Chapter 6 - The Cost of Refusing to Save Him
Celia advised Lauren to separate the business problem from the marriage.
Nina Patel, Lauren’s new family attorney, gave the same advice from the opposite direction.
“Don’t use Mercer to punish your husband,” Nina said.
“I’m not.”
“Good. Make sure your documents prove that.”
They did.
Halstead was late on payments.
Halstead employees had requested unauthorized work.
Michael had repeatedly bypassed Mercer’s procedures.
And now the lender representations raised additional risk.
Mercer had legitimate reasons to end the relationship.
Still, terminating the contract would cost Lauren.
Tessa laid out the numbers.
“We can redeploy most crews within sixty days. But we’ll take a hit this quarter.”
“How much?”
Tessa told her.
Lauren winced.
“And supervisors?”
“Two may temporarily lose hours.”
Lauren hated that.
These were real people.
Not pieces in her marital fight.
“So we transition responsibly,” Lauren said. “No abandoned buildings. No workers surprised on Friday afternoon.”
Tessa nodded.
“I knew you’d say that.”
Lauren looked at her.
“You could’ve told me earlier Michael was abusing the relationship.”
“I tried.”
Lauren remembered several conversations she had dismissed.
Tessa complaining about Michael’s tone.
Tessa asking whether he had authority to promise discounts.
Tessa telling Lauren, “Your husband thinks marriage is a procurement policy.”
Lauren had laughed.
Now the joke felt expensive.
That afternoon Michael appeared at Dana’s house.
Dana intercepted him on the porch.
Lauren watched from inside while Emma colored at the kitchen table.
Michael raised his voice.
“I need to talk to my wife.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you here.”
“This isn’t your marriage.”
Dana folded her arms.
“No. It’s apparently everyone’s problem now.”
Lauren opened the inner door but left the storm door locked.
Michael saw her.
His face softened instantly.
The performance was familiar.
“Laur.”
“Don’t.”
He lowered his voice.
“I’m sorry about dinner.”
Lauren waited.
“Mom crossed a line.”
“You held me down.”
“I was trying to stop you from making a scene.”
“You made one.”
His jaw tightened.
“Can we talk privately?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because privacy has worked very well for you.”
Michael glanced toward Emma.
Then back.
“Please don’t turn the girls against me.”
“I’m not.”
“You took them.”
“I removed them from a house where their food was thrown away.”
His face tightened.
Then the real concern surfaced.
“You cannot contact the lender.”
Lauren almost smiled.
There it was.
“What lender?”
Michael realized his mistake.
Only for a second.
Then he recovered.
“The Halstead refinance. You know about it.”
“Some of it.”
“Lauren, if Mercer starts disputing documents, you could trigger a review that destroys the company.”
Emma’s crayon stopped moving behind Lauren.
She was listening.
Lauren kept her voice calm.
“Then you should’ve made sure the documents were true.”
Michael stared at her.
For the first time in their marriage, the old tactics had nowhere to land.
He couldn’t shame her.
Couldn’t isolate her.
Couldn’t explain her feelings back to her.
So he said the only thing he had left.
“You have no idea what I had to do to keep everything afloat.”
May you like
Lauren looked at him through the locked door.
“Then I guess I’m about to find out.”
