At the fake skin.
At the fake age.
At the fake weakness.
And she realized something.
Everyone in that chapel had been wearing one.
Her father wore the mask of a proud businessman.
Her mother wore the mask of a suffering wife.
Marcus wore the mask of a desperate brother.
And Evelyn had worn the mask of a sacrifice.
Tonight, all of them came off.
—I want protection from my family, —she said. —Not comfort. Not diamonds. Protection. I want my personal accounts separated. I want access to every document with my name on it. I want a lawyer who works for me, not for you. And if anything happens to me, this evidence goes public.
Adrian stared at her.
—You already made copies.
—Seven.
—Where?
—If you were as smart as your mask, you wouldn’t ask a woman that on the first night.
This time he did smile.
Small.
Dangerous.
Real.
Then he walked to a drawer, pulled out a black phone, and made one call.
—Mara, wake up. I need an emergency spousal protection agreement drafted within the hour. Independent counsel. No, not ours. Hers.
He listened.
His eyes stayed on Evelyn.
—Yes, she is standing in front of me. No, she is not crying.
A pause.
—That is why I’m calling you.
He ended the call.
—Mara Quinn is the only attorney who ever beat me in court.
—You trust her?
—I trust that she hates me enough not to work for my benefit.
Evelyn nodded once.
It was strange what relief felt like after terror. Not warmth. Not softness. Just the first loose breath after weeks of drowning.
Adrian set the phone down.
—Now tell me what’s on the drive.
Evelyn placed it on the desk, but kept her hand over it.
—Marcus didn’t only gamble the emergency fund. He laundered money through three shell subcontractors tied to your father’s waterfront project. My father signed the false safety reports. My mother moved the payments through a charity she pretends is for widows. There are invoices, bank transfers, inspection notes, two bribery ledgers, and a scanned letter from your father begging them to release the final payment before his company collapsed.
Adrian’s face changed at the last part.
The anger did not get louder.
It got colder.
—You have the letter?
—I found it in my father’s safe. He kept it like a trophy.
Adrian looked away.
For the first time since he removed the mask, Evelyn saw the boy he must have been before revenge rebuilt him.
