Chapter 8: What Lauren Said When I Called Her
I called Lauren at eleven-seventeen that night.
She answered on the first ring.
Like she had been holding the phone.
"I know," she said before I could speak.
"I know."
"I'm not calling to fight."
"Okay."
"I'm calling because I need to understand something and you're the only one who can tell me."
"Ask me anything."
I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom with my back against the bed, laptop open beside me, screenshots already sent to Patricia Osei's email.
"The consulting work," I said.
"The payments from Michael's LLC.
Were you aware the money came from our joint account?"
A long pause.
"Lauren."
"No," she said.
"I didn't know where the money came from.
He told me it was from an investor.
I did the work — I built him a full financial planning framework for the LLC, six weeks of actual work — and he paid me for it.
I didn't ask questions I should have asked."
"Why were you doing work for him at all?
You said you never wanted to speak to him again."
"He reached out eighteen months ago.
He said he wanted to make things right.
He said he felt guilty about what happened and he wanted to do something that would benefit you indirectly — build something stable that would eventually help your family financially." She stopped.
"I believed him.
I thought he was trying to be better.
I did the work and I took the money and then three weeks ago I started asking questions and I found out where the money actually came from."
"And that's when you went to the attorney."
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
"He used you to launder guilt money from our own account."
"I think so.
Yes."
"And you let him back into your life because you thought he was trying to make amends."
"Yes." Her voice broke on the word.
"I'm sorry.
I know that sounds—"
"It sounds like something he would do," I said.
"It sounds exactly like something Michael would do.
Make everyone feel like they're being helped while he controls the whole thing."
Silence.
"Lauren.
Did you ever still have feelings for him?"
"No." Immediate.
No hesitation.
"I promise you.
What I felt for him ended a long time ago.
What I felt when he called me eighteen months ago was guilt.
That's all.
He knew exactly which button to push."
I believed her.
I wasn't sure I should, but I did.
"I need some time," I said.
"I know."
"I'm not saying we're done.
I'm saying I need time."
"Take whatever you need." Her voice was very quiet.
"I'll be here.
I'll always be here.
I know I don't have the right to ask for anything, but I'm asking you not to disappear."
I didn't answer that yet.
I wasn't ready to.
"Goodnight, Lauren."
"Goodnight.
I love you."
I ended the call and sat on the floor for a while.
Then I got up, checked on Emma, and went to bed.
May you like
I didn't sleep.
But I stayed still, and sometimes that's enough to get through a night.
