“It was.”
Alessandro leaned forward.
“You could have given David’s compensation to counsel to hold.”
“We did.”
“How much?”
Victoria named the amount.
My breath caught.
One hundred eighty-six thousand dollars.
Back pay.
Wrongful-suspension settlement.
Interest.
I stared.
“Where is it?”
“In escrow.”
“For David.”
“Yes.”
“Not me.”
“No.”
“Then why am I here?”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Because David later signed something.”
Another folder.
I did not want more folders.
“What?”
“A beneficiary designation.”
I stared.
“For what?”
“The settlement.”
“He knew?”
“He contacted our attorney about eleven months ago.”
That was during my pregnancy.
I went
cold.
“David contacted you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He learned the audit cleared him.”
“How?”
“We sent correspondence to an old email.”
“He answered?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“That he didn’t want the money sent to him directly.”
Of course.
I knew David.
Money near him developed legs.
“So?”
“He asked whether it could be placed in trust for his child.”
I stopped breathing.
“Mia.”
“We didn’t have a birth certificate yet.”
“She wasn’t born.”
“Correct.”
“He knew I was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
That hurt more than I expected.
David had left when I was seven months pregnant.
He said he could not be what I needed.
Then disappeared.
I thought he had abandoned us entirely.
Apparently he had made one responsible decision somewhere behind the scenes.
“What did he sign?”
Victoria slid over the document.
I read.
Settlement beneficiary:
Child of Elena Bennett, expected birth.
Trustee:
Elena Bennett.
Secondary trustee:
Independent
fiduciary.
I stared.
“He used my name.”
“Yes.”
“Did you contact me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“David asked us not to until the child was born and he could confirm paternity.”
