CHAPTER 14: Vivian's Quiet Verdict

Sebastian lowered his voice when he understood public control was gone.
'Vivian, think carefully. You are angry. Do not destroy a marriage over one accident.'
She looked at him for a long moment.
There had been a time when his fear would have moved her. She would have heard the word marriage and remembered the early kindness, the flowers, the promise of a complete family after loss.
But memory was not evidence of love. Sometimes it was only proof that a person had known how to pretend before they asked for ownership.
'This marriage was not destroyed by one accident,' she said.
The ballroom stayed still.
'It was revealed by one.'
Sebastian flinched as if she had shouted.
Vivian turned to Lydia. 'File the objection. Preserve the footage. Remove him from all Rowe Foundation materials pending review.'
Lydia nodded.
'Already drafted.'
For the first time all night, Vivian almost laughed.
Not from cruelty. From exhaustion. From the strange relief of discovering that preparation could sound like mercy when it arrived on time.
She shifted Maisie gently. 'We're leaving.'