Chapter 8 - The Price of the Truth Was Everything He Owned
The investigation widened. Richard's accounts were frozen, Gabriel was taken into custody after receiving medical treatment, and several Costa executives were subpoenaed. Arthur's legitimate companies faced audits because years of careless oversight had allowed criminals to exploit them. Reporters camped outside the estate, reducing a murdered woman's work to lurid headlines about rival families.
Norah hated the way the coverage described her as 'the infertile bride purchased by a mob boss.' She issued a short statement through Evelyn: she was an adult who had chosen to leave an abusive home, her medical history was private, and her marriage did not erase her right to make decisions. She refused interviews about her body. Instead she helped the foundation's new independent board identify the programs that had lost funding.
Arthur sold a luxury property and his collection of rare cars to replenish the missing charitable funds while the courts determined final restitution. Some of his associates called him weak. Others warned that cooperation with prosecutors would cost him his standing. Arthur answered that a reputation built on fear had failed to protect the people he loved. He could afford to lose that reputation.
At home, the changes were quieter. Arthur attended parent-teacher meetings, learned the names of Sam's friends, and practiced piano with Mia despite being hopeless at it. Leo began counseling and admitted he wanted to study architecture instead of inheriting the family business. Arthur told him he would never have to run it. Leo looked so relieved that Arthur had to turn away.
Norah and Arthur also confronted the uncertainty in their marriage. She feared he loved her only because she had saved his household. He feared she might someday realize that his history made a peaceful life impossible. They spoke honestly about those fears. Norah said she could love him without excusing what he had done. Arthur said he would not ask her to. They agreed that a real marriage required more than a contract and more than gratitude; it required daily choices neither could delegate.
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One afternoon Evelyn received laboratory confirmation that Elena's watch had been altered. The memory card had been placed inside after the bombing, not before. Someone had recovered Elena's recording and concealed it for years. Gabriel claimed Diane had insisted on keeping it as insurance against Richard. Diane denied knowing the card existed. The contradiction pointed toward a final secret.
That night Diane called Norah and asked for help. Richard had disappeared, taking cash and a passport. Before leaving, he had told Diane that the Costa children were the reason everything had gone wrong. Norah alerted Arthur and investigators immediately. Within hours, police located Richard's abandoned vehicle near the lake. On the passenger seat lay a photograph of the Costa estate with a red circle drawn around Lily's bedroom.
