Chapter 8 - THE SECRET LORRAINE KEPT FROM VICTOR
Victor learned through his attorney.
He called me immediately.
I answered this time with Rebecca present.
“You went through my mother’s medical records?”
“They were produced from the lake-house inventory.”
“She had no right to keep that.”
“That’s between you and her.”
“You told David.”
“No.”
His breathing changed.
“Is it true?”
“Ask Lorraine.”
“I’m asking you.”
“I saw the documents.”
Silence.
Then:
“My father isn’t my father?”
“David raised you.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
I almost said something cruel.
Then stopped.
Because I understood that sentence.
Biology versus fatherhood.
Different question.
Same pain.
“I don’t know who your biological father is.”
Victor hung up.
For two days, he disappeared from public view.
Then Lorraine sent me a message.
YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH.
I did not respond.
Victor returned to the divorce case different.
Less coordinated with Lorraine.
His attorney withdrew several allegations involving Mom.
Why?
Because Victor now realized Lorraine had hidden major truths from him too.
Control works until the controlled person sees the mechanism.
Then sometimes everything cracks.
He agreed to temporary financial restraints.
No more transfers.
No disposal of the embryo.
No sale of the lake house pending resolution.
Then he asked to meet.
I said no.
He requested mediation through lawyers.
That I accepted.
The first time I saw him since the restaurant, he looked exhausted.
No expensive confidence.
No smirk.
“Emily.”
“Victor.”
He stared at my hair.
Probably remembering his fist around it.
“I’m sorry.”
I waited.
“I shouldn’t have touched you.”
“That sentence is six years late.”
His face tightened.
“I didn’t hit you for six years.”
“No. You controlled me for five.”
He looked away.
“I loved you.”
“Maybe.”
He looked offended.
“You know I did.”
“I know you believed you did.”
That landed.
Then he said:
“My mother poisoned everything.”
There.
I almost laughed.
“No.”
His face hardened.
“She lied to me my whole life.”
“Yes.”
“She made me think your mother destroyed my family.”
“Yes.”
“She taught me—”
“You still grabbed my hair.”
Silence.
“She didn’t make your hand do that.”
Victor stared at the table.
Good.
“Did you know about the embryo?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted a child.”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
“Then why use a donor egg?”
“You miscarried.”
My body went cold.
“That happened after the embryo was created.”
He froze.
Caught.
“Try again.”
Victor looked away.
Then:
“Mom said you might leave.”
“So you created a child as insurance?”
“No.”
“What then?”
“She said if fertility treatments failed, we should have options.”
“We.”
“I thought I’d tell you eventually.”
“You forged my consent.”
“I didn’t forge it.”
“You used electronic signatures I gave you for insurance forms.”
Silence.
That was effectively an admission.
Rebecca wrote something down.
Then Victor said:
“I didn’t know Mom was listed as guardian.”
I believed him.
Maybe.
Then I asked about the fake Hayes company.
He denied creating it.
“Who did?”
“My mother.”
Mom, sitting beside Rebecca, didn’t move.
Victor continued.
“I transferred money into Carter Family Holdings. I knew that.”
“Our savings.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To keep it away from you if we divorced.”
There it was.
Financial abuse in plain language.
He continued.
“I didn’t know she created Hayes Consulting.”
“Did you know Samuel Price was paid?”
“Yes.”
“To attack my mother?”
“To investigate her.”
“Why?”
Victor finally looked at Mom.
“Because I believed she ruined my father.”
Mom said:
“I issued a custody order.”
“You made him leave.”
“No.”
“My mother said—”
“Your mother also lied about your paternity.”
Victor flinched.
Mom didn’t soften.
“Evidence matters even when it hurts.”
Then Victor said something none of us expected.
“My mother has another copy of Emily’s notebook.”
I stopped breathing.
“What?”
“The abuse log.”
“Where?”
“She photographed it before I took it.”
“You took it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was scared you’d use it.”
“I wrote it because I was scared of you.”
Silence.
Then:
“Where is the original?”
Victor stared at me.
“I burned it.”
Mom closed her eyes.
I felt nothing.
That frightened me more than anger.
Then Victor added:
“But there’s something you wrote that wasn’t true.”
“What?”
“The last entry.”
I didn’t remember.
He did.
June 4. Victor said if I ever leave, he will make sure I never work with children again.
I stared at him.
“That happened.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I said your job made you think you knew better than everyone.”
“And then?”
Victor looked away.
That was answer enough.
Then he whispered:
“My mother told me to threaten your license.”
May you like
Lorraine had not just encouraged his control.
She had been coaching it.
