Lin received a separate apology from Adrian. He acknowledged misrepresenting the translation process and allowing the author to praise him for work she had not been told was collaborative. Lin thanked him for correcting the record and asked that future discussion focus on the edition's integrity. She did not expel him from the book. His revisions remained part of it, and she wanted the final text reviewed on its merits. Fang worried readers would interpret that decision as indulgence. Lin replied that keeping an accurate account could be less satisfying than selecting one person to erase. Nia heard the statement through their editorial call and recognized how difficult a principle became when it protected someone who hurt her.
The revised proposal named Nia Bellamy and Adrian Wells as translators, with a contributor note explaining the stages of work without converting the title page into an argument. The order and wording required discussion, as did payment, royalties, corrections, and remaining editorial responsibilities. Rosa reviewed each term with Nia. Some numbers were acceptable. Some were not. A confidentiality clause initially covered too much and was narrowed. Nia requested that accurate discussion of her experience remain possible. The parties would not publish private settlement details, but privacy would not require pretending sole credit had been justified. Negotiation continued in ordinary language, one provision at a time.
That night, Nia put Adrian's returned book back on the shelf instead of hiding it. It had been meaningful before the dispute. Its pages did not become false because the giver lied later. She was learning to let objects hold mixed histories without demanding they choose a side. On the kitchen table, the advance copy still bore his sole name. She would retain it as a record of what happened. She did not have to keep reading it while she ate. She placed it inside the document box, set two plates for dinner, and asked Dani whether the landlord had finally fixed the bathroom fan. There were other unresolved matters in the world.
Chapter 11
The Editor's Own Name
Clara's publisher wanted a statement emphasizing the complexity of collaborative translation. Clara agreed complexity mattered, then asked where the statement acknowledged the company's failure to clarify information in its files. The room grew still. One executive said the publisher had relied on a professional representation. Clara said that was true and insufficient. A reader's report listed two names. Earlier correspondence mentioned a collaborator. Nobody resolved the discrepancy before printing a sole attribution. The author and Nia deserved a process that examined those missed questions alongside Adrian's conduct. Protecting the company's reputation by making him the only failure would produce another incomplete account. Clara knew this partly because she wanted to do it herself.
The internal review identified gaps in acquisition handovers, contributor declarations, and approval checks. It did not recommend investigating every adjective in every manuscript as though publishing could become a world without trust. It recommended resolving named contributors, preserving submission histories, and making responsibility visible when projects changed editors. Clara assigned owners and dates. Oliver would help implement the metadata corrections but would not become solely responsible for repairing a failure made above his grade. He looked relieved when she said so. Junior employees often inherited improvement plans with more responsibility than authority. Clara had done that to people before. She wanted this correction to reach her own habits too.
Nia joined a meeting about the revised edition. The production manager explained options for existing copies: corrected title pages where feasible, clear notices, updated jackets, and appropriate communication with retailers. Some copies would be withdrawn. Digital editions and catalogs could change more quickly. Nia asked whether an insert alone would leave the cover's larger claim intact. The manager said that was a legitimate concern. They examined samples rather than exchanging reassuring abstractions. Seeing her name in a mockup made Nia's chest tighten. It was not extravagant typography. It was a line that should have been there before anyone toasted her ability to speak.
Adrian accepted that Nia's name would appear first, reflecting the translation base and the agreed account of their roles. He would receive credit for his substantial revision and translation contributions. A note would distinguish those stages without pretending every passage had a single untouched origin. Nia checked the wording against the comparison report and her own memory. She found one phrase implying she stopped work voluntarily. It was changed. The process took longer than people wanted. It also showed how easily a sentence intended to settle conflict could preserve a miniature version of the original harm. She had become sensitive to those shifts, sometimes excessively so. Rosa helped distinguish a genuine problem from a word that merely reminded her of one.