“I thought Martin planned to have her declared legally incompetent.”
Martha stared at her.
“What?”
“He told me he’d already arranged medical evaluations.”
Rebecca stepped forward.
“He had.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Rebecca opened her bag.
“We found them this morning.
Three evaluations.
Every one of them recommends legal guardianship.”
Julian felt cold all over.
“Who signed them?”
“Doctors associated with a clinic Martin represents.”
Martha lowered herself into a chair.
Bianca whispered, “He told me that once you and I were married, we would file the petition together.
You’d be devastated by your mother’s decline.
I would persuade you that guardianship was the compassionate option.”
Julian felt nauseated.
“And you were going to do that.”
Bianca met his eyes.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I believed Martha had destroyed my mother.”
Martha shook her head.
“But Martin destroyed her.”
Bianca looked toward the old letters lying nearby.
“Yes.”
Then Elena spoke.
“No.”
Everyone turned.
Her expression had completely changed.
“Not Martin.”
Julian frowned.
“What?”
Elena looked at Martha.
“Tell them.”
Martha went white.
“Elena.”
“Thirty-seven years is long enough.”
Julian looked from one woman to the other.
“Tell us what?”
Elena’s gaze settled on him.
“Martin didn’t steal my invention.”
Julian felt as though the room shifted beneath him.
“But the recording—”
“He helped cover up what happened.”
“Then who stole it?”
Elena looked at Martha.
Martha began to cry.
Julian’s heart seemed to stop.
“No.”
Martha shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.
“No,” Julian repeated.
Elena spoke almost in a whisper.
“Your mother did.”
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