A clause that dictated exactly what happened to the trust assets if a spouse attempted to declare a beneficiary unfit.

Nathan set his glass on the side table.

“Go to bed, Catherine,” he said.

“Tomorrow we can talk about getting you a nurse to help around the house.”

“Someone to keep you calm.”

My phone vibrated in my hand, a single, sharp buzz.

I looked down at the screen.

It was a text from Margaret.

The message was brief: *The paperwork has been filed. The transition begins at midnight.*

I looked up at Nathan, who was already looking back down at his phone, completely unaware of the trap closing around him.

“I am going to get some water,” I said.

“Good,” he replied without looking up. “Drink some water and get some sleep.”

I walked back into the kitchen, my hand trembling as I reached for a glass.

I looked out the window at the glowing city below.

In less than three hours, the clock would strike twelve.

Nathan’s corporate accounts, his business credit lines, and the trust funds he drew from to pay his firm’s payroll were all managed by the same trust bank.