“No,” I said.
“I don’t think I fully can.”
She wiped her face angrily.
“I hated you.
Then I hated myself for still loving you.
Then I’d look at her and see your eyes and hate you all over again.”
I swallowed.
“You had every reason to.”
“I didn’t want reasons.
I wanted her father.”
That nearly broke me.
My phone rang.
My assistant.
Of course.
The records hold had alerted senior administrative staff.
I put the call on speaker.
“Maxwell? Is everything all right? Compliance says you requested archived access records.”
I looked at Eleanor.
She gave one small nod.
“Do you remember Eleanor coming to my office after our divorce?”
Silence.
Too much silence.
“I remember there were several attempts to contact you during a difficult period.”
“Did she tell you she was pregnant?”
Another pause.
“Maxwell, I think we should discuss this privately.”
“We’re discussing it now.”
“Where are you?”
“Did she tell you she was pregnant?”
Her voice changed.
The polished calm disappeared.
“Yes.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
I had already seen the proof, but hearing the admission made something in the room settle into terrible certainty.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were going through a divorce.
The company was under enormous pressure.
You had instructed me to filter personal disruptions.”
“I never instructed you to hide my child.”
“I didn’t know it was your child.”
I glanced at the report on my screen.
“You were specifically told Eleanor said the child was mine.”
Silence.
“She could have been manipulating you.”
Eleanor’s face went rigid.
I kept my voice controlled.
“So you decided for me.”
“I protected you.”
The answer came quickly now, almost defensively.
“You were barely functioning after she left.
You had a company to run.
Thousands of employees depended on you.
I wasn’t going to let an emotional situation pull you apart again.”
“You sent security to her home.”
“To enforce boundaries.”
“Boundaries I never set.”
