Chapter 5 - The Cost of Everything
Andrew sank into his chair, shoulders hunched. For the first time all night, he looked at me properly—really looked—and what he saw must have scared him. I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t begging. I was waiting.
Thomas pushed the folder toward him. “Do you want to read these aloud, or should I?”
Andrew stared at the papers like they were on fire. “I’ll pay it back. Every cent. Just… don’t make this public. Don’t cut me off.”
“You’ve had chances to pay it back,” Thomas said. “Instead you spent more. You’ve used company funds as your personal bank account for nearly two years. And that’s only the money we can prove.” He leaned forward across the table. “But we’re not just talking about money. We’re talking about what you’ve cost her.”
He turned to me. “Claire, do you remember that internship you turned down? The one at the Art Institute? It was a two-year position leading to a permanent curatorial role. By now, you could have been running your own exhibit. Building a reputation. Standing on your own two feet in a career you loved. You gave all that up so Andrew could have the support he claimed he needed. And he gave you nothing in return.”
My throat tightened. I’d tried not to think about what I’d lost. I’d told myself it was a choice, a sacrifice, part of being married. But hearing it spoken aloud—what I’d given up—made my chest ache like a fresh wound.
“I didn’t want anything from him but him,” I said quietly. “I just wanted us to be partners.”
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Andrew looked up, voice cracking. “We are partners—”
“Partners don’t treat each other like servants,” Diane said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “Partners don’t belittle you to strangers. Partners don’t make you feel small so they can feel big. I’ve seen it for years, Claire. The way he looks right past you when you’re speaking. The way he takes your work for granted. I’ve wanted to say something…
