Chapter 7: His Biggest Regret

Vivienne's confession began in Thayer's private office.

She refused to speak in the ballroom.

Thayer refused to let me hear the truth from anyone except both of them together.

We sat on opposite sides of a polished desk while Vivienne remained near the window.

"Our engagement ended because of my father," she said.

Thayer's expression was unreadable.

"Senator Cross wanted access to Sinclair contracts," she continued. "Thayer refused. My father threatened to expose private information about Thayer's younger brother."

"What information?" I asked.

"Julian had a gambling problem. He stole from a family trust to cover his debts."

Thayer's jaw tightened.

"Julian was twenty-one," he said. "He repaid the money and entered treatment."

Vivienne nodded.

"My father wanted Thayer to approve a government development deal. When he refused, I was told to end the engagement publicly and blame him."

The similarity to my own situation was impossible to ignore.

"You lied to protect him," I said.

"I thought I did."

Vivienne looked at Thayer.

"I told the press he was controlling and unfaithful. The scandal nearly destroyed his reputation."

"Why didn't you tell him the truth later?"

"Pride. Fear. And because by then he hated me."

Thayer looked toward me.

"I did not know until last year."

"And you still didn't reconcile?"

"No."

Vivienne gave a sad smile.

"He forgave the lie. He did not restore the love."

The words were meant to reassure me.

They did.

More than I wanted to admit.

"Why are you here now?" I asked her.

"My father is under federal investigation. He wants access to Sinclair support again. I came to warn Thayer that he may use your engagement as leverage."

"How?"

"By proving it is false."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the chair.

Thayer remained calm.

"The engagement is not false."

Vivienne glanced at the ring.

"Then I hope you both know what you are doing."

After she left, silence settled over the office.

"You should have told me about her," I said.

"You accepted my ring less than twenty-four hours ago."

"That is not an excuse."

"No. It is context."

I stood.

"I will not become another woman standing beside a man while everyone else knows his history better than she does."

Thayer came around the desk.

"Then ask me anything."

"Did you love her?"

"Yes."

The honesty hurt, but the alternative would have hurt more.

"Do you still?"

"No."

"How can you be certain?"

"Because I spent three years trying to forgive her, and every time I imagined a future, she was not in it."

His gaze held mine.

"You were."

My breath caught.

"Do not say things like that because I am vulnerable."

"I have said versions of it for years. You only hear me now because you finally stopped defending Bastian."

The truth left me defenseless.

My phone rang.

Mrs. Wilson's name appeared on the screen.

I answered.

"Meredith," she said, her voice strained. "Bastian has emptied one of the company accounts."

Thayer heard the words and immediately reached for his phone.

"How much?" I asked.

"Nearly two million dollars."

"Where did it go?"

"A shell company registered this morning."

I already knew the answer.

"Gina."

Mrs. Wilson began to cry.

"We think she convinced him to invest in a nightclub. He used his old executive access before we could revoke it."

"Call the bank's fraud division."

"We did. They need proof he was unauthorized."

"Your board resolution disowning him is not enough. You need a formal removal notice and a police report."

"Can your father help?"

"Yes. I will call him."

Thayer was already speaking to someone on another line.

Within minutes, attorneys, bank officers, and investigators were moving.

I should not have cared what happened to Bastian.

But Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had always treated me with kindness.

I would not let their son destroy them out of spite.

By evening, the transfer was frozen.

The shell company belonged to Gina's cousin.

The nightclub did not exist.

Bastian had handed over nearly two million dollars for a fantasy.

He appeared at my parents' house just after dark.

Rain soaked his shirt and hair.

My father wanted security to remove him.

I stepped outside instead.

"What do you want?"

Bastian looked broken.

"Help me."

"I already did. The transfer was frozen."

"My parents filed charges."

"You stole from their company."

"Gina said it was an investment."

"You believed her because you wanted to prove everyone wrong."

"She left."

I said nothing.

"The moment she heard the money was frozen, she disappeared."

His voice cracked.

"She took my watch, my car keys, everything."

For the first time, Bastian finally looked as foolish as he had made me feel.

"I was wrong," he said.

"About the money?"

"About everything."

He reached toward me but stopped when he saw Thayer standing inside the doorway.

"Meredith, I love you."

The words would once have saved him.

Now they sounded like panic.

"You loved being forgiven," I said. "You loved knowing I would stay no matter what you did."

"That isn't true."

"Then why did you only remember you loved me after Gina left?"

He had no answer.

I turned toward the house.

"Meredith, wait."

I stopped but did not look back.

"What we had cannot end like this," he said.

"It already did."

The next morning, Bastian was arrested for unauthorized transfer of company funds.

Gina remained missing.

And on my doorstep, someone left a package containing a copy of the intimate recording from beneath our bed.

Taped to it was a note.

Withdraw the charges, or everyone hears the rest.