Don’t forget: Broadus saw my photos on David’s phone. If I’d been fucking and blackmailing David, it’d be the other way around: I’d have photos of David and me on my phone.”

“Look: you’ve already got $1.2 million. I’ll pay you $2.8 million more. That’s a cool $4 million. That’s half the insurance proceeds.”

“It’s a pittance,” she says. “You’ll get $8 million from the insurance, tax free. The house and land are easily worth another $8 million, and I’m sure David’s business is worth at least $20 million, possibly twice that. Not to mention your cars, checking accounts, savings accounts, jewelry, personal effects, and his IRA and investment accounts. I’ll bet he owned more than one life insurance policy, too. I’d value his estate at forty to fifty million.”

“You have no idea what he owns. He could be swimming in debt, for all you know.”

“That’s possible,” she says, “but not likely. Because if David was swimming in debt he wouldn’t have offered me $1.2 million to have an affair.”

She’s right of course. I stopped loving David years ago, but remained in the marriage for the sake of the kids and the lifestyle. Nicki’s valuation of $50 million is surprisingly close, but doesn’t include his inheritance. Then Nicki says, “And those numbers don’t even reflect his inheritance. I’m guessing that’s what, another hundred million?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Michael told me.”

I frown. What a stupid thing to tell her…but of course he did. I’m sure he considered Nicki the catch of a lifetime and probably used that as bait early in the game.

“I’m not sure why Michael told you that, but he’s way off base.”

“You mean it’s more than a hundred million?”

“Much less.”

“Well, even if it’s only $50 million, the five I’m asking is still a tiny portion.”

“Let’s be perfectly clear,” I say. “If I offer you $3.8 million, plus the $1.2 you’ve already got, you’ll walk away and expect nothing further? And you’ll break things off with Jess and never contact her again?”

“No,” she says. “The $1.2 million I already have doesn’t enter into it.”

“You’re saying you expect to get $6.2 million out of this?”

“It’s a small price to pay to keep me out of your life, Alison. And Jessie’s.”

I sigh. “Okay.”

Her face registers surprise. “You’ll pay me the five million?”

“No. I’ll agree to your first deal: I’ll pay you the two million and you can date Jessie when she turns sixteen.”

14.

NICKI’S EYES GROW wide. “So you are willing to sell your daughter!”

“Don’t be absurd. I’m just being practical. Like you said, if I refuse to let her see you, she’ll sneak out behind my back anyway, and when I find out, we’ll fight, I’ll punish her, and she’ll resent me. The harder I try to keep you apart the more she’ll want to see you. But you know what? Jessie’s smart. If I let her see you, no strings attached, she’ll come to the conclusion she’s more in love with the idea of you than being with you.” She pauses.