He Chose Her, So I Faked My Death novel · Chapter 23 of 32

Chapter 23: What It Costs

Nathan found me three blocks from the bank, sitting on a bus bench in the rain with my coat over my head.

His black car stopped at the curb, and he got out without an umbrella and sat down beside me.

"The lawyer called me," he said.

"Then you know."

"I know Jasper had the pages."

"He had them before he met me."

"I know that too," Nathan said. "He told me on the night of the ball. I told him to give them to you at once."

I turned and stared at him.

"You knew?"

"I knew he had Halcyon papers. I didn't know what was on them until today." He wiped water off his face. "I'd seen Dad's name on the guarantor line. I hadn't seen the four sheets Preston marked for leverage."

"Did you know it went back eight years?"

"No. But I ran the company for five years, Imogen. I signed the renewals." He looked at the street. "I signed what was put in front of me. Same as you."

Rain ran off his collar.

I had never seen my brother afraid.

"It's the whole family," I said. "If I send this to the federal task force, they'll freeze Radcliffe Holdings. They'll subpoena every account. Dad goes to court. You go to court."

"I know."

"The house goes. The name goes."

"I know."

"I'm still going to send it."

Nathan did not say anything for a while.

"I was going to ask you to burn it," he said at last. "I came here to ask. I rehearsed in the car."

"And?"

"And then I remembered you walked away from this house for five years rather than take the easy marriage." His mouth twitched. "You've never once done the easy thing."

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