Chapter 17 - No More Fighting Alone
For years I'd believed that if I was careful enough, strong enough, and quiet enough, I could keep the people around me safe.
That belief had shaped my marriage.
It had shaped the way I handled pain.
And it had almost led me into a second disaster at Derek's gym.
Now I let other people do their jobs.
Leah handed over the photograph and its history to investigators.
Nora pursued the forged civil papers.
Northline provided technical records about the impersonated email account.
Maya gave a formal statement concerning the gloves and footage.
Rourke assisted authorized investigators with explaining the old equipment records.
I kept my appointments, answered questions, and resisted every urge to drive straight to the men who had engineered the mess.
Then Derek made his first mistake in public.
He posted another video, claiming he'd knocked me out and that I had fled without honoring the signed agreement.
Maya had already preserved the full recording.
Through counsel, she authorized a truthful statement correcting the false claim, using relevant evidence in a manner that would not compromise the investigation.
The complete timer was visible.
At zero, I was still standing.
The video also showed Derek fall to his knee and Claire exchange the clipboard pages.
Comments changed almost overnight.
People who'd mocked me began asking questions about the paperwork.
The gym suspended its public classes.
Sponsors removed Derek's photographs from their pages.
I didn't celebrate his embarrassment.
I remembered how quickly people had believed the first version.
Then Nora received a certified notice that Price's side had offered to dismiss the disputed property agreement.
There was a condition.
I would sign a broad release covering all actions connected to the gym and the divorce.
“They're offering the house back in exchange for silence,” Nora said.
“Can they do that?”
“They can propose it.”
I looked at the release.
It included Claire, Derek, Price, and affiliated entities.
There was a clause that seemed oddly specific.
I would agree not to pursue any claim concerning historical overseas commercial records.
I slid the pages back to Nora.
“No.”
She nodded.
“That's what I expected.”
That evening, a federal investigator told us Owen had asked to cooperate.
His first condition was that he wanted to speak with me.
I said no.
Then I asked one question.
“Has he told you why Aaron died?”
The investigator paused.
May you like
“He says he can explain the route change.”
