“Are you mad at me?” he asked.
I stopped walking.
“Tyler, look at me.”
He lifted his eyes.
“I was hurt by what happened in court. I won’t pretend otherwise. But I am not going to make you spend the rest of your life paying for a decision you made while you were frightened.”
His lips trembled.
“I thought you’d hate me.”
I pulled him into a hug.
“I could never hate you for trying to protect the people you love.”
He buried his face against my shoulder.
“I should have told you.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “But now we know something important.”
“What?”
“We don’t have to face difficult things alone anymore.”
Six months later, the financial investigation resulted in civil proceedings against Harrison and several of his former business associates. Some assets were recovered, while other claims remained disputed. The legal process continued, and no one could promise exactly how it would end.
