maybe, but it’s temporary. Reimbursable.”
I walked to the window and looked out at the quiet street.
“Lucas, that sounds like something we should discuss.”
“We did discuss it. Remember? The relocation package? The financial restructuring?”
“No,” I said carefully. “I don’t remember discussing several hundred thousand dollars.”
A silence.
It lasted only a second, but I heard the change in him.
“Anne,” he said, patient now, “we talked about this last week.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Maybe you were overwhelmed.”
There it was.
The shift.
Gentleness becoming correction.
Memory becoming negotiable.
“Maybe,” I said.
“I sent some documents too. You signed them.”
My heart beat once, hard.
“What documents?”
“Just authorizations. Nothing serious. The accountant has copies.”
Miriam’s warning echoed in my mind.
“Can you send them to me?”
A faint laugh. “Right now? I’m traveling.”
“When you can.”
“Of course.”
Another pause.
“Is something wrong?”
I looked at my
