Chapter 11 - The Photograph Colin Used Against Me
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The photograph showed Paige sitting in a hospital bed.
Her hair was tangled.
A bruise darkened the side of her face.
A hospital bracelet circled her wrist.
And a pen rested between her fingers.
Colin stood beside the bed, smiling.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary moment.
A concerned fiancé helping his injured partner complete paperwork.
But Paige remembered what the photograph couldn't show.
The pain in her ribs.
The medication making her thoughts slow.
The fear that Colin would become angry if she asked too many questions.
And the way he kept telling her to hurry.
Evelyn placed the photograph on the table.
“Paige, I need you to look at this carefully.”
Paige stared.
“I remember.”
“Did Colin tell you what you were signing?”
“He said insurance forms.”
“Did anyone explain the documents independently?”
“No.”
“Were you given copies?”
“No.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Then we'll establish the surrounding circumstances through the hospital records and other evidence.”
Paige looked away.
“He planned this.”
“Possibly.”
“He hurt me. Then he used the hospital visit to make me sign his papers.”
Evelyn didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, “That's consistent with what you've described. We need the evidence to establish it.”
Paige covered her face.
For years, she'd believed Colin's violence came from anger.
Possessiveness.
Jealousy.
A need for control.
Now she wondered whether some of it had been calculated.
Whether he had seen her injuries not as something terrible he'd done, but as an opportunity.
Her stomach turned.
“I feel disgusting.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“Paige, look at me.”
She raised her eyes.
“Your signature on a document doesn't erase the circumstances under which it was obtained.”
Tears filled Paige's eyes.
“He made me feel like I agreed to everything.”
“That doesn't make it true.”
For a long moment, Paige sat quietly.
Then she took a breath.
“What do we do?”
“We tell the truth, preserve the records, and let investigators examine them.”
Paige nodded.
The following week, she met with federal investigators.
Evelyn accompanied her.
They reviewed the offshore records.
The hospital documents.
The old photographs.
The blue journal recovered from Naomi's backup files.
And the messages Colin had sent during their relationship.
Some were affectionate.
Others threatening.
Several showed him demanding that Paige sign documents or attend meetings she didn't understand.
One message read:
Stop asking questions and sign the papers. You know what happens when you make me angry.
Paige stared at it.
She had forgotten that message.
Or perhaps she'd spent years trying to forget it.
The investigators asked whether she would testify.
She looked at Evelyn.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
Her voice shook.
But she didn't take it back.
That evening, Paige returned to Gabriel's estate feeling exhausted.
Helen met her near the stairs.
“Something to eat?”
Paige shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Helen studied her face.
“Tea?”
“Maybe.”
Helen smiled gently.
“I'll bring some.”
Paige walked into the library.
Then stopped.
Gabriel stood beside the fireplace.
He had returned from Switzerland.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he asked, “How did it go?”
Paige tried to answer.
But tears spilled down her cheeks.
Gabriel moved toward her.
Then stopped.
“Can I hold you?”
She nodded.
He wrapped his arms around her carefully.
And Paige broke.
She cried for the hospital.
For the wedding.
For the two years she'd spent running.
For the father who had sold her freedom.
And for the woman she'd been before Colin convinced her she was worthless.
Gabriel didn't tell her to stop.
He didn't promise everything would be easy.
He simply held her.
Eventually, Paige pulled away.
“I'm sorry.”
Gabriel frowned.
“For what?”
“For crying.”
His expression softened.
“Paige, you don't need permission to feel things.”
She laughed weakly.
“I'm trying to learn that.”
He smiled.
Then stepped back.
“Lucia wants to meet you.”
Paige froze.
“What?”
“She asked about you.”
“Why?”
Gabriel shrugged.
“She says anyone who tells me I'm wrong must be worth knowing.”
Paige laughed through her tears.
“When?”
“Whenever you're comfortable. She's still receiving treatment.”
Paige looked at him.
“Is she doing okay?”
“Better.”
He smiled.
“She complained about the hospital food yesterday.”
“That sounds promising.”
“She threatened to order pizza from Italy.”
Paige laughed.
Then Gabriel grew serious.
“She's coming home eventually.”
Paige nodded.
“Good.”
He hesitated.
Then said, “And I need to make some changes before she does.”
Paige looked up.
“What changes?”
Gabriel glanced toward the window.
“The organization. The way I run things. The people I've trusted.”
She studied him.
“Are you leaving the syndicate?”
“I'm beginning the process of stepping away from its criminal operations and dealing with the consequences.”
Paige stared.
“Because of Lucia?”
“Partly.”
“And the rest?”
He looked directly at her.
“Because I'm tired of protecting people with the same methods that hurt them.”
For a moment, Paige couldn't speak.
Then she smiled.
“Your sister would approve.”
Gabriel gave a sad laugh.
“She'll probably tell me I'm ten years late.”
Paige nodded.
“Probably.”
The next morning, Evelyn arrived with an urgent update.
Investigators had obtained additional evidence from a former Hale financial officer.
It included internal correspondence about Aster Holdings.
And one message from Colin to his father stood out.
Paige doesn't understand what she signed. If anything goes wrong, the company is in her name.
Paige read it twice.
Then looked at Evelyn.
“He knew.”
Evelyn nodded.
“He knew you weren't aware of the company's activities.”
Paige felt tears gather again.
But this time, she didn't cry.
She looked down at the message.
Then whispered, “Good.”
Gabriel frowned.
“Good?”
May you like
Paige nodded.
“Because now the truth is written in his own words.”
