Chapter 3 - ETHAN’S FIRST STATEMENT
Ethan asked to see me.
I said no.
Then I said yes, with Detective Ellis and Maya present.
He entered wearing the same jacket from the attack.
No tie.
No family lawyer.
He looked at Ava first.
“Is she okay?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
Then looked at my bandaged temple.
“I’m sorry.”
“For which part?”
He swallowed.
“All of it.”
“That is not specific.”
His eyes lowered.
“I blocked the nurses.”
“Yes.”
“I knew Sarah wanted the PIN.”
“Yes.”
“I knew Dad believed the card mattered.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know your mother was going to hold Ava out a window?”
“No.”
“Did you know Sarah was going to hit me?”
“No.”
“Did you know they planned to pressure me?”
Silence.
Maya leaned forward.
“Answer.”
“Yes.”
The word ended something permanent.
“Why?”
“My father said the card controlled emergency family liquidity.”
“What family?”
“Ours.”
“Vance?”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him?”
“I saw documents.”
“What documents?”
“Copies.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
I laughed once.
Pain stabbed through my abdomen.
“You helped them attack me over documents you didn’t understand?”
“I thought they were forcing you to stop hiding family assets.”
“Hiding?”
“Dad said your mother put Vance money into a trust before she died.”
I stared at him.
“My mother was never a Vance.”
“I know.”
“Then how was it Vance money?”
Ethan looked confused.
That mattered.
He had been fed a story.
But he still chose to act on it.
“Did you take the card?”
“No.”
“Did you make the PIN list?”
“No.”
“Whose handwriting?”
“Sarah’s.”
Detective Ellis wrote that down.
“Did you give Sarah information about Elara’s dates?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought she was trying to guess a safe code before we spoke to Elara.”
I could not believe the sentence.
“You were helping her guess my PIN.”
“Yes.”
“Before asking me.”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know how it sounds.”
“It sounds like theft.”
“It was wrong.”
“Did you know about the birth clause?”
His head lifted.
“What?”
Maya watched him carefully.
“The note in Sarah’s bag. Birth activates Class A.”
“I never saw that.”
“Did Julian?”
“I don’t know.”
“Beatrice?”
“I don’t know.”
Maya asked:
“What did your father tell you would happen if Elara refused?”
Ethan hesitated.
“That the company could default.”
“What company?”
“Vance Meridian.”
There it was.
The first financial motive.
Vance Meridian was Julian’s private investment and logistics group.
Ethan worked there.
Sarah ran corporate development.
Beatrice controlled the family foundation.
The company looked wealthy.
Maybe it wasn’t.
Maya asked:
“How much debt?”
“I don’t know.”
“Upcoming payment?”
“Monday.”
Again.
A deadline.
“Amount?”
“Dad said more than the banks would extend.”
I looked at Maya.
She did not react.
“What did they think the card could access?”
Ethan answered:
“Fifty million.”
Samuel, standing near the door, actually laughed.
Not kindly.
Ethan looked at him.
“What?”
Samuel said:
“That card cannot access fifty million dollars.”
Relief flickered across Ethan’s face.
Then Samuel added:
“It can freeze considerably more.”
The room went silent.
Maya shot him a look.
Too much.
Too early.
He stopped.
Ethan’s face drained.
“What does that mean?”
No one answered him.
I looked at my husband.
“Did you know Sarah had my mother’s death certificate?”
“No.”
“Did you know anyone was planning to use Ava?”
“No.”
“Did you know your family had been investigating my mother’s estate?”
His silence returned.
That answer hurt more than the others.
“How long?”
“Six months.”
I could not breathe for a second.
Six months.
During my pregnancy.
While Ethan rubbed my back.
Assembled the crib.
Felt Ava kick.
He had been quietly helping his family search my mother’s estate.
“Get out.”
“Elara—”
“Get out.”
He looked at Ava.
Then at me.
“Please don’t make a decision about us tonight.”
“Tonight is the first honest night we’ve had in six months.”
He left.
Detective Ellis waited until the door closed.
Then asked Maya:
“Do I need a warrant for Vance Meridian records?”
May you like
Maya answered:
“I think you need several.”
