Chapter 18 - Evelyn's Confession

Evelyn didn't make herself sound heroic. She said Maren had told her the charity needed a temporary advance to secure a real estate investment. Evelyn had known the Harbor House bylaws didn't permit such a transfer. She'd approved access to old documents anyway because Maren promised to put the money back before auditors noticed.

"I told myself no one would be harmed if the money returned," Evelyn said. "I was wrong. People were harmed before I was willing to see it."

The room was quiet enough to hear somebody set down a paper cup.

She admitted giving Maren the key to my house and voting against the suspension to protect Owen and the family name. She said she hadn't known Maren would shove me, and nothing available to us proved she had. But she knew I'd been under pressure, and she had helped keep that pressure secret.

Maren lunged toward the microphone. "She's confused. She's trying to save herself."

Sam stood between them. "You don't get to silence another person in this room."

Dean watched the recording with me later at the hospital. He didn't look pleased or vindicated. He looked sick.

"That's how we were raised," he said. "Keep things quiet. Fix them inside the family. Never let the neighbors see the mess."

"Our daughters will learn something different," I told him.

Within days, investigators filed charges against Maren relating to the assault and financial records. Separate inquiries examined the suspected fraud and the roles of Owen, Pike, and Evelyn. None of it meant a conviction was guaranteed. It meant evidence would finally be tested somewhere Maren couldn't choose the audience.

Celia came to see Mae before leaving town for a while. She stood beside the incubator and touched one fingertip to the glass.

"I don't know who I am without the wedding plan," she confessed.

"Maybe you get to find out."

She smiled through tears. "I think I'd like that."

That night Dean helped me hold Mae against my chest for the first time. Her skin was warm, and she made a soft irritated sound before settling under my chin. I began to believe we might make it home together.

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Then Dean said something I hadn't expected.

"Laurel, there's one more thing I need to tell you about the morning before the wedding."