I let out a shaky breath. Chase’s words felt raw, intimate. In fact, they were more intimate than anything he had ever told me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I had no idea.”
I wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, take away the pain, while another part of me demanded that I stay away.
He shrugged, as though his life story wasn’t a big deal. “It’s fine.” He looked away. “Now you know why I have to do it. My father was a victim. We all were. Believe it or not, I do care about you,” he said quietly. “But this is something I owe my family. Because everything he owns is connected to your inheritance, I can make him suffer. For once, I want him to feel the pain we felt. I want him to lose something he loves—and in his case that’s money.”
“That’s why you married me,” I said to process the news. Shaking my head, I poured myself another glass of wine and gulped it all down. Only after the liquid had traveled down my throat, leaving a bitter trail in its wake, did I turn to face Chase.
“You wasted your time,” I said softly. “Even if I wanted to help, all I get is a quarter. If you had been upfront with me before, I would have been able to help you. You shouldn’t have lied and tricked me into believing you cared for me. I would have understood. But now the whole thing was in vain. I signed an agreement before I married you, so the inheritance is practically his.”
“Is it?” Chase counteracted.
“Is what?” I asked, confused.
“Is the inheritance still his if he never received the signed agreement?”
My eyes narrowed as I took in his words. Was it my imagination or had his expression softened?
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I gave him the signed agreement before we got married.”
“That may be true, but what if the contract you signed disappeared?” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Maybe it never existed. Would you say it was still valid?”
I shook my head, confused.
“Of course it exists. I signed it.” I stared at him. “What are you getting at? It sounds as though you’re trying to pull me into that gray legal area with you, and I’m not interested in getting involved.”
He leaned back against the seat. “I might or might not have it.”
My heart skipped a beat. Then another. I felt as though I was stuck on a roller coaster ride and everything was going too fast.
“You do not have it,” I said slowly. “Because if you did—”
It would be illegal—just like about everything else that involved Chase.
“Okay, maybe I don’t have it, but I did until it burned.”
“You broke into Clint’s home and stole the contract?” I asked in disbelief.
He regarded me with an amused glint in his eyes. “Not into his home, but his lawyer’s.”
I let out a brief laugh.
Holy shit.
The guy was trouble.
“That breaks the law on so many levels.” I shook my head, unable to comprehend the way his mind worked. “Chase, you’re a lawyer. At least that’s what you’re claiming to be. Why would you do that? Aren’t you supposed to stick to the rules?”
He cocked a brow. “Do I look like a cop? No, I’m a lawyer, and in all the years I worked as one, I learned a lot. Sometimes, to achieve a goal, you have to break the rules,” he said. “Everyone does it because the law’s corrupt. Ask any lawyer and he’ll tell you the same thing. Clint doesn’t have the right to take what’s yours. He had no right to take what was ours. Now that I’m your husband, I have the power and the right to take legal action against him.”
“Was that really your plan all along?”
“To contest your mom’s will? Yes.” He nodded his head, the motion strengthening his words.
“Even if I wanted to, I can’t allow it,” I said frightened at the thought of welcoming more chaos into my life.
“When I said you won’t have a choice, I meant it, Laurie,” he said. “You should have asked for a prenup. Without one, I have access to everything that belongs to you, unless you get a divorce, in which case you won’t see your mom’s letters.”
Maybe what he said was true, and maybe it wasn’t.
For the first time, I realized how naïve I had been. He was a lawyer, I wasn’t. He was prepared to do whatever it took to further his agenda; I wasn’t.
I swallowed hard, but couldn’t quite get rid of the lump lodged in my throat.
“It’s not your right to interfere in my life,” I said angrily. “Just so you know, Clint never forced me to give him anything. I did it freely. He’s been offering me money for years—money I never took.”
“I know that.” Chase nodded slowly. “Your mom told you not to take anything, right? It’s the reason you gave up everything.”
My whole body tensed.
He was right.
It was the only reason, something I might have mentioned to him. But he knew way more than the bits and pieces of information I had fed him.
“Don’t ever talk about my mom again. It was her wish that Clint receive the money, so I’m going to respect it.”
“Laurie,” he started, his voice serious, heavy. “Did you ever stop to think about why she would demand something like that from her daughter? Your own mother out of all people.” He inched closer to me until his thigh brushed mine. I peered at it for a second, unsure whether to put some distance between us, when he resumed the conversation. “Did it never occur to you that maybe she was forced? That maybe she had no choice? That maybe she was fearing for her life?”
Slowly, his face came closer, his hot breath brushing my lips. “Think, Laurie. The entire estate belonged to your mom. It’s been in your family for generations—not just money, but heirlooms. You really think anyone would give it away to someone they’ve known for a few years rather than their own child?”
“I’m sure she had her reasons,” I protested weakly, even though I knew he was right.
The same thoughts had occurred to me years ago. They had kept circling in my mind, coming and going at regular intervals. Even Jude had tried to pinpoint it to me, and I had brushed her off simply because I could feel just how right she was.
“And yet Clint insists that you get a fraction of your inheritance,” Chase said coolly. “Do you know why he wants you to have it? As your lawyer, I can tell you it’s so you won’t be able to contest the terms of the will later, once you find out your mom wasn’t well. That’s why he wanted a written agreement. If you simply refused to sign, you would have received everything. And then there’s another matter.”
“What?” I asked faintly.
“Your grandparents were the actual owners of Waterfront Shore. Your mom was their heir, followed by you. Your grandfather was still alive when she died, which is why I think Clint adopted you. She was living there, yes, but the entire estate never belonged to your mom in the first place. By adopting you Clint became your legal guardian, meaning he got the estate through you once your grandfather passed away. Legally speaking, her testament should never have been implemented because the estate had never been passed on to her. I think she left that legal loophole open because she knew something was off about Clint.”
I leaned back, both in shock and realization, my thoughts racing. “Are you saying my mom wanted me to have the inheritance?” My voice dripped with disbelief.
“Yes.”
I shook my head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, that’s too bad.” I frowned at his words. “I have every reason to believe that your mom’s letters contain her real thoughts on the matter.”
His words made my head spin. “How do you know all this?”
He smiled gently. “The law is complex, particularly when you’re a minor and your legal guardian, the one person who should be looking out for you, has only his own gain in mind. I don’t believe your mom was as crazy as Clint made her out to be. I believe she was scared. In fact, so scared that she put it in writing.”
He hadn’t answered my question.
I shook my head again. My hands were clammy and trembling. The past I had left behind was catching up with me. I needed to be alone, if only to figure out my next step.
“The ten minutes are over, Chase,” I said weakly. “Tell the driver to stop the car.”
“We’ll reach the hotel in a few minutes.”
“I want to leave now!”
Chase grimaced. “Laurie, you don’t even know where you are.”
“That’s not your problem,” I said harsher than intended. “Stop the car, Chase.”
He sighed, and then he pressed a button. “As you wish.”
Within seconds, the limousine came to a halt. As soon as the door opened, I jumped out and took off down the street without a glance back.
Chapter 15
The streets were cramped, so avoiding people wasn’t easy. I walked down the busy road with no idea where I was. A few taxis drove by. I ignored them all. The hotel couldn’t be far away, but I didn’t feel like locking myself up. I needed the walk to process Chase’s words. Everything inside my mind was a blur, but if I concentrated hard enough, I could hear my mom’s voice.