Page 77 of Love Story

“What happened?”I demanded, my voice sharp with worry.

But before Theo could answer, I saw Ben step out behind him.And he was grinning.Ear to ear.Relief hit me like a freight train.

“We’ve got the password to everything that shows I didn’t know what Brad was doing,” Ben said, his voice almost giddy.

My legs buckled, and I dropped back into the chair, tugging him down so he sat beside me.His hand was warm in mine, and I didn’t let go as Theo strode over to a nearby desk and started typing furiously on a laptop.

Theo leaned back after a moment, a satisfied grin on his face.“The initial audits,” he said, scrolling through files on the screen.“They’re all here.And the documents naming those involved.”

He glanced over at us, his expression victorious.“I’ll get this over to the prosecution.I imagine we’ll have all six fund managers making deals before midnight.”

I turned to Ben, squeezing his hand tighter.“So… does this mean—”

“I don’t have to testify?”Ben asked, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant.

Theo nodded.“Let’s talk about this outside,” he said, which sounded ominous.Maybe he wanted privacy to break bad news?I grasped Ben’s hand and held it tight as we headed out to Theo’s car, and both climbed into the back.

“I’ll make calls,” he announced and began to pace outside, his phone pressed to his ear.Theo’s deliberate gestures with his free hand made it clear he was in mid-argument.

I turned to Ben, who was quiet after his initial high and fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve as he processed that we still didn’t know if he needed to testify.

“You okay?”I asked to break the silence.

Ben nodded, though the tension in his shoulders said otherwise.“Yeah.Brad was… not how I expected him to be,” he said, his voice low.He glanced at me as if gauging my reaction before continuing.“I’d changed him from my best friend into this supervillain, and I expected him to accuse or try to hurt me or… all he wanted to do was apologize.”

I frowned.“‘Apologize’?For what?The years of fraud or the part where he was withholding things that could have meant you’d be dragged down with him?”

Ben huffed a bitter laugh, shaking his head.“I think for all of it.But mostly for… I don’t know, for being a shitty friend.He said he didn’t think it would go as far as it did.That he didn’t mean for me to be part of it.”

“Did you believe him?”

Ben’s jaw tightened, and he stared back out of the window.“I think he was sorry.But sorry doesn’t fix everything.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I reached over and rested my hand on his thigh, grounding him in the only way I knew how.He covered my hand with his, threading our fingers together.

“He asked Theo to help him,” Ben said after a moment, his voice tinged with disbelief.“He knew Theo would be there with me, and he wanted to push for a reduced sentence because he cooperated, gave up the password, handed over everything he had.”

“So, it wasn’t just to say sorry.”I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice.

Ben shrugged, his grip on my hand tightening.

I studied him for a moment, the way his eyes stayed fixed on Theo as he paced outside.“You don’t owe him anything, Ben.You know that, right?”

He nodded, but I wasn’t sure if he believed it.

Before I could say anything else, Theo’s pacing stopped, and he turned toward the car, his phone still pressed to his ear.He gestured sharply, his lips moving in what appeared to be a string of curses before hanging up and marching over our way.

“Brad’s not getting a reduction,” Theo said as he slid into the driver’s seat.“The prosecution’s already moving forward with what we have and are convinced they have enough.Sure, his cooperation was worth something, but it was not enough to erase what he had done and change his light sentence.The prosecution doesn’t need you, and your name has been taken out of the ring.”

Ben let out a breath, leaning back against the seat.“So that’s it, then?”

“That’s it,” Theo confirmed.“You’re done.Go home.I’ll handle the rest.”

Ben stared at me then, his eyes searching mine for reassurance, maybe, or just an anchor in the middle of everything.I squeezed his hand again, telling him I wasn’t going anywhere.

“I don’t have a home,” Ben murmured, asking me for something.

“Yeah, you do.With me.”

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