Chapter 67The next morning turned into a flurry of activity as James prepared for the emergency board assembly. He was up before sunrise, poring over the contemporary reports from the forensic accountants as he downed cup after cup of black espresso.Lily did her best to provide silent support, keeping Ava occupied and making sure James remembered to eat something. She could see the tension coiled in each line of his body, the fierce willpower burning in his eyes.Just before he left, James pulled her into a long, tight embrace. "I will get to the bottom of this," he vowed again. "I won't let our family stay vulnerable a second longer than necessary."Lily held him tightly, breathing in his familiar scent - clean soap and sandalwood from his aftershave. "I know you will," she murmured against his neck. "You're James freaking Watson. You've conquered bigger obstacles than this."That pulled a small chuckle from him as he drew back to look at her. "Damn right I have. And I've got one h
Chapter 68Lily's knuckles had been white on the steerage wheel as she pulled into Rowland Park, scanning the scattered clusters of human beings milling about. She noticed Vincent almost immediately, lounging on a bench near the duck pond looking a way too casual for the sort of clandestine meeting.Swallowing hard, she pulled into a space and took a moment to gather herself before stepping out. The whole drive over, she'd second-guessed this decision a thousand times. Meeting a potential threat alone, without even telling James...it went against every ounce of logic and self-preservation.But beneath the fear pulsing through her veins, steely resolve hardened her spine and propelled her forward. She had to see this through, had to seize any chance to help James and protect their family, no matter the risk to herself.Approaching the bench on legs that wanted to wobble, Lily stopped a few feet away and crossed her arms. "Alright Vincent, I'm here," she said tightly. "Now tell me what
Chapter 69Lily wasn't sure how long she sat in the car, staring unseeingly at the damning documents until the words blurred before her disbelieving eyes. It could have been minutes or hours as shock and a bone-deep sense of betrayal coalesced like lead in her veins.James...her James...a liar. A fraud. A man capable of the kind of corrupt double-dealing she despised at her core. The proof was indisputable, laid out in transaction after transaction, year after year.How could she reconcile this soulless corporate raider with the loving, honorable husband and father she adored? It was like a cruel funhouse mirror, reflecting back a warped perversion of the life and man she thought she knew.A shrill ringing startled Lily out of her stupor and with numb fingers, she fumbled her cell phone out to see James' face smiling up at her from the screen - a photo she'd snapped just last week as he'd laughingly rough-housed with Ava.The easy joy and love captured there, frozen in a moment before
Chapter 70"Lily, thank God!" James rushed forward as she numbly exited the car, his hands reaching for her. "Where have you been? I've been calling for hours, I was about to send out a damn search party!"But Lily flinched back from his touch as if burned, the folder thrust between them like a shield. Or a glaring accusation. James froze, his eyes widening as they flicked from her devastated face to the damning papers."Lily..." he started hoarsely, a thousand emotions swirling in that one broken word. But she cut him off with a sharp, brittle laugh completely devoid of humor."Don't," she bit out, despising how her voice wavered. "Don't you dare try to explain this away, to spin some story about how it's not what it looks like."She shoved the folder into his chest, the harsh gesture belying the way her hand shook. I have everything, James. All the bad stuff: the cheating, stealing, and illegal things you did. It's all written down for everyone to see what a liar you are."James tur
Chapter 71James stood there, frozen—felt as though someone had punched all the air out of his lungs—as he stared down the street after Lily's disappearing car. This couldn't be happening to him. One minute it was all so fine; the next, his world came crashing down around him.His eyes fell on the folder lying on the floor, full of evidence against him pertaining to crimes he never committed. This was a setup, a twisted attempt to sabotage his life and destroy his marriage. But by who? And why? His mind raced as he tried to figure out whose sick game this was.One thing was certain - he had to fix this, and fast. He couldn't let Lily slip through his fingers over some psycho's deranged lies. Snatching up the folder, James rushed inside and dumped the contents on his desk. He started examining every document with an eagle eye, looking for any clues or inconsistencies that could unravel this plot.Hours ticked by as the sun set outside, but James barely noticed. He was a man possessed,
Chapter 72Two days later, Lily stared listlessly out the window of her dad's beach house, hugging her arms tightly around her middle. The picturesque seaside vista spread out before her normally filled her with serene tranquility. But not today. Today, the crashing waves and windswept dunes only seemed to mirror the turmoil raging inside her heart.She felt hollowed out, numb. Like someone had carved out her very soul, leaving a gaping emptiness in its wake. No matter how tightly she tried to hold herself together, invisible fissures kept splintering wider with each passing hour apart from James.God, just thinking his name made her want to shatter into a million pieces.How could the man she loved more than life itself have done this to her? Maintained such a profound, insidious deception for so long? Lily kept revisiting that awful folder filled with evidence of his betrayal, searching in vain for some hint she'd missed, some explanation that could make it all make sense.But ther
Chapter 73A few days later, Lily sat facing the waves of the ocean on the patio, nursing her mug of chamomile tea. She hoped this soothing ritual might help to quell her shaken nerves, but her mind was still running on agonizing spinning wheels.She couldn't fathom how James—her James—could have perpetrated such comprehensive deception year after year. Yet the evidence in that damning folder made it impossible to go on deluding herself much longer. Lily didn't know which was worse - the sickening realization that her marriage had been a mirage, or the nagging voice that wondered if she was just being naive again, desperate to cling to the man she loved no matter his sins.A soft sound made her look up to see James approaching hesitantly. Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze drank in his haggard appearance - the rumpled suit, the dark circles under his eyes, the entire aura of a man pushed to the brink. ""Hi," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was a very un
Chapter 74They clung together like shipwrecked souls amidst the roiling tempest of their crumbling world, seeking shelter in the one Safe harbor they had left - their profound, battered love.When the intensity finally ebbed and they drew apart, foreheads resting together, Lily felt a modicum of the ice encasing her heart begin to thaw. She had no guarantee this wouldn't all end in further devastation, no assurance that the trust could ever be rebuilt once the whole truth finally saw daylight.But she did have this moment at least - a chance to grab the lifeline James was offering and make one last, valiant effort to navigate them through the storm. To save them both from going under amidst the swirling wreckage."Okay," she murmured shakily, cradling his face between her palms. "Show me, James. Demolish every lie and innuendo until there's no doubt left in my mind about who you really are."He turned his head and brushed a tender kiss across her inner wrist, the warmth of it searing