— She asks me to do something every day.

— And what are you doing?

He looked up.

For the first time in a long time, Juliette experienced something other than shame.

Perhaps the beginning of a decision.

— I told him no.

Juliette simply nodded.

That didn’t fix anything.

But it was at least one phrase that Thomas should have learned 20 years earlier.

Approximately 8 months after the clinic incident, the audit was closed.

Thomas was permanently removed from the general management.

Geneviève lost her advisory seat after attempting to intervene directly with employees involved in the internal investigation.

LMP Conseil accepted a financial settlement without public admission of fault in order to reimburse a substantial part of the disputed sums.

Maud and Thomas no longer saw each other.

Sarah called Juliette one spring morning.

The house was silent.

The twins were sleeping on a rug near the bay window, each missing a sock.

“It’s over,” said Sarah.

Juliette looked at the garden.

— What exactly?

— The inheritance mediation agreement has been signed. The board has confirmed the new governance structure. And Geneviève has withdrawn her final request for regular contact with the children.

Juliette exhaled slowly.

She expected to feel a sense of victory.

She felt nothing but calm.

Sarah hesitated.

— There’s something else.

— I’m listening.

— Geneviève would like to see you.

Juliette smiled slightly.

— What for?

— She didn’t specify.

One of the babies stirred in its sleep.

Juliette bent down to gently put the blanket back over her legs.

— So the answer is no.

— I suspected as much.

After the call, Juliette opened the French doors.

Fresh air entered the living room.

For 6 years, in the Delmas family, power had always resembled a closed door.

Geneviève decided who could enter.

Thomas decided who had to wait.

The others learned to keep quiet in order to keep their place.

At the clinic, they thought they were offering €18,000,000 to a woman too weak to understand what she was signing.

They had never understood that Juliette always read to the very last line.

She watched her two sons sleeping in the morning light.

Then she placed her phone face down on the table.

For the first time in a long time, no one expected her to sign a signature.

And she no longer needed to give it away.