L’air à l’intérieur de la voiture de Taylor me parut soudain raréfié, comme si l’oxygène avait été aspiré par le simple poids du dossier en papier kraft posé sur mes genoux.

He stood frozen on the pavement, his mouth open, no words coming out.

“I’ve already changed the locks on the apartment,” I continued smoothly. “Your personal clothes are packed in three boxes in the garage. My lawyer will be contacting you at nine o’clock tomorrow morning regarding the immediate liquidation of the condo and the recovery of the stolen three hundred thousand dollars.”

“Stolen?!” Derek gasped, his eyes wide with genuine panic now. “Katie, we were engaged! We were sharing accounts! You can’t sue me for stealing from a joint account!”

“I didn’t file a civil suit, Derek,” I said, leaning lightly on my cane as I turned back toward Taylor’s car. “My lawyer filed a formal report for corporate fraud and grand larceny with the state prosecutor’s office forty minutes ago.”

Derek me fixait du regard, le visage pâle, les mains tremblantes le long du corps. Pour la première fois en six ans, il était absolument muet.