Chapter 4 - Truth in the Cold Air
The autumn wind whipped off Lake Michigan, biting through the damp fabric of my gown. Vincent immediately shrugged out of his heavy wool overcoat and draped it over my shoulders. My instinct was to throw it back into his face, but the lingering scent of cedarwood, amber, and rain that belonged entirely to him hit my senses, unlocking a flood of memories I thought I had buried beneath layers of pride.
""Noah looks just like you,"" Vincent whispered, leaning his forearms against the stone balustrade, his head bowed. ""The way his brow furrows when he's curious... I saw it in the five seconds he looked at me. God, Claire... you hid my son from me.""
""I didn't hide him to spite you, Vincent!"" I fired back, my voice whipping into the night air. ""I left because I was dying in that house! I had postpartum depression so severe I couldn't get out of bed for three days, and when I cried out for help, you asked me why I couldn't be graceful and poised like Sophia! You made me feel like an defective mother, an embarrassment to your family name!""
Vincent flinched as if I had shot him. He turned around, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. ""I never thought you were an embarrassment. Never. You want the truth about Sophia? You want to know why she was always in our house during those months?""
""Enlighten me,"" I crossed my arms, holding his coat tightly around myself against the chill.
""My uncle Marcus was siphoning funds through her father's overseas accounts to stage a hostile takeover of Moretti Shipping,"" Vincent revealed, the words tumbling out in a bitter rush. ""Marcus knew Noah’s birth weakened my focus. He threatened you. He threatened to stage an 'accident' for Noah unless I stepped down as CEO. Sophia was feeding Marcus information, and I had to keep her close to trace the offshore shell companies before Marcus moved against my family. I couldn't tell you because your blood pressure was dangerously high, and the doctors warned me that any extreme stress could trigger a stroke.""
I stared at him, my mind spinning. ""You... you kept her around to protect us?""
""I thought I was being the invincible protector,"" Vincent laughed, a broken, self-mocking sound. ""I thought I could manage the board, destroy Marcus, keep the wolves away from the door, and manage a home all at once. But I was so blind, so exhausted, that I let the woman threatening my family poison my marriage from the inside out. When I bought your mother's bracelet at that auction, I paid five times its value to take it out of Marcus’s private collection. I was having the clasp engraved with Noah’s birthdate to give to you on our anniversary.""
He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a worn velvet pouch. His hands were shaking as he untied the satin cord and dumped the contents into his palm.
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Resting against his calloused skin was a gold chain. The sapphire was missing, but in its place was a flawlessly set blue diamond, surrounded by tiny emerald leaves.
""I found the original jeweler in Geneva,"" Vincent whispered, holding it out to me. ""It took him two years to reconstruct the shattered links from the security footage photos. The sapphire couldn't be saved, so I spent three months searching the mines in South Africa for a stone that matched the hue of your eyes when you smile. I carry it every day. Hoping that one day, my investigators would bring me an address, and I could drop to my knees and beg you to forgive me.""
