“End the call.”
“No.”
He grabbed for it.
An airport security officer stepped between us before his fingers reached my hand.
“Sir, back away.”
Cole lifted both palms.
“This is a family disagreement.”
“Then keep your hands to yourself.”
A second officer approached.
People nearby pretended not to watch.
Cole’s humiliation was now visible, but unlike mine, it had been created by his own choices.
Elena pulled the handle from her suitcase.
“Where are you going?” Cole asked.
“Away from you.”
“You knew I was married.”
“I knew what you told me,” she said.
“That your marriage had ended privately.
That Mara wanted a quiet legal separation.
That Liam would spend most of the year with her sister because of her work.”
I almost laughed at the last lie.
I had reduced my freelance work to a few hours a week because Cole insisted Liam needed one stable parent at home.
Elena continued, “You told me the company was entirely yours.
You told me the house was yours.
You told me Northline was being funded with your distribution.”
Cole glanced at the security officers.
“Elena, stop talking.”
She looked at Liam’s bent sign.
“No.”
Then she turned to me.
“I have his messages.”
Cole’s head jerked toward her.
“Elena.”
“Messages about the transfer, the house, and the board.
I’ll send them to your lawyer.”
“You will destroy both of us.”
“You already tried.”
She walked toward the taxi signs without looking back.
Cole stood between the officers, his carry-on, and the family he had expected to remove by Friday.
Daniel told me the car service he had arranged was waiting outside.
He wanted Liam and me away from Cole until we could assess whether he might return to the house angry.
I closed the folder.
Cole’s voice softened.
“Mara, please.
Let me come home and explain.”
“You just explained everything in front of our son.”
“I made mistakes.”
“A mistake is missing an anniversary.
You forged my signature, moved company money, lied to Elena, and discussed throwing your child out of his home.”
“I never meant Liam.”
“He heard you mean him.”
Cole looked down at the sign.
One of the drawn figures had creased across the middle.
It was the figure Liam had labeled Daddy in tiny letters that were now hidden beneath his thumb.
“Can I hug him?” Cole asked.
I looked at Liam rather than answering for him.
Liam shook his head.
