The celebration continued, but the atmosphere had changed.
People were still smiling.
The music had returned.
The servers were still carrying trays of drinks.
But the conversations were different.
I could feel the questions following me.
Some people wanted to congratulate me.
Others wanted to know how Northstar had become interested in Aurelia.
A few were clearly wondering what would happen to the executives.
I answered what I could.
Then I stepped into the hallway outside the ballroom.
I needed a few minutes without people watching my face.
The hallway was quieter.
A pair of hotel employees were arranging fresh flowers near the entrance.
I stood beside a window and looked down at the street.
My shoulder was beginning to stiffen.
I moved it carefully.
Then I heard footsteps.
"Audrey."
I turned.
Julian was standing behind me.
His tie had loosened slightly.
His expression was no longer the confident one he had worn earlier.
He looked worried.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I needed some air."
He looked back toward the ballroom.
"We need to talk."
I waited.
He came closer.
"Why didn't you tell me about Northstar?"
I looked at him.
"I told you about my mother's firm."
"That was years ago."
"Yes."
"You never said you owned an investment company."
"I didn't hide it."
He let out a short breath.
"You knew I was trying to move up in Aurelia."
"I did."
"And you let me walk around thinking you were just managing an inheritance?"
I looked at him for a moment.
"Julian, you never asked what I did."
He shook his head.
"That's not an answer."
"It is the answer."
He looked away.
Then he rubbed his forehead.
"Do you understand what this looks like?"
I almost asked him what he meant.
But I already knew.
He wasn't worried about the company.
He wasn't worried about the employees.
He was worried about how his colleagues would view him now that his wife owned the company.
"I don't know what you want me to say," I replied.
"You could have told me."
"I could have."
"Why didn't you?"
I thought about the evenings when I had tried to discuss my mother's business.
I remembered him checking his phone.
I remembered him saying that investments were boring.
I remembered him laughing when I mentioned attending a meeting in Boston.
"You weren't interested."
He stared at me.
"That's ridiculous."
"Is it?"
"Of course I was interested in your life."
I didn't answer.
He took another step.
"Look, I know tonight hasn't gone well."
I looked at him.
"That's an understatement."
He lowered his voice.
"About what happened earlier…"
I waited.
He glanced at my shoulder.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
I felt something cold settle inside me.
He had finally noticed.
Not because I was his wife.
Because he had discovered who I was.
"You struck me in front of your colleagues."
"It was a stressful moment."
"That doesn't explain it."
He looked frustrated.
"I was trying to get you to leave."
"I heard you."
"Camilla and I were discussing the announcement."
"She was wearing my earrings."
He went silent.
For the first time, I saw his expression become genuinely uncomfortable.
I didn't raise my voice.
I didn't need to.
"Where did she get them?"
He looked down.
"Audrey, that's not important right now."
"It is important to me."
"Maybe you misplaced them."
I stared at him.
I had spent two weeks searching for those earrings.
I knew exactly where they had been.
And I knew I hadn't given them to Camilla.
"Did you give them to her?"
He didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
I turned toward the window.
For a moment, I couldn't believe how ordinary the conversation sounded.
A wife asking about her missing jewelry.
A husband avoiding an answer.
A hotel hallway.
A flower arrangement.
My marriage seemed to have become a collection of small humiliations.
Julian reached for my hand.
I moved it away.
"Please don't do this here."
I looked at him.
"You said that before."
He frowned.
"What?"
"You told me not to make things uncomfortable in the ballroom."
He looked toward the door.
"People are watching."
I almost smiled.
"Then perhaps you should be careful what you do in public."
He looked down again.
"I made a mistake."
I wanted to believe him.
That was the painful part.
There was still a small part of me that wanted him to say something honest.
Something that explained the last several months.
Something that showed he understood what he had done.
Instead, he asked the question that mattered most to him.
"Are you going to use your position to remove me?"
I looked at him.
There it was.
Not an apology.
Not concern.
Fear.
"I haven't made any decision about your position."
"You're the majority owner."
"Yes."
"You could end my career."
"That isn't how I intend to run this company."
He studied my face.
I continued.
"The board will review the findings. Decisions will be made based on evidence."
He looked relieved for a moment.
Then he seemed to remember something.
"Camilla has nothing to do with the company's finances."
I hadn't mentioned her.
He knew that.
I looked at him carefully.
"Why are you bringing her into this?"
He swallowed.
"Because I don't want you making assumptions."
I turned away.
"I'm not making assumptions, Julian."
He stepped closer.
"Can we talk at home?"
"Not tonight."
"Audrey."
"I need time."
He stood still.
Then he asked whether I was staying at the hotel.
I told him I would arrange my own transportation.
He nodded slowly.
I walked back toward the ballroom.
I didn't look behind me.
But I could hear him standing there for several seconds before his footsteps moved in the opposite direction.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: The Missing Diamonds Were Only One Part of the Truth, and the Financial Review Was Beginning to Expose a Much Bigger Problem
My Husband Wanted Me Gone Before the Biggest Announcement of His Career, But He Had No Idea Why I Had Come
Part 6 of 20
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