“In return, you disappear from my life forever. No contact, no attempts at reconciliation, no asking for money. You take what you have and leave the country. You start a new life, far away from me.”
Nora slid a thick document across the table. It was the confession, detailed and relentless, accompanied by a legal agreement that bound them to never contact me again.
“And the money?” Rachel asked, her eyes finally meeting mine. Even now, cornered, all she thought about was money.
“Most of it goes to the Robert Foundation, as planned,” I replied. “But I am willing to pay off your debts, on the condition that you never return.”
A tense silence settled in the room. Finally, Rachel reached for the pen. “We have no choice,” she muttered to Derek. “It’s this or jail.”
As they signed, I felt an emptiness expanding inside me. This was the end. When they finished, Nora collected the papers. “Mr. Miller will accompany you to your apartment to collect your essential belongings,” she informed them. “You have forty-eight hours to leave the country.”
As they stood up to leave, I had one last question. “Why, Rachel? Really. Not the abandonment story. You know it’s not true. I gave you everything.”