Chapter 2: The Warning
Chapter 2: The Warning
Three days later, Russell had resigned.
Television analysts debated ethics.
Medical journals questioned oversight.
Sponsors vanished almost overnight.
His carefully polished reputation collapsed faster than anyone imagined.
Yet Russell never begged.
Never apologized.
Instead, he requested one final meeting.
Maren agreed.
Not because she trusted him.
Because she wanted closure.
They met inside the old botanical gardens where they had taken engagement photographs sixteen years earlier.
Russell looked exhausted.
Not angry.
Simply... defeated.
"You think you destroyed me," he said quietly.
"I exposed you."
"No."
He shook his head.
"You exposed the wrong man."
Maren folded her arms.
"I have the video."
"I know."
"You lied."
"I did."
"You cheated."
"I did."
"So what exactly am I missing?"
Russell stared toward the lake.
"Your father."
The words landed harder than any confession.
"My father died eleven years ago."
Russell nodded slowly.
"I know."
"He was the most honorable man I've ever known."
Russell actually laughed.
Not cruelly.
Sadly.
"That's exactly what everyone believed."
Maren's heartbeat quickened.
"Careful."
"I'm trying to save you."
She nearly walked away.
Then Russell reached into his briefcase and placed a worn brass key on the bench between them.
"I've protected that secret for sixteen years."
She frowned.
"What key?"
"Your father's private office."
"That office was emptied after his funeral."
Russell looked directly into her eyes.
"No."
"It was sealed."
"And everything inside still belongs to you."
He stood.
As he passed her, he spoke one final sentence.
"When you finish reading those files..."
"...you'll wish my affair had been the worst thing your husband ever did."
Then he disappeared.
For the first time since the airport...
Maren wasn't thinking about Lydia.
May you like
She was thinking about the father she had spent her entire life admiring.
And wondering how well she had ever known him.
