I let out a breath I did not realize I had been holding.

“Why are they here, Lydia?”

“Julian knows the game is over,” she said. “The forensic reports from his offshore accounts are finalized.”

“He wanted to see you face-to-face before he signed,” she continued.

“I told him no, but Martin said Julian was unraveling.”

“I am ten minutes behind them with a local notary,” Lydia said.

“Do not let him inside until I park my car.”

I hung up the phone and held it tight against my chest.

Outside, headlights cut through the dark pine trees.

The yellow beams swept across the kitchen wall, illuminating the white cabinets and the hanging copper pots.

A car door slammed.

Then another.

Footsteps crunched on the wet gravel of the driveway.

They stopped on the porch.

A heavy knock rattled the wooden door.

I stood in the shadow of the hallway, out of sight.

“Elena,” Julian’s voice called out.

It sounded muffled by the thick wood and the pouring rain.

“Elena, please open the door,” he said.

His voice lacked its usual smooth, commanding tone.