“He didn’t do it for recognition,” Matthew said. “Years later, when I tried to repay him, he refused.” Matthew turned back to Rebecca. “Before he died, he asked me to watch what happened to you if the company failed.

He worried the people around you would treat your life like another asset.”

Rebecca glanced at Amelia. Her mother looked away.

“When Crestline acquired the debt,” Matthew continued, “I learned about the marriage clause in the family trust. Your mother wanted a man she believed she could control.

I agreed because it gave you six weeks away from people who’d been making every decision for you.”

“You decided what was best for me without asking.”