{"id":28433,"date":"2026-10-02T21:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28433"},"modified":"2026-10-02T21:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:37:09","slug":"part-35-marks-year-at-hail-morrow-reached-its-hardest-test-when-a-financial-mistake-tempted-him-to-hide-one-small-number","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28433","title":{"rendered":"PART 35 \u2013 Mark\u2019s Year at Hail &#038; Morrow Reached Its Hardest Test When a Financial Mistake Tempted Him to Hide One Small Number"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Month eight at Hail &amp; Morrow brought the first real crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Not old papers.<\/p>\n<p>Not family history.<\/p>\n<p>Current business.<\/p>\n<p>Helen called on a Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you come?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinancial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Then I stopped myself.<\/p>\n<p>A mistake was not automatically deception.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should hear it from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds ominous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnnoying?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I drove there after work.<\/p>\n<p>Mark stood behind the counter with Rafael and Helen.<\/p>\n<p>He looked miserable.<\/p>\n<p>A whiteboard showed job numbers.<\/p>\n<p>One was circled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI underbid a commercial replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleven thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI missed a line in the labor estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan the contract change?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill Hail &amp; Morrow lose money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout seven thousand after adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen crossed her arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him not to call you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause this is business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why am I here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked you to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I almost hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found a way to move costs to another job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rafael stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said that was a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was after I heard myself say it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not hear this part.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have another commercial client with a flexible materials allowance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could have shifted the loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould the other client notice?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould it be legitimate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Old Mark\u2019s instinct.<\/p>\n<p>Move money.<\/p>\n<p>Solve the current problem.<\/p>\n<p>Hide the true cost inside another account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long did you consider it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rafael muttered, \u201cTwenty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat stopped you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward Dad\u2019s old desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat, then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI realized I was writing an email explaining why the transfer was normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled despite myself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had written three paragraphs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you think?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if something is honest, I probably don\u2019t need three paragraphs explaining why it\u2019s honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen snorted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBest thing he\u2019s learned here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark told her immediately.<\/p>\n<p>They reviewed the estimate.<\/p>\n<p>Hail &amp; Morrow would take the loss.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael found legitimate savings in equipment sourcing.<\/p>\n<p>Actual loss might be closer to five thousand.<\/p>\n<p>Still real.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy call me?\u201d I asked again.<\/p>\n<p>Mark looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I wanted you to know I almost did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat on the edge of a desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want credit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The honesty made me laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate that answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I\u2019m supposed to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want you to see I stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I also don\u2019t want to turn every temptation into a confession you have to reward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen said, \u201cThen stop making your wife your parole officer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mom\u2019s tape.<\/p>\n<p>Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Mark nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t need to tell me every bad thought.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to tell the people affected by your actual choices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Helen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Rafael.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo why am I here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I\u2019m still learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fair.<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen learn this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face fell slightly.<\/p>\n<p>Not because he was hurt.<\/p>\n<p>Because he understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is your business mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou get to fix it with Helen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t need me to supervise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I kissed his cheek.<\/p>\n<p>Then left.<\/p>\n<p>Driving home, I felt strangely proud.<\/p>\n<p>Not of Mark\u2019s mistake.<\/p>\n<p>Not even of his confession.<\/p>\n<p>Of myself.<\/p>\n<p>I had not rushed in.<\/p>\n<p>Had not taken responsibility for evaluating him.<\/p>\n<p>Had not turned his error into evidence about our marriage.<\/p>\n<p>He made a business mistake.<\/p>\n<p>He nearly repeated an old pattern.<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>That was his work.<\/p>\n<p>Not mine.<\/p>\n<p>At counseling, I told Dr. Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>She smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelief.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised her.<\/p>\n<p>I explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have to monitor him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought staying meant accepting responsibility for whether he stayed changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would be impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark nodded beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s stopped asking about therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you miss it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Then Dr. Ortiz asked Mark about Hail &amp; Morrow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens at one year?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI inherit Walter\u2019s half.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen wants to sell me her share.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could own the whole place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old Mark would have glowed at that.<\/p>\n<p>This one looked anxious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already have a job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould that be bad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Then caught himself and looked back at Dr. Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like Hail &amp; Morrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t sustainably do both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo eventually I have to choose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat scares you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat choosing Hail &amp; Morrow means I\u2019m letting Walter design my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was perceptive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd choosing the operations job?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I\u2019m rejecting something important because I\u2019m afraid of being influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ortiz smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInteresting problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat would happen if you stopped making the decision about Walter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else is it about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sat back.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s inheritance was an offer.