Page 180 of Accidental Theirs
Callum is a bright and sweet teenager and he’s always been so sweet and polite. He loves those little pocket monsters and has his whole bedroom themed.
What the hell is she talking about?
“Callum is thirteen. How could he possibly?—”
“He’s sick.”
Dread washes over me.
“What do you mean, sick?”
“Leukemia. He needs a bone marrow transplant, and my insurance won’t cover him.”
“Jesus, Marie, why didn’t you tell me? You know you could have come to me. I would have fixed your insurance, or I would have paid for itmyself?—”
“I know.” Marie chokes out a sob. “I know, but it’s somuch.Your mother already put down the down payment on my apartment and helped my mom with her business... I didn’t want to accept more from you.”
“So, you decided to steal it from my company?”
“I didn’t think you’d miss it.” Her voice gets lower and lower like she wants to disappear. “It was only supposed to be five hundred grand. But then it spiraled into millions and...”
“And what?”
“I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stophim.”
I freeze. “What do you mean? Who?”
“Roland.”
My heart stops in my chest, and it feels like ice water is dumped over my head.
“Roland’s in on this?”
Marie looks up at me for the first time, eyes red and puffy.
“In on it? It was his idea. He’s the one that spiraled the cost into the millions.”
“You’re lying.”
My eyes start to water, but then Marie leans across the table, the handcuffs and the shackles preventing her from doing it fully.
“You have to be careful of him. Please.”
“Of Roland?” I ask incredulously.
Even if he is the leak, even if she’s not lying, why would Roland be dangerous? Embezzlement isn’t a violent crime.
“You don’t understand, Olivia?—”
“Time's up!" The correction officer’s voice booms in the small room, and I startle.
Marie just stares at me, her eyes wide. Brown eyes that I’ve looked into, promised I’d always be there for her.
And now they’re leading her away in cuffs.
“Olivia, don’t forget. Be careful of Roland!”
I can’t believe her words.
