Chapter 6: What Daniel Holt Didn't Know
Maya was on her feet before Helen finished the sentence.
"Those documents are invalid," she said.
"Arthur never signed them.
They're worthless."
"Preparation of fraudulent legal instruments doesn't require a signature to constitute a crjme," Helen said.
She was already photographing each page with her phone, careful and methodical.
"The intent and execution are sufficient."
"You can't use those.
You found them in a private—"
"Arthur's desk," Helen said.
"In Arthur's home.
Arthur is my client and he is present in this room.
He can authorize access to anything in his own residence." She looked at Arthur.
"Do you authorize me to retain these documents as evidence?"
"Yes," Arthur said.
Without hesitation.
Maya turned to Marcus.
The controlled composure she had been holding since Helen arrived cracked open — not into tears this time, but into something more desperate and direct.
"Marcus.
Listen to me.
This is not what it looks like.
Daniel and I — I ended it.
Two weeks ago, I ended it.
Today was a mistake, everything about today was a mistake, and I know I hurt you, I know I hurt Arthur, but if you let this woman turn this into a legal matter our entire marriage becomes—"
"Our entire marriage," Marcus said, "is already what it is."
She stopped.
"You don't get to decide what this becomes," he said.
"You made choices.
Eight months of choices.
And now there are consequences to those choices." He held her gaze.
"That's not something I'm doing to you.
That's something that already happened."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Something moved across her face — a real thing this time, not a performance.
Whether it was regret or fear or something else he couldn't name, he didn't know, and he found he didn't particularly need to.
"I want to call someone," she said quietly.
"You should," Helen said.
"You should call an attorney.
I've said that twice now."
Maya picked up her phone from the coffee table.
She looked at the screen.
Daniel's messages were still visible — the ones Marcus had read, and three more that had arrived since then, each one more urgent than the last.
*Maya.
Answer me.*
*What's happening over there.*
*I'm coming over if you don't respond in ten minutes.*
She stood there holding the phone, staring at those messages.
Marcus watched her read them.
Watched her face while she read them — the way the last thread of whatever she had believed about Daniel Holt seemed to loosen and go slack in real time.
"He doesn't know the camera exists," Marcus said quietly.
She looked up.
"He's been texting you this whole time assuming the plan worked.
Assuming my father is gone, I believed you, and everything is moving forward." Marcus gestured toward the documents on Helen's table.
"He doesn't know we have those.
He doesn't know Helen is sitting in that chair." He paused.
"He's about to come through that door thinking he's walking into a victory."
The doorbell rang.
Every person in the room went still.
Arthur looked at Marcus.
Helen looked at Marcus.
Marcus looked at the front door.
"Don't answer it," Maya said quickly.
Her voice was thin.
"Marcus.
Please.
Don't let him in.
If he comes in here and sees all of this, he will say things, he will do things — he is not—" She stopped herself.
"He is not what?" Marcus asked.
She pressed her lips together.
The doorbell rang again.
"He is not what, Maya," Marcus said.
She sat back down in the armchair.
May you like
She put her face in her hands.
And Marcus walked to the front door.
