“When I heard there was a woman waving Jax’s necklace around town, I figured that was it. Finally this long, hellish nightmare would be over. For twenty years I’ve been waiting for someone to arrest me, but Mom kept telling me to sit tight. She told me to trust her, that she’d take care of it.” His eyes snap open, his gaze sticking to mine. “I thought she meant she’d talk to Chief Hunt or something. I never thought... Jesus.”

I puff out a breath, not a laugh exactly, but close. If Paul’s words are true—and I’m not saying they are—then I’m not the only one guilty of having blinders on. We see what we want to see, and we disregard the rest. I know this better than anyone.

“So when Sienna washed up under the dock, who did you think killed her?”

“Micah.” Paul stabs a finger into the table and leans forward. “That’s why I went to find Jax, because Chief Hunt was never going to let his own son go down for murder. I knew they were going to try to pin it on Jax. Blame the crazy person. Plant some evidence or, hell, I don’t know, drum up a witness or two. But never, not once, did I think it was Mom. You have to believe me. It didn’t even cross my mind.”

I don’t respond, because the truth is, I don’t believe him. I don’t know if what he’s saying is real or yet another falsehood from his bag of lies. A woman who was only asking about coffee, a deal to build million-dollar homes on swampland. So many stories, and I am done taking this man at his word.

“Your mother offered me money to stay through the trial, maybe longer. She said she’d set up a trust fund under the baby’s name but give me control of how to spend it.” I pause, shifting in my chair. “I don’t know how much, but I’m guessing a lot. I didn’t exactly give her time to finish.”

“You don’t need her money. You can have half of mine. Screw the prenup—I’ll split everything straight down the middle. My attorney will draw up the papers first thing tomorrow.”

“I don’t want Katherine’s money.”

“Okay, mine, then. All of it. Every cent. It’s not as much as hers, but it’s more than enough to care for you and the baby.”

“Guilt gifts, like the ones you’ve been buying Jamie Holmes.”

“This isn’t about guilt, Charlotte. This about paying my debts. Taking care of people caught in the crosshairs through no fault of their own. I know money doesn’t fix things, but I figured if I could just...take some of the pressure off, maybe it would make things easier.”