Chapter 13: The Price of Their Betrayal

Three days after my mother left, the lawyer called me again.

His voice was calm, but the words made my stomach tighten.

"Rowan, we've completed the preliminary review."

"And?"

"There are several transactions that appear to have been made without your authorization."

I closed my eyes.

Somewhere inside me, I had still hoped there was an explanation that would make everything less ugly.

There wasn't.

"How much?"

He gave me the amount.

My breath caught.

It wasn't a small withdrawal.

It was enough to change someone's entire life.

Enough to explain the expensive house, the nursery, the furniture, the accounts Camden had been showing off.

All of it had been built with money that belonged to me.

"What happens now?" I asked.

"We file a formal claim and request the return of the assets."

"Will they fight it?"

"Almost certainly."

I wasn't surprised.

That afternoon, Camden arrived at the hotel.

I watched him through the window as he stepped out of his car.

He looked nothing like the man I had once loved.

He looked desperate.

Beck stood beside me.

"You don't have to see him."

"I know."

I took a breath.

"But I want to."

Camden entered the lobby a few minutes later.

His eyes found me immediately.

For a second, something familiar crossed his face.

Then he saw Beck's wedding ring.

His jaw tightened.

"So this is really happening."

"It already happened."

His eyes dropped to my ring.

"You married him."

"Yes."

"After everything we had?"

I almost laughed.

"You mean after everything you destroyed?"

Camden shook his head.

"You don't understand."

"Then explain."

He looked around the lobby.

"Not here."

"I'm not hiding anymore."

His expression hardened.

"Your mother made mistakes. I made mistakes. Pepper made mistakes. But none of us were trying to hurt you."

"You used my inheritance."

His face changed.

That was answer enough.

"I didn't know all of it came from your father," he said.

"You signed the documents."

"Your mother told me it was family money."

"And you never thought to ask why I wasn't getting any of it?"

He went silent.

I stared at him.

"That's what I thought."

He stepped closer.

"Rowan, I loved you."

The words should have hurt.

They didn't.

"No, Camden."

I shook my head.

"You loved what you thought I could give you."

"That's not fair."

"Fair?"

I almost smiled.

"You don't get to use that word with me."

His face reddened.

"I was going to marry you."

"Until Pepper got pregnant."

"It wasn't planned."

"The house wasn't planned either?"

He stopped.

"The nursery? The furniture? The legal documents? The transfers? Were those accidents too?"

He couldn't answer.

Beck stepped forward.

"We're done here."

Camden glared at him.

"Stay out of this."

Beck's voice remained calm.

"She's my wife. You gave up the right to tell her what to do."

Camden's hands curled into fists.

Then his expression suddenly changed.

"You think you've won?"

I looked at him.

"This isn't a competition."

"Everything you've taken from me will come back."

"I didn't take anything from you."

I stepped closer.

"I'm only taking back what was mine."

He stared at me for a long moment.

Then he lowered his voice.

"Pepper is pregnant. You really want to destroy the baby's home?"

That sentence told me everything.

He was still using the baby as a shield.

"The baby deserves a home," I said.

"But that doesn't mean you get to build it with stolen money."

Camden looked away.

I could see the fear underneath his anger.

He finally understood that the old Rowan wasn't coming back.

"Please," he whispered.

I shook my head.

"You should have thought about that before you chose me as the person you could sacrifice."

He left without another word.

That evening, Pepper called.

I almost didn't answer.

But when I did, she was crying.

"Rowan, Camden didn't tell me everything."

"What didn't he tell you?"

"He said your mother wanted us to have the house. He said everything was legal."

I stayed silent.

"I found another file," she continued.

"What file?"

"A prenatal agreement."

My stomach tightened.

"What does it say?"

"It says Camden agreed to transfer a portion of the estate after your marriage."

I closed my eyes.

There it was.

The final piece.

The marriage hadn't been about love.

It had been the doorway to the money.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

Pepper's voice broke.

"Because I don't want my baby raised in a lie."

For the first time, I heard something genuine in her voice.

Fear.

Not jealousy.

Not competition.

Fear.

"Pepper," I said quietly, "if you want to protect your child, start by telling the truth."

"I will."

She hung up.

The next morning, the lawyer called again.

"Rowan, Pepper has agreed to provide a sworn statement."

I sat up straight.

"She did?"

"Yes. She's also willing to return the property voluntarily if the court determines it was purchased with your trust funds."

I exhaled.

The truth was finally moving faster than their lies.

But there was one thing I still didn't understand.

"Why would Pepper risk turning against Camden?"

The lawyer paused.

"Because she discovered something else."

"What?"

"Camden has been hiding another financial account."

My heart sank.

"Whose account?"

"His."

The lawyer's voice became serious.

"And Rowan, based on the documents we've found, he may have been moving money out of your father's trust for much longer than we originally thought."

I stared at the wedding ring on my finger.

The nightmare wasn't over.

It was only getting bigger.