Chapter 3 - The Signature Julian Recognized Immediately
Julian stared at the envelope after I finally pointed toward it.
“What is that?”
I looked at him.
“My reason.”
He dropped the damaged bouquet onto a chair.
Petals remained scattered across the bed.
I kept the satin sheet wrapped around me and stood only after he stepped several feet back.
Then I crossed to the desk.
I handed him the first document.
His face changed before he reached the bottom of the page.
That was all I needed.
“You know what this is.”
“Audrey—”
“Do you know what it is?”
“Yes.”
The answer felt like a physical blow.
“Did you sign my name?”
“No.”
Relief tried to enter.
Then he continued.
“I didn’t physically sign it.”
My relief vanished.
“What does that mean?”
Julian closed his eyes.
“The financing team already had your signature on file.”
“Why?”
“Because you signed the insurance authorization last year.”
I stared at him.
“And someone copied it.”
He said nothing.
“Julian.”
“I authorized them to prepare the package.”
My knees suddenly felt weak.
“Using my signature?”
“I told them you had agreed in principle.”
“I told you no.”
“I thought you meant you didn’t want to pledge the whole account.”
“I said I was not guaranteeing your loan.”
“I know.”
“Then what exactly did you think no meant?”
He looked down at the papers.
That silence told me the answer.
Nothing.
My refusal had become an inconvenience he intended to solve later.
I whispered:
“Did you know this was submitted?”
“Yes.”
The room became very quiet.
“When were you going to tell me?”
Julian rubbed both hands over his face.
“After the wedding.”
I actually laughed.
One short, disbelieving sound.
“After I legally married you?”
“It wasn’t supposed to hurt you.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“The lender needed comfort. That’s all.”
“You used my name.”
“The final collateral transfer still required confirmation.”
“So you thought it was okay to tell a bank I agreed because you planned to ask me for real consent after you already had what you wanted?”
He flinched.
I pointed toward the bed.
“You asked whether any of it was real.”
“Audrey—”
“I was about to marry you.”
“I know.”
“I loved you.”
His face broke.
“Loved?”
I didn’t answer that.
Not yet.
Instead, I touched my cheek where the roses had struck.
Then looked at his hand.
“You hit me because you thought I humiliated you.”
He looked sick.
“I know.”
“And you forged my consent because you thought I would eventually understand.”
“It wasn’t—”
“Don’t say it wasn’t forgery just because you didn’t hold the pen.”
He stopped.
May you like
For the first time that day, Julian had no explanation left that made him look like the man he thought he was.
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