Chapter 3 - THE SIGNATURE THAT WASN'T MINE
I spent the next two days quietly gathering records.
I didn't confront Graham.
Not yet.
I had learned that when someone lied confidently, the worst thing you could do was tell them exactly what you knew.
Harbor Crown Holdings had been formed in Delaware eighteen months earlier.
Its ownership was concealed behind several entities.
The company had acquired voting rights in Calloway Maritime through transactions I couldn't remember authorizing.
The paperwork appeared legitimate.
But the signature wasn't mine.
I contacted Nora Whitfield, an attorney I had known since college.
We met in a small café outside the historic district.
Nora studied the documents.
"Are you certain you didn't sign these?"
"Absolutely."
She turned another page.
"Then we need to preserve everything."
I nodded.
She looked at me carefully.
"Eleanor, is this about your marriage?"
I hesitated.
"Partly."
"Tell me."
So I told her about the anniversary party.
The ring.
The laughter.
The watch.
Nora listened.
Then said:
"You can leave a marriage without proving your husband committed a crime."
"I know."
"But if your signature was forged, that's a separate matter."
I looked down.
"I understand."
Nora leaned forward.
"Do you want a divorce?"
The question felt enormous.
Ten years.
A house.
A business.
A shared history.
I thought about the young man who had once worked sixteen-hour days so his employees could get paid.
Then I thought about the man laughing behind the lounge door.
"Yes," I said.
My voice didn't shake.
That evening, Graham came home late.
He found me in the library.
"Still working?"
"Yes."
He loosened his tie.
"You're always working."
I looked up.
"So are you."
He smiled.
"That's why we're successful."
I studied him.
"Are we?"
He frowned.
"What does that mean?"
I closed my laptop.
"Nothing."
He stepped closer.
"Ellie, what's going on?"
For a moment, I wanted to tell him everything.
That I had heard him.
That I knew about the transfer.
That I no longer trusted him.
Instead, I asked:
"Why do you wear your wedding ring?"
He looked surprised.
"What?"
"Why do you wear it?"
He laughed.
"Because I'm married."
I waited.
He shrugged.
"Because it matters to people."
I felt something settle inside me.
There it was again.
May you like
The truth.
This time, he hadn't even needed an audience.
