Chapter 4
Daniel showed up at the penthouse at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
The doorman called up first, but Clara told him to let Daniel up. She wanted to see his face. She wanted to see how far he’d fallen in four days.
He looked terrible. His shirt was wrinkled, he hadn’t shaved, there were dark circles under his eyes. He held a crumpled white envelope in his hand—the one Elias had sent to his clients.
The door clicked shut behind him. He stood in the entryway, looking around the penthouse like he couldn’t believe it was real. The floor-to-ceiling windows, the original art on the walls, the view of the river.
“You own this?” he said, his voice rough.
Clara was sitting on the couch, a glass of wine in her hand. She didn’t stand up. “I own a lot of things you don’t know about, Daniel.”
He stepped closer. “Why? Why did you lie to me for three years? Why did you let me think I was the provider? Why did you let my mother treat you like garbage?”
“Because you told me you couldn’t marry a woman who made more money than you,” Clara said, her voice steady. “Because you cried the night before our wedding and said your ego couldn’t handle it. Because I loved you. Because I thought if I gave you everything you wanted, you’d eventually love me back.”
She took a sip of wine.
“I was wrong.”
Daniel dropped the envelope on the coffee table. “Clara, I’m sorry. Okay? I’m so sorry. My mother… she made me do it. She’s always been like that, controlling, manipulative. I didn’t know what else to do. If I didn’t hit you, she would’ve made my life hell. Please. Just stop this. Drop the divorce. Fire Elias. We can go back to the way things were. I’ll kick Mom out. I’ll never let her speak to you like that again. I promise.”
He knelt in front of her, reaching for her hand.
Clara pulled away.
“You think this is about your mother?” she said, standing up. “You think I’m doing this because she called me barren? Because she insulted me? I’m doing this because you watched her do it. Because you stood there and said nothing. Because when I finally stood up for myself, you hit me. You chose her, Daniel. You chose her every single time for three years. And now you want me to forget it because you’re scared of being poor?”
Tears spilled down Daniel’s cheeks. “I’m not scared of being poor. I’m scared of losing you. I love you, Clara. I’ve always loved you. Please.”
He grabbed her wrist, hard.
“Let go of me,” Clara said.
“Not until you listen to me.”
The front door opened. Two big men in black suits walked in—Marcus and Joe, the security team Elias had put on retainer after the divorce was filed. Daniel didn’t know they existed.
Marcus pulled Daniel off Clara, holding his arms behind his back. Daniel struggled, screaming curses.
“You think you can just walk away from this?” Daniel shouted, spit flying from his mouth. “You think you can take everything from me and get away with it? I’ll ruin you, Clara! I’ll tell everyone you’re a crazy bitch who manipulated me! I’ll make sure no man ever touches you again!”
“Get him out of here,” Clara said, turning away. “And if he ever comes within 100 feet of this building again, call the police.”
Marcus and Joe dragged Daniel out. He was still screaming when the elevator doors closed.
Clara sank back onto the couch, her hands shaking. For a second, she’d almost believed him. Almost. But she’d seen the look in his eyes when he’d grabbed her wrist. It wasn’t love. It was desperation. He didn’t care about her. He cared about her money.
Her phone buzzed. It was Elias.
“Just got the inventory from the mansion safe,” he said. “You’re not going to like this.”
Clara closed her eyes. “How much?”
“$217,000 worth of jewelry missing. The diamond tennis bracelet your dad gave you for graduation. the sapphire necklace from your grandma. the engagement ring you had reset after the wedding. All gone. And the safe logs show the code was used 17 times in the last two years. Always between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., when you were at your ‘volunteer work.’”
Clara laughed. It was a bitter, broken sound.
Evelyn.
Of course it was Evelyn. She’d known the safe code—Clara had told her the first year of marriage, stupidly, when Evelyn had said she wanted to put her own “heirlooms” in there for safekeeping.
“Send me the security footage from the safe room,” Clara said. “All of it.”
Ten minutes later, she was watching it on her laptop.
There was Evelyn, 14 months earlier, slipping into the safe room while Clara was at the grocery store. She opened the safe, took the sapphire necklace, slipped it into her purse, and walked out like she’d done nothing wrong. Another clip, six months later: Evelyn taking the tennis bracelet, holding it up to the light, smiling. Another, three weeks before the fight: Evelyn taking three diamond earrings and a pearl brooch, tucking them into her bra.
Clara paused the video. Evelyn’s face was clear, unapologetic, cruel.
“Felony theft,” Elias said, on speakerphone. “Grand larceny. Minimum two years in state prison, if we push it.”
Clara stared at the screen.
She thought of all the times Evelyn had worn “new” jewelry to dinner, saying it was “a gift from a friend” or “an old family piece.” Clara had never questioned it. She’d never wanted to.
“Push it,” she said.
“Clara, are you sure? Once we file the police report, there’s no going back. She’ll have a record. She’ll never work again. She’ll be a pariah.”
Clara thought of the slap. She thought of the relatives staring into their teacups. She thought of Evelyn standing in the foyer, smiling while Daniel’s hand burned on her face.
“I’m sure,” she said. “File it tomorrow morning.”
She hung up and closed the laptop.
Somewhere across the city, Evelyn was packing her bags, getting ready to move out of the mansion. She had no idea that by this time tomorrow, the police would be at her door.
May you like
And Clara?
She was just getting started.
