Chapter 4

I walked straight into the depths of the alley, not even bothering to look back.

Behind me, I heard the sound of Ian kicking over a trash can.

He didn't give up.

Within a week, he showed up near my studio four times.

Once at 7 AM, when I was on my way to buy milk; another time at 9 PM, when I was leaving work and trying to hail a cab.

Every time, he used the same line, "I was wrong. Give me one last chance. Let's start over."

Every single time, I gave him the same cold reply, "Please contact my lawyer."

The fifth time, he didn't come alone.

He brought his father Samuel.

At 10 AM that morning, I was in my studio, putting the final touches on a custom engagement ring for a client. The centerpiece was a 3.5-carat sapphire, its color so pure it was almost unreal.

Felix, my assistant, knocked and came in, looking uneasy.

"Claire, there are two guys outside asking to see you. One's older, one's younger, the younger one is the guy who stirred things up last time," Felix said.

I set down my tools, took off my magnifying glass, and walked out.

In the old courtyard, Ian and Samuel stood side by side.

As soon as Samuel saw me, his face twisted into a pitiful expression, his eyes red and watery.

"Claire..." he began.

"Uncle Samuel," I said, staying put under the porch. "If you have something to say, just say it."

"I'm not here to argue today. I'm here to apologize," Samuel said, and with that, he bent his knees, about to drop to the ground.

I took a quick step to the side, coolly moving out of his way.

He ended up kneeling on nothing but stone, his knees hitting the tiles with a dull thud.

Jane, the coffee seller next door, and Richard, the silversmith, both poked their heads out to see what was going on.

"Uncle Samuel, you're over sixty. Your knees aren't what they used to be, so don't go kneeling like that. If you have something to say, just say it standing up," I said.

"Claire!" Samuel cried out, rubbing his knees. "Please, for the sake of this old man, forgive Ian! His partnership was suspended, and now he's drowning his sorrows in booze every day at home. If this keeps up, he'll be a total wreck!"

Ian stood off to the side, looking grim, not saying a word.

"His partnership was suspended because of financial and character issues. He failed the company's internal review," I replied coolly. "What does that have to do with me?"

"How is it not your fault?" Samuel's tone suddenly turned sharp. "You're the one who had to take this to court and make it public. That's how the company found out! If it weren't for you, Ian wouldn't be in this mess..."

"Your son went and got married to someone else without telling me, drained 100 thousand dollars from my account, and tried to use my house to get a 700-thousand-dollar loan to bail out his brother's gambling debts," I said, making sure every word hit home.

"If he hadn't done all that, none of us would be in this mess today."

The courtyard went dead silent for a moment.

Jane and Richard exchanged a look, both of them stunned.

"You...you're slandering us!" Samuel's face turned red with anger.

"Bank records don't lie," I said, pulling out my phone. "My phone's been recording since you walked in.

"Every word you said today, including your little guilt trip, is on tape. If you don't leave right now, I'll call the cops for harassment and hand these recordings over to the court."

Ian's face kept changing color, like he was about to explode or just pass out.

He yanked his dad's arm and leaned in to whisper something.

Samuel looked like he wanted to say something nasty, but held back.

"Claire," Ian said, locking eyes with me, "if you're really going to push this, don't blame me if things get ugly."

"Whatever you've got, bring it on," I shot back.

"Let's go," Ian said.

He dragged his dad out through the gate, not even bothering to look back.

Jane poked her head out from next door.

"Claire, what's that guy's deal? Need me to call someone for you?" she asked.

"No, thanks, Jane. I appreciate it," I replied.

I turned and headed back to my studio, sitting down at my workbench.

The 3.5-carat sapphire rested on the velvet tray, catching the light with a deep, mesmerizing blue.

I picked up my tweezers, my hand as steady as ever, like nothing had just happened.

This stone deserved my care far more than any man ever would.

*****

Helen called me that evening.

Her first words made my hand tighten around the phone. "Claire, brace yourself. Nina's pregnant."

"What?" I blurted out.

"Ian's lawyer just rushed supplemental evidence to the court this afternoon, a prenatal test result. Nina's nine weeks pregnant," Helen said.

Nine weeks

The night before I left for the large jewelry exhibition, Ian was right here in this apartment, holding me close, promising to take me skiing when I got back.

At that very moment, nine weeks ago, while he was whispering those sweet promises to me, Nina was already pregnant with his kid.

"So their lawyer's planning to use this against me?" I asked.

"That's right," Helen said. "Their game plan couldn't be clearer. They're going to spin Ian as this 'good guy' who's stuck between old feelings and a sense of duty.

"Like he only married Nina because he had to take responsibility for the baby, not because he wanted to. Basically, they're trying to whitewash his fraud and make you look like the heartless one."

I stayed silent.

"Sure, the court mostly goes by the facts and the law, but when it comes to splitting up the assets, the judge has a lot of leeway and their mood can be swayed by how things play out in court and what people are saying outside.

"If they pull the 'pregnant card,' we're going to be on the back foot," Helen continued.

I walked over to the window, watching the last streaks of sunlight fade across the Lake.

My head was spinning, but only for about thirty seconds.

"Helen, I need you to check two things for me. First, find out which hospital Nina's getting her prenatal checkups at and the registration info.

"Second, help me connect with someone, the top investigative media in Capitaria's finance scene. What's it called again? The Capital Insider, right?"

"What are you planning?" Helen asked.

"If Ian wants to play the victim in court, then I'll make sure the truth gets out. I'll let everyone know what really happened," I replied.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"I'll get it done tonight," Helen said.