Chapter 3 - I Used the Exit Clause Before the Honeymoon Ended
Teresa expected me to negotiate.
That was the strangest part.
She had bought leverage and assumed I would discuss the price.
“The family office can lease the building to you,” she said.
There.
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because sometimes your body chooses a sound before rage becomes language.
“You bought the building so you could become my landlord?”
Teresa remained composed.
“We bought an asset connected to Luke’s marriage.”
“My marriage is three days old.”
Camilla flinched.
Good.
Luke looked at his mother.
“Stop saying we.”
There.
Teresa’s face changed.
“Excuse me?”
“You authorized it.”
“Yes.”
“Camilla found it.”
“Yes.”
“I did not.”
There.
Good.
No family plural.
Precision.
Teresa leaned back.
“You are the reason the risk exists.”
That landed.
Because she was not entirely wrong.
Luke had brought me into a contractual marriage.
Luke’s legal team had circulated disclosures too broadly.
Luke had chosen a family structure where personal information became governance material.
There.
He did not buy the building.
He built the hallway through which the information traveled.
Different responsibility.
Still responsibility.
Elena’s voice came through speaker.
“Sophie, I recommend we end this meeting.”
Teresa said:
“We have not discussed resolution.”
Elena answered:
“We have discussed enough to preserve intent.”
There.
Intent.
That word made Teresa finally look less composed.
Good.
I stood.
Luke did too.
I looked at him.
“No.”
He stopped.
There.
“Don’t walk me out.”
His jaw tightened.
“Okay.”
Good.
May you like
I left alone.
In the rideshare, I opened the contract.
