“What about?”
“Bennett Freight.”
She froze.
I watched her carefully.
“Why were you asking Rachel about my shares?”
She sat down slowly.
“I wanted to understand our future.”
“Then why didn’t you ask me?”
“I did.”
“You asked how much the company was worth. You didn’t ask about shareholder restrictions, death benefits, or whether a spouse could receive ownership interests.”
Ashley stared at the carpet.
“Those are normal financial questions.”
“They can be. But you sent Rachel a proposed marital property agreement without discussing it with me.”
She looked up sharply.
“How do you know about that?”
“Because she told me.”
Ashley shook her head.
“That was private.”
“She wasn’t your attorney, Ashley. She was the company’s attorney, and she told you so.”
Ashley stood again.
“I was trying to protect myself!”
“From what?”
“From marrying into a family where your mother can decide whether we get a house, whether we use the sports suite, whether I get anything at all!”
I looked at her.
“None of those things belonged to us.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
“Exactly.”
I waited.
She pressed her fingers against her forehead.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to be the only person in a room who doesn’t know the rules.”
