Chapter 3 - The Story Corinne Practiced
By the time the yacht reached the marina, Corinne had cried three times.
Each time, someone had been watching.
Adrian noticed.
He hated himself for noticing.
Eight months earlier, he'd married her believing she was the one person who could teach their broken household how to become a family again.
Now every tear seemed to arrive at exactly the right moment.
Junie lay curled against him in the interior lounge, wrapped in a blanket.
A medic had examined her over a video call arranged by the captain. Her wrists were swollen, and there were abrasions on her palms. An in-person examination was waiting onshore.
She refused to let go of Adrian's hand.
“Daddy?”
“Right here.”
“Is Corinne coming with us?”
Adrian hesitated.
“No. She's staying here for now.”
Junie seemed to consider this.
Then she asked, “Can you tell her I'm not bad?”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“Who told you that?”
Junie didn't answer.
“Peanut?”
“She says I make everything harder.”
His stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Sometimes.”
“What does sometimes mean?”
Junie looked down at their joined hands.
“When you're gone.”
Adrian wanted to question her.
He also knew she'd nearly died less than an hour earlier.
So he kissed her forehead.
“We'll talk when you're ready.”
Across the yacht, Corinne sat in a guest cabin with Graham Vale.
The door was closed.
Her hands had finally stopped trembling.
“She said it out loud,” Corinne whispered.
Graham stood near the small desk, studying his phone.
“What exactly?”
“That I pushed her.”
“Did anyone see?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
“The guests were at the stern. Adrian was inside.”
“Mara?”
“She came after.”
Graham rubbed his forehead.
“Then stop looking like you've committed a crime.”
Corinne stared at him.
“That's your advice?”
“It's better than whatever you're doing now.”
“A child almost died.”
Graham lowered his phone.
“Corinne.”
“Don't say my name like that.”
“Did you push her?”
She looked away.
Graham waited.
Finally, she whispered, “I lost my temper.”
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he pulled out a chair.
“Sit.”
“I don't want to sit.”
“Then stand there and panic. See how useful that is.”
Corinne glared at him.
“You promised nobody would get hurt.”
His expression changed.
“I promised we'd be financially protected.”
“That's not what you said.”
“Keep your voice down.”
She crossed her arms.
“Junie heard us talking yesterday.”
Graham went still.
“What?”
“She came into Adrian's study while I was on the phone. I thought she was upstairs.”
“How much did she hear?”
“She asked why I wanted Daddy to sign something before Friday.”
Graham approached her.
“And what did you tell her?”
“That we were planning a surprise.”
“Did she believe you?”
“I don't know. She's five.”
“You keep saying that as though five-year-olds don't talk.”
Corinne pressed her fingers to her temples.
“I thought if I frightened her, she'd stop following me around.”
“You pushed her off a yacht to frighten her?”
“I didn't mean for her to go over!”
Graham stared at her.
Corinne's voice cracked.
“I shoved her. I was angry. She was standing there smiling at me like she knew—”
“Like she knew what?”
Corinne stopped.
Graham stepped closer.
“Answer me.”
“Like she knew I don't belong in that family.”
The admission hung between them.
For a moment, Graham looked almost sympathetic.
Then his phone vibrated.
He checked the screen.
Whatever he read made his face lose color.
“What's wrong?” Corinne asked.
“Adrian's attorney just requested copies of all pending transfer documents.”
Corinne's breathing quickened.
“Why?”
“Because he's looking at the authorization I brought him.”
“Can't you pull it?”
“No. It already went through our internal compliance portal.”
She sank onto the bed.
“Then what do we do?”
Graham looked toward the closed door.
“We do nothing. You tell the same story every time. Junie leaned too far. You tried to grab her. You were in shock.”
“And the phone?”
“What phone?”
“The one under the lounger.”
Graham turned.
“You left your phone on the deck?”
“I hid it when I heard people coming.”
“Why?”
“Because I'd been recording a voice message.”
“To whom?”
Corinne didn't answer.
Graham's patience evaporated.
“Corinne.”
She looked up at him.
“To my brother.”
Graham held out his hand.
“Give me the phone.”
“I don't have it.”
“Where is it?”
She swallowed.
“I think Mara took it.”
At that same moment, Mara Bennett stood inside the marina security office, holding a sealed transparent evidence pouch.
Inside was Corinne's phone.
Mara had not opened it.
She had simply retrieved it from beneath the lounger after noticing Corinne's attempt to hide it.
Tomas had documented exactly where it was found.
Now they were waiting for law enforcement.
Mara watched the dark screen illuminate with an incoming call.
She did not touch it.
A name appeared.
Graham Vale.
Then the call ended.
A message preview appeared moments later.
Do not tell Adrian about the trust.
Mara felt the hair rise along her arms.
She called Tomas into the room.
“Captain,” she said, pointing at the screen, “I think this is bigger than what happened on the bow.”
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And on another floor of the marina, Adrian received a message from his attorney.
Do not sign anything. We found an unauthorized transaction involving Junie's trust.
