The number lands heavy.
My throat tightens. “So you went to the FBI without… telling me?”
His expression cracks. Not just guilt—devastation.
“I wanted to. God, Ash, I wanted to so bad.” He drags a hand down his face. “But I couldn’t… I couldn’t look you in the eye andtell you I’d destroyed everything. That I’d ruined our life. Failed you. Failed the boys.”
I can’t stop the tight little cry that escapes my throat. Because yes, I’m angry. But underneath that—deeper—I’m hurt.
He didn’t come to me. Instead, he’d carried all this alone.
“I went to the SEC. Took them everything I had—emails, trade history, flagged filings. I thought they were going to arrest me on the spot.”
“But they didn’t,” I whisper, still stinging. “You should’ve told me,” I say softly. “I was right there. Every day. In the same house. I was folding laundry and worrying about screen time—and you were involved in a financial crime.”
“I know. I know I should’ve.” Beckett drops his forehead to mine. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “God, I was so ashamed, Ash. I didn’t want to bring this mess home. To you.”
“You did anyway,” I say. No bite. Just truth.
He sees it in my eyes. “It was stupid. I know.”
And I understand. I think. “Why didn’t they arrest you?”
“They brought in the FBI. Then offered me a deal. In exchange for immunity or lesser charges, I had to work with them. Under a strict NDA. I couldn’t tell anyone. Not you, not my dad… If I talked, it could compromise the case. At best, make you an accessory. At worst, put you in danger. I couldn’t turn it down, though… At that point, I didn’t have a choice.”
My heart stutters. More understanding clicks into place.
“You’re the whistleblower,” I whisper.
He nods.
“Did you know they were going to arrest you?” My voice trembles now. “In front of the boys?”
“No,” he says fiercely. “I swear to you. I had no idea. They did it to protect me—to protect all of us—until all the suspects were in custody. It had to look real. Like I was just another one of them.”
Images flash—handcuffs, shouting, Max’s face, Blakey crying.
“That was…” My voice breaks. “That was one of the worst days of my life. I think—” I suck in a breath. “Right up there with the day Dad died.”
The words surprise me as much as him.
Silent tears slip down my cheeks. He sees them instantly, panic flashing across his face.
“Ash,” he whispers, crushed. He pulls me onto his lap and I fold into him.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs into my hair. “I wanted to tell you. God, I wanted to. Every day.”
I cling to him, grounding myself.
And… I think. We can work with this.
After a moment, I pull back just enough to look at him.
“So… what now?”
“Six other advisors have flipped,” he says quietly. “That takes the target off my back. So, I can go home.”
“Home?”
