Chapter 10 - What Natalie Brought.
.Claire refused to meet Natalie alone.
Rachel joined her in a small conference room near the hotel lobby while a security employee remained outside.
Natalie entered carrying a thin brown envelope.
She looked nothing like the confident woman in the notarization video.
Her face was pale, and she kept glancing toward the door.
Claire did not offer her a seat.
"Why are you here?"
Natalie placed the envelope on the table.
"Because Ethan told me you knew everything."
"I doubt I know everything."
Natalie closed her eyes briefly.
"Neither did I."
She claimed Ethan had contacted her a year earlier with a business proposal.
He said Claire knew about the venture but did not want her name publicly connected to real-estate investments because of her corporate position.
Natalie believed she was helping them satisfy a temporary identity-verification problem.
Rachel's expression remained skeptical.
"You impersonated Claire during a notarization."
Natalie looked at the table.
"I know what I did."
"Then don't minimize it."
Natalie nodded.
"I'm not asking you to excuse me."
She opened the envelope.
Inside were printed text messages between her and Ethan.
Several made Claire's skin crawl.
Ethan had sent Natalie photographs of Claire's identification.
He had instructed her exactly what to wear.
He had even written, Wear the black jacket because the camera quality is terrible and you'll look close enough.
Another message said, Mom will handle the witness part.
Claire had to look away.
Rachel continued reading.
"Why did you keep these?"
"Because after the first property sold, Ethan refused to pay me what he promised."
"How much?"
"Ten thousand."
Natalie gave a bitter laugh.
"He said if I complained, he'd tell the bank I planned the whole thing."
Claire finally sat down.
"Were you having an affair with him?"
Natalie met her eyes.
"Years ago, briefly."
Claire's chest tightened.
"While we were married?"
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
No excuse followed.
Claire appreciated the lack of performance even while the truth hurt.
"And now?"
"No."
Natalie pushed a second group of papers across the table.
"But Diane thought we were."
There were messages from Diane to Natalie.
One described Claire as "the wallet with a résumé."
Another said Ethan deserved to control the money because "a wife who travels that much has already chosen work over family."
Claire felt each sentence land like a small stone.
Then she saw the final message.
It had been sent three days before the balcony dinner.
Diane wrote, Once the Briar paperwork is done, we can finally stop asking Claire for permission in her own house.
Rachel photographed every page.
"Would you testify to where these came from?"
Natalie looked terrified.
"If I don't, what happens?"
"That's a question for your lawyer."
Natalie nodded slowly.
"Then I'll get one."
She stood to leave, then stopped.
"There's one more thing."
Claire waited.
"The Briar house wasn't for Ethan."
"Who was it for?"
Natalie swallowed.
"Diane."
Claire frowned.
Natalie continued.
"She planned to move there after you refinanced your house."
Claire's voice turned very quiet.
"What refinance?"
May you like
Natalie looked confused.
"The one Ethan said you were signing next week."
