“That’s not her handwriting though, is it? I think we both know that it’s you.”
Her laugh is choked and nervous. “Why would you say that I’ve never--”
“Really? You’re the only person who can imitate my writing perfectly. Well, not perfect enough to loop the ‘u’s and ‘w’s but good enough.”
Her face goes red. “Damien, I would never do such a thing!”
“I mean, if you insist.” If she’s going to be stubborn, I guess I’m going to have to give her more proof. I open the drawer again, take out a few office documents, and throw them on the desk. “I’ve never signed these and yet somehow they have my signature on them. How did that happen?”
After Ivy told me about the note, I did a brief investigation of my own, hoping to prove Ivy wrong and clear the niggling doubt I’ve had of Nicole, but I found out she’s been forging documents in my name for quite a while. Most, if not all, the forgery is innocuous. It’s just her approving things I would have approved of anyway, but the note… How could she?
Nicole shrugs her shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe Meg has something to do with this?”
“Some of those documents are before Meg’s time. You can check if you don’t believe me.”
She doesn’t. Instead, she pleads, “Okay, maybe I did do some light forgery, but that was so I could make work easier when you weren’t around, that’s all.”
“And the note? That’s your handwriting.”
She’s dumbfounded for a moment and then she says, “I was only doing what I thought you wanted me to do.”
“Fuck Nicole! She was pregnant! With my child!”
“You said she was a liar. You’ve always called her a liar.”
“You saw her pregnant, and you turned her away! You didn’t think I needed to know that kind of information!”
Nicole moves over to my side of the desk and takes hold of my arm. I’m too shocked to react to this sudden show of emotion from her. “I was doing it for you. For us.” Her eyes are watery.
“Us?”
“You can’t tell me you’ve never realized that I have feelings for you. Why would I stay by your side all these years.”
I snatch my arm away from her grip and she winces. “I never asked you to.”
“Did you poison my son?” My voice is menacing enough to scare her into stepping back.
“I wasn’t thinking straight when it happened. I went to your place, and I had a packet of nuts in my hand. I offered him some. I swear I didn’t mean to harm him.”
“And yet you lied to me when I asked you.”
“I was scared.”
“Nicole. I’ve known you for years, so I would rather not fire you, so I think it’s better you hand in your resignation instead.”
Her eyes widen. “No Damien! You can’t!”
“I can’t?”
“I mean, please don’t do this to me. This job is my life.” She steps forward and grabs my waist this time. “I love you!”
I shove her away, and she stumbles, but she doesn’t fall.
“If you did, you wouldn’t have done what you did. Please clear your desk. If I see you ever again, I won’t be responsible for what I do to you.”
Chapter 23
Ivy
