellas, each unaware of how easily a family could turn love into a contract.
“Then why was the beneficiary designation dated to my estimated conception?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Margaret know I was pregnant?”
“Not from you.”
“From whom?”
Gabriel didn’t answer.
I turned.
“From whom?”
He took a breath.
“From me.”
The admission landed quietly.
“Why would you know?”
“Because I saw you leave the clinic.”
“When?”
“Six weeks ago.”
I calculated.
That was the day I had gone for my first appointment and learned I was pregnant.
“You followed me?”
“No. I was at the clinic for another reason. Margaret had an appointment there. I saw you in the lobby.”
“You saw me with the ultrasound envelope.”
“Yes.”
“And you told her.”
“I called her because I thought she should know there might be a child.”
“You had no right.”
“I know.”
“Did you tell Dominic?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Margaret said she would handle it.”
I laughed once, without humor.
“Everyone kept deciding what I should know.”
Gabriel’s face tightened.
“She told me she wanted the fund in place before you made any decisions about the divorce.”
I stared at him.
“She knew I might leave?”
“She suspected Dominic had driven you away.”
“Did she know why?”
“Not everything.”
“Did she know he could hear?”
Gabriel looked toward the floor.
“Yes.”
My mouth went dry.
“How long?”
“Since the surgery.”
“Then she knew he was pretending.”
“She believed it was better for the household.”
“Better for whom?”
He had no answer.
I returned to my chair.
“Why are you telling me now?”
Gabriel leaned forward.
“Because Margaret is trying to move the money again.”
“What?”
“She wants to transfer it into a trust controlled by the foundation’s board. Once that happens, it will be difficult to challenge.”
“Why would she do that now?”
“Because Dominic has begun separating himself from the family accounts.”
Evelyn’s expression sharpened.
“Do you have proof?”
Gabriel removed a small flash drive from his pocket.
“I copied the correspondence.”
Evelyn took it.
“Why not bring this to Dominic?”
“Because he will confront my mother before the evidence is secured.”
“And you think I won’t?”
“I think you’ll be more careful.”
His answer surprised me.
“Are you afraid of her?”
Gabriel looked toward the window.
“I’m afraid of becoming like her.”
The confession softened something in me, though it did not erase his betrayal.
“Did you know Dominic had recovered his hearing?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know he pretended not to hear me?”
“I knew he was avoiding conversation. I didn’t understand how far he had taken it.”
“You heard him talk about me with you.”
His eyes flickered.
“I heard him say you were a good wife.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I thought he was unhappy and confused. I didn’t realize he had made you live inside his silence.”
“You heard enough.”
“Yes.”
For the first time, Gabriel looked directly at me.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I should have told you.”
May you like
I believed he was sorry.
That did not make him innocent.
