“Thank you,” he murmured, setting the glass on the floor.

“Tell me,” I said, sitting back down beside him.

“Six months ago, I found out Senator Sterling was funneling money out of Whitmore Global,” Alexander said.

“Sterling?”

“Yes. He was using our offshore accounts to fund his presidential campaign. Millions of dollars, completely untraceable.”

“But how did Julian get involved?” I asked.

“Julian was the one who set up the accounts,” Alexander said. “He was working with Sterling behind my back. When I confronted Julian, he threatened to expose our marriage.”

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a deep, exhausting pain.

“He knew how much I wanted to protect you from the press, Claire. He told me if I went to the board, he would make sure your life was ruined first.”

“So you just gave up?”

I felt a sting of anger, despite myself, remembering the months of grief and confusion.

“No,” Alexander said quickly. “I didn’t give up. I made a deal with them.”

He leaned forward, his hands trembling on his knees.