Part 5

Two days later, Grant asked to meet Elise at Diane's office. He arrived with an accountant and a ledger. He said Nathan had told him the building was owned jointly and that Elise supported the loan.

Diane did not accept his word without records. She asked for the company's bank statements, contracts and communications. Grant agreed to provide copies through his attorney.

The documents revealed that Northbridge had lost a major client. Nathan had hoped the loan would keep the company afloat while he found another investor. He had not told Elise the business was in trouble, and he had not asked her permission to pledge the property.

There was no evidence that the loan had been paid out. The bank's fraud team confirmed the application was frozen. Elise felt relief, followed immediately by anger that she had been left to discover the risk herself.

That night Nathan called from his hotel. “I was trying to protect what we built,” he said.

“You put my mother's building at risk without asking me.”

“I knew you'd say no.”

“Then you knew I had a choice, and you took it away.”

He began to apologize for the affair. Elise listened without promising forgiveness. She wanted to know whether he understood the difference between regretting a consequence and taking responsibility for a decision.

“Send Diane everything,” she said. “Start there.”