Chapter 5: What Marcus Hale Didn't Include
Dara wanted her to call immediately.
Giancarlo said wait until morning, until she was stronger, until the baby had arrived safely and Rosalie had slept.
Rosalie called at 11:47 that night, between contractions, because she had never been good at waiting for bad news.
Marcus Hale picked up on the second ring.
"Mrs.
Vane.
Thank you for calling."
"What didn't you include?"
A pause.
The sound of a chair shifting.
"I need to give you some background first."
"Mr.
Hale.
I am in labor.
Please skip the background."
Another pause.
Shorter this time.
"Caleb came to me eight months ago.
Before you were showing.
He wanted to establish what he called a family estate plan — something to protect the Vane assets across generations.
I thought it was standard work.
It wasn't."
"What was it?"
"The custody pre-assignment I sent your father was one piece.
The larger piece is a trust restructure.
Caleb worked with a second attorney — someone I didn't know was involved until last week — to reclassify your inheritance from your mother's estate.
The trust your mother set up for you names your child as a secondary beneficiary.
Caleb's restructure would have transferred control of that secondary share to Millicent as the child's appointed guardian."
Rosalie didn't speak.
"If Millicent had legal guardianship of your child," Marcus continued, "she would have had access to manage the child's financial interests.
Including the inheritance.
Including the property your mother left in trust."
"He married me for the inheritance."
"I believe the original plan was more opportunistic than that.
But when your mother became ill and the size of the estate became clear — yes.
The plan changed."
Dara was watching Rosalie's face.
Giancarlo had stood up from his chair.
"How much?" Rosalie said.
"The estate your mother left is valued at approximately four point three million dollars.
The property alone is—"
"I know what the property is worth." Rosalie's voice was very steady.
"I grew up in it."
"Yes.
I'm sorry."
A contraction came.
She breathed through it with the phone still pressed to her ear.
When it passed, she said, "Is the restructure complete?"
"No.
That's why I'm calling.
The second attorney filed a preliminary motion two days ago.
It hasn't been heard yet.
If you move quickly — if your own attorney files a counter-motion before the hearing — the restructure can be blocked entirely.
But the hearing is in nine days."
"Nine days."
"Yes."
"And Caleb knows the hearing is coming."
"He does.
Which means he knows the custody document failed.
He'll be looking for another angle."
Rosalie thought about Caleb standing in the doorway as the car pulled away.
Not chasing her.
Just watching.
Calculating.
"Mr.
Hale," she said.
"Why are you telling me this?"
The line was quiet for a moment.
"Because I have a daughter," he said.
"She's seven.
And when I read what they were planning to do with your child — use a newborn as a legal instrument to take money from the baby's own mother — I couldn't file it." He stopped.
"I should have called you sooner.
I'm sorry I didn't."
Rosalie looked at Giancarlo.
He was already on his own phone, moving toward the corner of the room, speaking quietly to someone.
"Send me everything you have," she said to Marcus.
"Tonight.
All of it."
"It's already in your inbox.
I sent it before I texted you."
"Thank you, Mr.
Hale."
She ended the call and set the phone down.
Dara didn't say anything.
She just kept holding Rosalie's hand.
"Four point three million," Rosalie said quietly.
"He sat across from me at dinner every night.
He held my hand at the first ultrasound." She stopped.
"He cried.
At the ultrasound.
I thought he was happy."
"Maybe he was," Dara said.
"Maybe he was also doing the math."
"Both things at once."
"People do that."
Giancarlo came back from the corner.
"I've reached our family attorney.
She's reviewing the documents now.
She'll have a counter-motion ready to file by morning."
"The baby will be here by morning."
"I know." He sat back down.
"She'll file it anyway."
Another contraction.
Longer this time.
The nurse came in, checked the monitor, said things were moving faster now.
Rosalie lay back and stared at the ceiling and thought about Caleb crying at the ultrasound.
The way he'd squeezed her hand.
The way she'd squeezed back.
She had loved him.
She was almost certain she had loved him.
That was the part that would take the longest to unknow.
"Rosalie." Dara's voice was soft.
"Stay here.
Stay with me."
"I'm here."
"Good." Dara smoothed the blanket at the edge of the bed.
"Because that baby is coming and she is going to need you completely present."
"She?"
Dara smiled.
"I've always thought she."
Rosalie closed her eyes.
Down the hall, her phone buzzed on the table.
She didn't look.
She already knew who it was.
Caleb had been trying to reach her for three hours.
He hadn't sent a single message asking if she was safe.
May you like
Every text was a variation of the same thing.
*We need to talk before you do something you can't take back.*
