There was a place for her signature.
It was blank.
“Why did you need this?” I asked Evan.
“I was applying for a partnership at work.”
“What does that have to do with her?”
“They were doing a background review.”
Vanessa answered.
“He was afraid the protective-order filing would come up.”
I stared at him.
“You met her in a hotel to convince her to say she lied?”
“To clarify the situation.”
“Did she lie?”
He did not answer.
Vanessa continued.
“When I refused to sign, he cried.”
That surprised me.
“He told me he’d changed. Said he’d gone to therapy. Said hurting me was the worst thing he’d ever done.”
I looked at Evan.
His face was rigid.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I knew how you’d react.”
“No. You knew what I might decide.”
There was a difference.
A huge one.
Vanessa looked at me.
