Sandy always felt a knot in her stomach whenever she was alone with Herman. Now, with just the two of them left in the office, she had no idea what he might do.


    Herman''s face was unreadable as he crossed the room and sat down on the sofa. He tapped his finger on the table, a signal more than an invitation. "Sit. We need to talk."


    "...Alright." Sandy perched nervously on the edge of a chair, her posture stiff. "Did you remember everything?"


    Herman didn''t bother answering. He went straight to the point. "I had someone look into things. George is dead. Nichs was back in his hometown, scraping by as a sanitation worker. You were the one who called him here and gave him hope again. The two of you spun an enormous lie together. You used Nichs''s longing for his son. And now, after all that, he''s lost a leg. His life is changed forever."


    Herman knew Nichs had lied, too, but his reasons were different. At the end of the day, Nichs was just a desperate father.


    During those weeks Nichs cared for him, he had shown nothing but kindness- treating Herman as if he really were his own child. That was the only reason Herman bothered to make sure Nichs would be alright.


    Sandy understood what Herman was getting at it surprised her, honestly, that Herman could feel any sympathy for someone who''d deceived him.


    Sensing her chance, Sandy softened immediately. "Don''t worry, I''ve already found Nichs a ce in a good nursing home. I paid for ten years up front. He''ll have professionals to take care of him and folks his own age to keep himpany. He won''t be lonely."


    It was a lie, but saying it made her sound considerate.


    Herman slid a document across the table. "Read this. If everything''s clear, sign it."


    Sandy nced at it, confused. It was a settlement-she was to pay Nichs three hundred thousand dors, in one lump sum.


    She looked up at Herman, the old name slipping out by habit. "George—"


    Herman''s brow tightened. Sandy quickly corrected herself. "Sorry-Herman. Paying Nichs isn''t a problem. This was my reckless idea. Nichs got hurt


    because of me. He worked for our family for years; he deserves that money."


    She paused, then looked at him with soft, pleading eyes. "Herman, you must know why I did all this. I was too na?ve. I liked you. I wanted to keep you close. I''ve spent most of my life in hospitals, always craving love, but I never really learned how to care for someone. I was foolish and made things hard for you, but my feelings were real."


    Sandy gazed at Herman with what looked like affection. But the truth was, she liked him for his looks, his sess, and because he was Anastasia''s husband. If Herman lost all that, she wouldn''t even look his way.


    She tried to bury her selfishness under a confession of love, hoping it would calm Herman down and smooth things over.


    As for the time she''d drugged his tea-well, Sean had been the one who drank it. Sean wouldn''t rat her out, so Herman would never know.


    Most men, when faced with a woman''s vulnerability and admiration, would cave. They''d enjoy the ttery and the feeling of being fought over.


    But Herman wasn''t like most men.


    He shot Sandy a cold, piercing look that stripped away any pretense. "My wife, Geneva, only has one daughter. She doesn''t have a sister. So stop calling me


    brother-inw-you have no right. Sign the papers. And another thing: don''t say anything stupid in front of Anastasia. There''s nothing between us. There never was."


    Sandy''s face flushed with embarrassment. Even with his memory loss, Herman was still the same loyal to his wife, keeping every other woman at arm''s length.


    But Sandy was quick; she hid her feelings and didn''t let anything show. She wasn''t about to make the same mistakes as Julie Brown or Gianna Edmunds. She wasn''t about to lose herself over a man.


    She signed her name without hesitation. "Nichs will have the three hundred grand in his ount within ten minutes."