An email from James, subject line: “How could you?” remained unopened. A text from a number I didn’t recognize turned out to be from a journalist at the Chicago Tribune interested in discussing allegations about Westridge Capital Partners. Emails from distant relatives expressing concern about troubling rumors.

The news was spreading faster than I’d anticipated.

I turned off my phone and continued packing, determined to focus on my future rather than the past that was unraveling behind me.

Later that night, a gentle knock at my door revealed Stephanie, looking uncharacteristically serious.

“You need to see this,” she said, holding out her phone.

On the screen was a business news website with the headline, “Westridge Capital Partners announces restructuring.” Matthew Richards steps down as CFO citing family priorities.

The speed of the response told me everything about how seriously my father had taken the threat of exposure. He was cutting his losses, controlling the narrative before anyone else could.

“Are you okay?” Stephanie asked.

I considered the question carefully. “Yeah,” I said finally. “I think I actually am.”

Three months passed in a blur of change. I moved into a small but sunny apartment in New Haven, close enough to Yale Law School to walk, but far enough to feel separate from campus. The space was entirely mine, no roommates for the first time, funded by a combination of scholarships, loans, and a research position I’d secured with Professor Harrington before classes even began.

My friends from Berkeley had helped me move, turning the process into an adventure rather than a chore. Rachel had decorated my refrigerator with ridiculous magnets, each representing an inside joke from our four years together. Stephanie had insisted on arranging my bookshelf by vibes rather than any recognized cataloging system. Marcus had installed security features on my laptop and phone, his way of showing care.

“New Haven isn’t Berkeley,” Rachel had warned as they prepared to leave. “You’ll need new friends who get your particular brand of intensity.”

“I’m not intense,” I protested.

They’d laughed in perfect unison, the synchronicity of people who knew me too well.

The apartment was quiet now, just me and my thoughts as I organized my materials for the upcoming semester. A knock at the door interrupted my concentration, unusual since I knew almost no one in New Haven yet.

Through the peephole, I saw Tyler shuffling nervously in the hallway.

I pulled the door open in surprise.

“Surprise,” he said awkwardly, holding up a plant in a ceramic pot. “Housewarming gift. It’s supposedly impossible to kill, which seemed appropriate for someone with your schedule.”

“Tyler,” I managed, genuinely shocked. “What are you doing here? How did you find my address?”

“Mom had it,” he admitted. “I should have called first, but I was afraid you might say no.”

I stepped aside to let him in, noting the expensive luggage by his feet. “Are you staying somewhere nearby?”

“Hotel downtown,” he said, looking around my apartment with interest. “This is nice. Good light.”

The small talk felt bizarre given everything that had happened. We stood in uncomfortable silence until we both spoke at once.

“I left the firm—”
“I left Chicago—”

We both stopped, then laughed, breaking the tension.

“You first,” I offered.