CHAPTER 6 - VICTOR’S VERSION OF LOVE
CHAPTER 6 - VICTOR’S VERSION OF LOVE
Victor was held for questioning until evening.
He was not arrested.
Not yet.
When he left the federal building, reporters were already waiting.
Someone had leaked the investigation.
Someone had also leaked my identity.
Cameras surrounded him.
“Mr. Hayes, did you know your wife was Olivia Hartwell?”
“Did you provide trade secrets to Calder Development?”
“Is it true you assaulted Ms. Hartwell?”
Victor pushed through the crowd without answering.
By the time he reached his mother’s townhouse, my face was on every local news channel.
The headline described me as a “secret heiress.”
Another called my marriage “a seven-year loyalty experiment.”
One commentator asked whether I had manipulated Victor by hiding my wealth.
Another said Victor’s alleged affair was understandable if he had felt deceived.
The bruise on my cheek appeared in none of their discussions.
Pain was less interesting than money.
At Hartwell House, I watched exactly eleven minutes of coverage before turning off the television.
My father stood near the fireplace.
“You don’t have to respond tonight.”
“If I say nothing, Daniel controls the story.”
“He is in custody.”
“His people are not.”
Arthur nodded reluctantly.
Before we could decide on a statement, the front gate called.
Victor was outside.
Russell wanted to turn him away.
I told him to let Victor enter the library.
My father objected.
I reminded him that Victor was still my husband.
The words tasted bitter.
Victor arrived without his suit jacket.
His hair was wet from the rain.
For one foolish moment, I remembered the man I had married.
He used to walk through storms to bring me coffee at the bookstore where we met.
He used to make me laugh in grocery store aisles.
He used to hold my mother’s old photograph carefully because he knew it mattered to me.
People rarely become monsters all at once.
They become entitled by degrees.
Then one day, they act on what they have quietly taught themselves to believe.
Victor stopped when he saw my father behind me.
“I need to speak with Olivia alone.”
“No,” Arthur said.
I lifted a hand.
“It’s all right.”
My father did not move.
Victor swallowed.
“I didn’t know who you were.”
“That does not change what you did.”
“It changes everything.”
“No.”
“You let me believe I was carrying us.”
“I worked.”
“You volunteered at libraries and helped community groups.”
“I also reviewed contracts for three nonprofit housing organizations.”
“For free.”
“Because they needed help.”
Victor laughed bitterly.
“Meanwhile, your father paid for our life.”
“My father protected me.”
“Without telling me.”
“You were not entitled to my family’s money.”
“I was your husband.”
“You were entitled to the truth about my name.”
I paused.
“You were never entitled to ownership of me.”
He looked at the bruise.
Regret crossed his face.
“I shouldn’t have hit you.”
“No.”
“Camille was provoking me.”
“You chose your hand.”
“She said you had been spying on me.”
“You threw me into the rain.”
“I was angry.”
“You told the doorman not to let me back inside.”
His voice broke.
“I made a mistake.”
“A mistake is forgetting an anniversary.”
I stepped closer.
“You made a decision.”
Victor looked toward my father.
“Did you destroy my career?”
Arthur’s expression did not change.
“Your career is under investigation because confidential files were found in your home.”
“I didn’t steal them.”
“Then explain how they arrived.”
Victor looked at me.
“Daniel gave them to me.”
“Why?”
“He said Hartwell was preparing a joint venture with Calder.”
“Did you verify that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because he was the chief operating officer.”
“You wanted his approval.”
Victor looked away.
I knew I was right.
“What did he promise you?”
“A regional presidency.”
My heart sank.
“You risked the company for a title.”
“I didn’t know there was a risk.”
“You did not want to know.”
He stepped toward me.
“Olivia, I can help you find Evelyn.”
My father stiffened.
“How do you know about Evelyn?” I asked.
Victor realized his mistake.
No public report had mentioned her.
He looked toward the door.
Russell was already blocking it.
Victor’s face collapsed.
“Camille told me.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“What did she say?”
“That Evelyn was alive.”
“And you kept that from me?”
“I didn’t understand who she was.”
“Then why did Camille tell you?”
Victor’s silence became its own answer.
I felt something inside me break.
Not because of the affair.
Not because of the slap.
Because even after everything, he had come to my father’s house pretending to confess while still hiding the most important truth.
I removed my wedding ring.
I placed it on the table between us.
“What did Camille promise you?” I asked.
Victor stared at the ring.
May you like
Then he whispered.
“She promised me Hartwell Group.”
