Chapter 6 - Unmasked at Daybreak
Christmas morning broke over Chicago not with warmth, but with a blinding, frigid glare that reflected off eighteen inches of fresh snow. I finished my twenty-four-hour shift at 7:00 a.m., handing over my patient logs to Dr. Aris Thorne, the incoming department chief. Aris was a seasoned physician with graying temples and sharp, observant eyes. He looked at me over his coffee mug, noting the dark circles under my eyes.
""Rough night, Claire?"" he asked quietly. ""Daniels told me about the drama in Bay Two.""
""Just another night in the ER, Aris,"" I replied smoothly, slipping my coat over my civilian clothes.
""If you need time off, you have four weeks of banked personal leave,"" Aris offered, his tone fatherly. ""Take it. Deal with whatever fire is burning at home.""
""The fire is already out, Aris,"" I said with a faint smile. ""Only ashes left. And I’m about to sweep them clean.""
When I pulled up to our brownstone in Lincoln Park, the scene was exactly as I had anticipated. Vincent's black Mercedes was parked haphazardly across the driveway, its engine ticking in the freezing air. Through the large front windows, I could see shadows moving rapidly.
I unlocked the heavy mahogany front door and stepped inside. The foyer was littered with open suitcases, garment bags, and boxes of high-end watches. Vincent was frantically packing, his hair disheveled, still wearing the wrinkled clothes from the hospital. Sitting on the leather sofa, wrapped in an oversized fur coat and looking pale, was Vanessa.
When the front door clicked shut, both of them turned toward me like startled thieves caught in the act.
""Claire,"" Vincent breathed, pausing with a stack of designer suits in his hands. ""You weren't supposed to be home until noon.""
""This is my home, Vincent,"" I said calmly, taking off my gloves and dropping them onto the marble console table. ""I don't need an appointment to enter my own house. But I do believe Miss Reed is trespassing.""
Vanessa shifted uncomfortably, clutching her handbag tightly against her lap. ""Dr. Moretti, I... I didn't want to come here. Vincent insisted on picking up his things before we left for the airport.""
""Left for where, exactly?"" I asked, walking slowly into the living room. ""The Cayman Islands? Or perhaps Zurich, where Vincent has been hiding three million dollars in undeclared marital assets?""
Vincent dropped the suits onto the floor, his face hardening into an aggressive sneer. ""Don't bother playing the righteous martyr, Claire. You set Rebecca Collins on my accounts this morning. My corporate debit cards are already declining. What kind of vindictive monster freezes a man's assets on Christmas morning?!""
""The kind of woman whose husband humiliated her in front of her entire medical staff on Christmas Eve,"" I answered coldly. ""And speaking of assets, Miss Reed, did Vincent tell you that the diamond necklace around your neck was purchased using funds from my late mother’s educational trust?""
Vanessa’s hand flew to the sapphire-and-diamond pendant, her eyes widening in genuine horror. ""What? Vincent, you told me you designed this for me with Harry Winston!""
""Shut up, Vanessa!"" Vincent snapped, losing his temper completely. ""Don't listen to her! She’s trying to poison your mind!""
""I don't need to poison her mind, Vincent,"" I said, pulling an iPad from my leather bag and setting it on the coffee table between them. ""I have the wire transfer logs. I have the receipts. And more importantly, Miss Reed, I have the audio recording of your conversation in Room 412 last night, where Vincent admitted he’s only staying with you so your father doesn't bankrupt his firm.""
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Vanessa turned white. She looked at Vincent, her lip trembling. ""Is that true? You told me you loved me! You told me Claire was frigid, that she refused to have children, that she was obsessed with her career!""
""Frigid?"" I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. ""I miscarried our first child alone in a hospital bed while he was taking you to dinner at Le Bernardin in Manhattan, Vanessa. And while you sit there congratulating yourself on your victory, you might want to know that Vincent’s firm is already under investigation by the SEC.""
