Chapter 2 — An Apology She Couldn't Deposit

By morning, the photograph had disappeared from the account. Mara saved screenshots anyway: the image, the caption, the timestamp, and the account name.

Then she called her landlord.

"Mr. Geller, I need you to tell me exactly what happened to the building."

He coughed. "There was an offer. It's still being processed. Your lease is valid, Mara."

"Who made the offer?"

"A company. I can't discuss their paperwork."

"Does it have Vale in the name?"

Silence told her enough.

At lunch, another notice arrived: her student loan balance showed zero. Mara called the servicer twice to make sure the page wasn't an error. A third-party payment had posted overnight. They could tell her the amount and date, but not the sender over the phone.

She printed the statement at the nurses' station. Jules found her staring at it.

"Don't tell me he did something else."

Mara handed her the paper. "He thinks a receipt is an apology."

"Can you reverse it?"

"I'm finding out."

She used the last twenty minutes of her break to call an attorney recommended by a colleague. Nina Mercer listened without interrupting. When Mara finished, Nina asked whether she had authorized any payment, signed any property document, or invited Adrian to contact her employer.

"No to all three."

"Don't sign anything he sends," Nina said. "Keep the statements and every message. If you meet him, choose a public place. I can see you tomorrow morning."

Mara booked the appointment, then sent Adrian a message.

"Giovanni's. Seven tonight. I have questions. You will answer them."

He replied in less than a minute. "I'll be there."

The restaurant sat on a corner beneath an old striped awning. Mara chose a table near the window and placed two folders beside her water glass. One held the financial notices. The other held the hospital photograph and her notes about the man reflected in the doors.

Adrian arrived alone, or at least appeared to. He stopped when he saw the folders.

"Before you sit," Mara said, "tell me whether you paid my loans."

"Yes."

"Did you make an offer on my building?"

"A company I own made an offer. I intended to give you your apartment."

"You intended to give me my own home?"

He pulled out the chair but did not sit. "I thought it would give you security."

"And I thought you knew what the word no meant. Sit down."

He obeyed. Their waiter approached; Mara ordered tea, Adrian coffee, and neither asked for food.

She slid the first folder across the table. "I want the building offer withdrawn. If it can't be withdrawn, your company cannot contact me, my landlord, or anyone at my hospital about the property. I want written confirmation."

"Done."

"I also want the name of whoever paid the loan, the source of the money, and any paperwork that mentions me. My attorney will handle the next step."

"You hired an attorney."

"You hired a company to buy the roof over my head."

Adrian looked down at the statements. "I thought you might refuse help if I asked."

"You were right. That's why you should have asked."

The waiter set down their drinks. Mara waited until he left.

"One more thing. Was the photographer outside the hospital yours?"

She showed Adrian the saved image. His face changed when he saw the reflection.

"No. Damon didn't take that."

"I know he didn't take it. I asked whether the photographer worked for you."

"I don't recognize him."

"Then tell me who else knew where you planned to meet me."

Adrian rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Damon. My assistant knew I cleared the evening, but not why."

"Your family?"

"No."

Mara did not miss the pause before his answer. "That isn't the same as saying they couldn't find out."

"My uncle has people who watch the company."

"Is he watching me?"

"I don't know."

For the first time that evening, his uncertainty sounded honest. It also sounded dangerous.

Adrian leaned forward. "Let me find the photographer."

"You can look. You don't get to decide what I do with the answer."

"Agreed."

"And you won't call my doctor. You won't request records. You won't send anyone to my hospital or my apartment. If you want to ask me something, you ask me directly."

"Agreed."

"I expect you to keep those promises even when you dislike my answers."

He lifted his eyes. "I didn't come here to make you love me again."

The words landed harder than she wanted them to.

"Good," she said. "Because I didn't come to offer you a chance."

He paid for the untouched coffee after she insisted on paying for her own tea. Mara left first. Halfway down the block, she heard footsteps and turned so quickly that the man behind her stopped.

He was not Adrian. He wore a delivery jacket with no company logo and held his phone at chest height.

"Were you at the hospital yesterday?" Mara asked.

The man slipped the phone into his pocket. "You have me confused with someone."

"Then we can clear it up. Jules is on the phone with me, and I'm walking back into the restaurant."

She called Jules as she spoke. The man turned and hurried toward a parked car. Mara photographed its plate before it pulled away.

Adrian came out when he saw her return to the awning.

"What happened?"

Mara showed him the plate. "You said you didn't know who the photographer was. Find out."

"Come inside. I'll have Damon take you home."

"No. Jules is coming."

Adrian started to protest. Mara held up her hand.

"You want to help? Send me whatever you learn. Don't send a car."

He nodded, though it cost him.

The next morning, Nina met Mara in an office above a pharmacy. They discussed the payments, the building offer, and the person following her. Nina took copies and advised Mara to keep documenting each contact.

Mara went straight from the meeting to her prenatal clinic. At the reception desk, she asked for a privacy restriction and a list of recent requests for information about her appointments.

The receptionist checked the screen. "There was a call yesterday," she said. "The caller said she was confirming an appointment for your employer."

"My employer doesn't do that. Did she get any information?"

"I don't think so. Let me bring in our privacy officer."

Mara held the edge of the counter. Whoever had taken the photograph had already tried another door.