A thousand thoughts and questions swirled in my head. How could Jefferson do this? Was it really possible for Nicholas to lose everything? What would that mean for us?

The money meant nothing to me, as long as I had Nicholas. Did he feel the same? Was I selfish to want him to pick me over everything else in his life? Could I do that to him?

I was angry, anxious, and nervous to the point of being sick as the seconds ticked away. Somebody needed to say something—anything—just to end the awful silence which had fallen over the table.

Nicholas snapped out of it first, lifting his head and...