"Sarah, didn't you just sign the waiver? This was a tragic accident. We can handle it internally. Why drag the police into our grief? Why let the whole world watch us suffer?"
He paused, letting the silence stretch before dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"You're the beneficiary of Ethan's accident insurance, aren't you?"
My heart skipped a beat.
In my past life, this conversation never happened. Back then, I had been hysterical, screaming for the police while they scrambled to subdue me and sanitize the crime scene. But now, faced with my eerie calm, Derek prioritized his greed.
I studied his face, inches from mine. The grief was gone, replaced by cold calculation.
"Yes," I said, nodding slowly. "I'm his mother. Who else would it be?"
Derek's eyes gleamed with immediate interest.
"The payout is estimated around eighty thousand dollars." The number rolled off his tongue with practiced ease. "I want you to promise me something. Once the money comes in, transfer it to Diana."
He spoke with sickening entitlement, as if the money were already his to allocate.