The old orchard.
The meadow.
The unused bedrooms in my beautiful house.
An idea began forming.
It was the first idea I’d had in months that wasn’t about defending myself against someone else.
I turned to Eleanor.
“What if I wanted to build something here?”
She smiled.
“What did you have in mind?”
I looked down at Thomas’s letter.
And whispered:
“A place where nobody has to beg to stay.”
Chapter Thirteen: The Man Behind the Papers
Six weeks later, Jared asked to see me.
By then, he was no longer living with Vanessa.
She had separated from him after obtaining independent legal advice and cooperating with the financial inquiry.
Richard’s company was facing multiple claims.
The penthouse had been listed for sale, though the loan and transaction costs meant Jared would recover far less than he’d expected.
His expensive suits were gone.
So was his carefully polished confidence.
