Chapter 16 - The Life She Chose
Three months changed Thea more than the previous three years.
She moved back into the apartment on Sycamore Street.
Marianne complained because the air conditioner still made a noise “like a tractor arguing with God.”
Thea returned to work part-time.
Then applied to nursing school.
She had postponed college when Marianne became ill.
Now the future felt available again.
Lachlan paid nothing.
That was Thea's rule.
When tuition assistance arrived through a scholarship fund connected to neither him nor Voss Meridian, she spent two weeks investigating it before accepting.
Marianne laughed.
“You're paranoid.”
“I married into practice.”
She saw Sophie twice a week.
Sometimes at the park.
Sometimes for ice cream.
Sometimes Sophie slept at the apartment and declared the squeaky sofa superior to her enormous bedroom at the Voss estate.
Lachlan usually dropped her off.
He never stayed unless invited.
At first, Thea found that irritating.
Then she understood.
He was respecting the choice he'd given her.
No pressure.
No expensive gifts.
No dramatic declarations.
Just presence.
One rainy Thursday, he arrived holding an umbrella.
Sophie ran inside.
Thea remained at the door.
“You can come in.”
“Are you sure?”
“It's raining.”
“I own a car.”
“You're impossible.”
“So I've heard.”
He entered.
Marianne was asleep.
Sophie went to watch a movie.
Thea made coffee.
Still terrible by Lachlan's standards.
He drank it anyway.
“How's the company?” she asked.
“Still exists.”
“High praise.”
“The board wants me back.”
“As CEO?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want it?”
He paused.
“I don't know.”
That surprised her.
Three months earlier, Voss Meridian seemed part of his identity.
“What else would you do?”
“I've been thinking about separating the family trust from operating control.”
“Elena wanted the company broken apart.”
“Not exactly. She wanted no single Voss to control everything.”
Thea smiled.
“You're listening to her.”
“Late.”
“Still counts.”
They sat quietly.
“What about Astrid?”
“Sentencing next month.”
“Have you visited?”
“Twice.”
“How was it?”
“Complicated.”
Thea nodded.
Some relationships didn't become simple merely because someone admitted guilt.
“What about Julian?”
“Testifying.”
“Do you hate him?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you love him?”
“Sometimes.”
“Sounds inconvenient.”
“It is.”
Sophie shouted from the living room.
“Aunt Thea! The dog dies!”
“What?”
Thea ran.
Lachlan followed.
On television, an animated dog appeared in danger.
Sophie had already begun crying.
“It doesn't die,” Thea said.
“How do you know?”
“I've seen this.”
“You promised?”
“Yes.”
They watched until the dog survived.
Sophie immediately recovered.
Lachlan whispered, “That was emotionally manipulative.”
“Children's movies are ruthless.”
Sophie eventually fell asleep.
Lachlan carried her to Thea's old room.
When he returned, Thea was standing by the window.
“You're good with her.”
“So are you.”
“She loves you.”
“I love her.”
The words were simple.
Then he said, “She asks when you're coming home.”
Thea's chest tightened.
“This is home too.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She turned.
“I need to tell you something.”
His posture changed.
“What?”
“I got accepted.”
“Where?”
“St. Catherine's nursing program.”
A smile spread across his face.
“Thea.”
“Don't hug me.”
He stopped.
“Why?”
“Because I haven't finished.”
“Sorry.”
“They offered accelerated placement because of my clinical experience.”
“That's excellent.”
“And I said yes.”
“Good.”
“I start next month.”
“I am proud of you.”
She swallowed.
“Thank you.”
He didn't say he could pay.
Didn't offer influence.
Didn't turn her achievement into his generosity.
That mattered more than he knew.
Then Lachlan reached inside his coat.
Thea narrowed her eyes.
“No gifts.”
“It isn't.”
He placed an envelope on the table.
Her stomach tightened.
“Divorce?”
“Annulment.”
The unsigned filing.
Still waiting.
“I thought you'd filed.”
“You said you needed time.”
“And now?”
“Now it's been three months.”
She stared at the paper.
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying you deserve a life that isn't legally connected to a bargain you made under pressure.”
“And if I sign?”
“I won't fight.”
“And if I don't?”
His eyes met hers.
“I will ask you on a date.”
Thea laughed.
“A date?”
“Yes.”
“We're married.”
“Technically.”
“You are ridiculous.”
“Probably.”
“What kind of date?”
“Dinner.”
“At one of your restaurants where water costs twenty dollars?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“A taco truck.”
She blinked.
“You eat at taco trucks?”
“I've researched.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“I am expanding.”
Thea laughed so hard she had to sit down.
Lachlan smiled.
God.
She had missed that.
Not his estate.
Not the cars.
Not the dangerous mystery.
Him.
His infuriating precision.
His dry humor.
The way he listened.
The way he now asked before entering parts of her life.
She looked at the annulment papers.
Then tore them in half.
Lachlan froze.
Thea tore them again.
“You know lawyers have copies.”
“Don't ruin my moment.”
“I apologize.”
She dropped the pieces.
His voice became quiet.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can ask.”
He stared at her.
“Thea Lindquist Voss.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Would you go on a date with me?”
“Maybe.”
His face fell.
She smiled.
“Pick me up Friday at seven.”
Relief transformed him.
“Seven.”
“No security convoy.”
“Marcus will object.”
“Tell Marcus it's romantic.”
“He will object more.”
“Figure it out.”
Lachlan left an hour later.
Thea watched from the window.
Marianne appeared behind her.
“You're going back.”
“I'm going on a date.”
“With your husband.”
“Yes.”
“Modern romance is confusing.”
Thea smiled.
Friday came.
No limousine.
Lachlan arrived in an ordinary black sedan.
“Where did you get this?”
“Marcus says it's secure.”
“Of course.”
They ate tacos at a picnic table.
Lachlan spilled salsa on his shirt.
Thea laughed until she cried.
Afterward they walked beside the river.
No photographers.
No bodyguards visible.
No one calling him CEO.
“Why did you choose me?” Thea asked.
“I told you.”
“No. You told me why you noticed me.”
He thought.
“Because when I was blind, everyone changed around me.”
“How?”
“They became either overly helpful or overly comfortable.”
“Meaning?”
“They thought I couldn't see disgust. Pity. Greed.”
“And me?”
“You were irritated.”
She laughed.
“That convinced you?”
“You didn't pity me.”
“I thought you were arrogant.”
“I was.”
“Still are.”
“Yes.”
He stopped walking.
“And you?”
“What?”
“Why did you come back?”
Thea looked at the river.
“I haven't.”
He waited.
“Not yet.”
Then she looked at him.
“But maybe I don't have to go back.”
He frowned.
“Maybe we build something new.”
Understanding reached his face slowly.
A home not built around lies.
A marriage not built around a contract.
A family that didn't treat secrecy as protection.
Lachlan took her hand.
“I would like that.”
Thea smiled.
Then his phone rang.
He sighed.
“Ignore it.”
“Could be Sophie.”
He checked.
His expression changed.
“What?”
“Marcus.”
He answered.
Thea watched his face.
The softness disappeared.
“What happened?”
Lachlan ended the call.
“The federal archive team found another recording.”
“From Sparrow?”
“Yes.”
“Important?”
He looked at her.
“It's Elena.”
Thea's heart tightened.
“What does she say?”
“She recorded something the day before she died.”
“What?”
Lachlan swallowed.
“She says she knows who will kill her if she doesn't stop.”
The investigation they thought was finished had one last secret.
May you like
And Elena herself had left the answer.
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