“Monica, surely you don’t mean that,” she said.

“Derek has always been a provider.”

“He is a thief, Eleanor,” Arthur said.

His voice was tired, the authority draining out of him.

“And he has dragged our family name through the mud.”

“We can fix this,” Eleanor said, her voice frantic. “We have resources. We can hire the best lawyers.”

“Not for this,” Arthur said.

He looked at Derek with a coldness I had never seen in him before.

“I will not use the firm’s money to defend a thief who stole from our own clients.”

Derek’s face contorted, the smooth, handsome mask he wore to the world completely disintegrating.

“I did it for the firm,” Derek said.

“Do not lie to me,” Arthur said.

“We were going under after the audit last spring,” Derek said, his voice rising.

“I did what had to be done to keep us afloat.”

“You did it to buy your sports car,” I said quietly.

“You did it to pay for the apartment in the city.”

Derek froze, his eyes locking onto mine.

The silence in the room became heavy, suffocating.