Chapter 9 - Daniel Comes Looking for Me
Daniel arrived at my office on a rainy Thursday.
I had not seen him in almost six years.
He looked older.
Not dramatically.
Just worn around the eyes.
My receptionist said, “There’s a Daniel Mercer asking for you.”
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Then I said, “Send him in.”
He entered slowly.
“Hi, Emma.”
“Daniel.”
His gaze moved around the office.
The shelves.
Degrees.
Case awards.
Photograph of Adrian and me at a charity run.
“You did well.”
“I worked.”
He nodded.
“I deserved that.”
“I wasn’t insulting you.”
“No. That’s why I deserved it.”
He sat only after I offered.
“I’m not here to interfere with your life.”
“Good.”
“I came to apologize.”
I waited.
He took a breath.
“I believed them.”
“Yes.”
“I should have asked you.”
“Yes.”
“I wanted Dad’s connections.”
I appreciated that he didn’t pretend otherwise.
“I was terrified my company would fail. Your father offered everything I thought I needed.”
“And Cassandra?”
“I cared about her.”
“But?”
He looked toward the window.
“I loved the future your father promised more than I loved either of you.”
There it was.
Ugly.
Honest.
Human.
“I’m sorry.”
I looked at the man I once believed would become my husband.
Strangely, there was no dramatic pain.
Just distance.
“You hurt me.”
“I know.”
“But losing you made me leave.”
His eyes returned to mine.
“And leaving gave me a life I never would have built if I’d stayed.”
Daniel smiled sadly.
“So breaking your heart was the best thing I ever did for you?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Surviving it was the best thing I ever did for myself.”
He nodded.
Before leaving, he handed me a folder.
“What’s this?”
“Proof that your father used my company to move Harborlight funds.”
“Daniel…”
“I’m cooperating.”
“Why?”
“Because somebody should have done the right thing six years ago.”
He stood.
At the door, he stopped.
“Adrian?”
“Yes?”
“He seems good.”
“He is.”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“I’m glad.”
Then he left.
May you like
And for the first time, the door closing behind Daniel didn’t feel like abandonment.
It felt like an ending.
