“You never told us,” Daniel whispered.
“You never asked.”
Patricia sat down slowly.
I picked up my handbag.
“Maria starts work Monday.”
Patricia looked confused.
Robert answered for me.
“The trustees have rehired her to manage the residence during the transition.”
Maria walked in from the hallway.
Patricia looked as though she had seen a ghost.
Maria smiled politely.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Whitmore.”
I stopped beside Patricia.
“You were right about one thing.”
She looked up.
“Someone needed to clean this house.”
I glanced at the attorneys.
“It just wasn’t the floors.”
Four months later, my divorce was finalized.
Daniel avoided criminal charges only after cooperating fully with investigators, surrendering his trust distributions, and entering a repayment agreement that would follow him for years.
Patricia wasn’t as fortunate.
The trustees recovered property purchased with diverted funds, including her vacation condo and two luxury cars.
She moved into a small apartment outside the city while civil proceedings continued.
