Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO SAW EVERYTHING
Clare returned to Boston two weeks later.
She had taken time off from her job as a restoration architect.
Now she needed to face reality.
The apartment lease.
The wedding expenses.
The deposits.
The shared accounts.
And the future she'd planned with Ethan.
Her first appointment was with a lawyer.
His name was Julian Cross.
Thirty-six.
Dark-haired.
Quietly confident.
He worked at a small firm specializing in contract disputes and property matters.
Clare sat across from him.
“I need to know what I'm responsible for.”
Julian nodded.
“Tell me what happened.”
She explained the canceled wedding.
The limousine.
The dress.
The ring.
The hotel.
He listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he asked:
“Did you sign the wedding vendor agreements?”
“Some of them.”
“Were the expenses shared?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have copies?”
She nodded.
Julian leaned forward.
“Then we'll start there.”
Clare looked at him.
“You're not going to tell me I overreacted?”
He frowned.
“Why would I?”
She swallowed.
“Everyone keeps asking whether a car was worth canceling a wedding over.”
Julian studied her.
Then said:
“Was it about the car?”
Clare's eyes filled.
“No.”
He nodded.
May you like
“Then perhaps people should stop pretending it was.”
And for the first time since leaving Ethan, Clare felt completely understood.