<\/p>\n<p>Not a command.<\/p>\n<p>Mark had to decide whether he wanted the business independent of Dad\u2019s symbolism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you like about Hail &amp; Morrow?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe work is real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour operations job isn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is. But there I manage systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI help people when heat stops working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like being somewhere nobody cares that I used to make a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>That was probably the deepest reason.<\/p>\n<p>At Hail &amp; Morrow, competence had become practical rather than status-driven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you like ownership?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImportant question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because ownership might reactivate everything.<\/p>\n<p>Risk.<\/p>\n<p>Expansion.<\/p>\n<p>Leverage.<\/p>\n<p>Control.<\/p>\n<p>Mark knew that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll become the old version of myself if I own it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ortiz said, \u201cThen perhaps the choice is not whether ownership proves you changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe the question is what structures you would need to own something safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>That idea became the next phase.<\/p>\n<p>Mark met with Helen.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael.<\/p>\n<p>A business attorney.<\/p>\n<p>An accountant.<\/p>\n<p>Not Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>His own advisers.<\/p>\n<p>He considered buying Helen\u2019s half.<\/p>\n<p>But under conditions.<\/p>\n<p>No personal guarantees without independent review.<\/p>\n<p>No borrowing above a threshold without written approval from an outside board member.<\/p>\n<p>No loans from family.<\/p>\n<p>No using our house as collateral.<\/p>\n<p>No undisclosed investment vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Quarterly financial review.<\/p>\n<p>I read the proposed structure because Mark asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is strict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you trust yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot blindly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was perhaps the healthiest answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho would be outside board member?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen suggested Rafael eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmart man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They considered a retired local banker instead.<\/p>\n<p>Mark did not rush.<\/p>\n<p>Month nine.<\/p>\n<p>Month ten.<\/p>\n<p>Month eleven.<\/p>\n<p>He kept showing up.<\/p>\n<p>At home, our life became less dramatic.<\/p>\n<p>That was a blessing.<\/p>\n<p>And a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Because ordinary life revealed whether change survived without crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Mark occasionally overexplained.<\/p>\n<p>I occasionally withdrew.<\/p>\n<p>We caught each other.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes gently.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes not.<\/p>\n<p>Once I walked away during an argument about holiday plans.<\/p>\n<p>Mark said, \u201cAre you ending the conversation or ending your participation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned around furious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like Dr. Ortiz.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you answer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost slammed the bedroom door.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m ending the conversation for twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later, I returned.<\/p>\n<p>We finished.<\/p>\n<p>Progress was deeply unglamorous.<\/p>\n<p>At month twelve, Helen scheduled Mark\u2019s final review.<\/p>\n<p>He joked about it for days.<\/p>\n<p>Then became nervous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if she says I failed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe gets to certify it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate other people controlling outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The review happened on a Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Helen called me afterward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe passed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you make him suffer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat his filing remains terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he talks too much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that Walter would be furious he actually learned something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sign the certification?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s fifty-percent share of the building and business interest would transfer to Mark.<\/p>\n<p>Conditional inheritance satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>Mark came home later carrying Dad\u2019s old wrench.<\/p>\n<p>The crypto wrench.<\/p>\n<p>He placed it on the kitchen table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe wrench?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHail &amp; Morrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTerrified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHappy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProud?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen offered her half.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I raised my eyebrows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe nearly fell over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo did I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her I need ninety days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo decide if I want to own the business or if I only wanted to prove I could finish the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt tears rise.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had wanted him to work there for a year.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe this was why.<\/p>\n<p>Not so Mark would inherit a business.<\/p>\n<p>So he would learn the difference between finishing something and wanting it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen do you have to decide?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNinety days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if Helen sells to someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe won\u2019t during that period.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScary?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Then his phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael.<\/p>\n<p>Mark answered.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSlow down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark listened.<\/p>\n<p>Then closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall 911.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He lowered the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We drove to the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Heart attack.<\/p>\n<p>Just like Dad.<\/p>\n<p>History seemed cruel enough to feel deliberate.<\/p>\n<p>Helen survived.<\/p>\n<p>Barely.<\/p>\n<p>When we were allowed to see her the next morning, she looked tiny beneath hospital blankets.<\/p>\n<p>Mark stood beside the bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are not allowed to die before I decide about the business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen opened one eye.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cControl problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed through tears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She squeezed his hand.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t let him use this to make the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou two are unbearable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helen closed her eyes again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside the room, Mark leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to buy her out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she almost died?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what she told you not to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo what do you actually want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared through the glass at Helen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, after a moment:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd for once, I\u2019m going to wait until I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=28434\">Click here to continue reading: PART 36: Helen\u2019s Heart Attack Forced Mark to Separate Fear From Choice, While I Faced the One Financial Decision Dad Could Never Make for Me<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Month eight at Hail &amp; Morrow brought the first real crisis. Not old papers. Not family history. Current business. Helen called on a Tuesday morning. \u201cCan you come?\u201d \u201cWhat happened?\u201d &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28502,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28433\/revisions\/28502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}