Chapter 3
Marcus's expression changed so quickly that I almost missed it.
For one brief second, fear replaced his usual confidence.
Then he laughed.
“The hotel? Nia, you went through our shared calendar?”
“You booked a suite with Vanessa using money from our shared account.”
His jaw tightened.
“It's not what you think.”
“Then tell me what it is.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down as though he were preparing to negotiate a business contract.
“Vanessa and I were discussing a potential investment. Patricia was there too. The hotel was convenient.”
I stared at him.
“An investment that required champagne, roses, and an anniversary surprise?”
His eyes narrowed.
“You're twisting things.”
I opened my laptop and turned it toward him.
The reservation confirmation filled the screen.
He glanced at it and immediately looked away.
“You shouldn't be accessing that account.”
“My name is on it.”
“It's a shared account, Nia. That doesn't mean you can monitor every transaction and interrogate me.”
I felt my anger rising, but I kept my voice steady.
“Where did the $8,400 go?”
He froze.
I watched him process the question.
“What eight thousand dollars?”
“The bracelet.”
He leaned back.
“You're checking my purchases now?”
“Our purchases. You used our shared money.”
He stood abruptly.
“I earn more than you do. I've paid for vacations, dinners, and half the things in this apartment. You want to turn every dollar into a courtroom argument?”
“I want to know why my money paid for another woman's jewelry.”
He stared at me.
Then he said the words I would never forget.
“Maybe if you stopped treating every little gesture like a test, I'd actually want to do nice things for you.”
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
He was using the argument at the restaurant to justify the affair.
I slowly closed the laptop.
“Are you blaming me for buying Vanessa a bracelet?”
“I'm saying relationships require effort from both people.”
“And loyalty?”
He didn't answer.
I waited.
Finally, he rubbed his face and said, “I made a mistake.”
The admission landed between us like a dropped glass.
I had expected denial, anger, perhaps another accusation.
I hadn't expected him to admit anything.
“Are you sleeping with her?” I asked.
He looked toward the window.
“Nia—”
“Answer me.”
He swallowed.
“Yes.”
My chest tightened so painfully that I pressed my palm against it.
“How long?”
“Four months.”
Four months.
For four months, he had kissed me goodbye before meeting her. For four months, he had listened to me talk about our future while planning a different one behind my back.
I remembered the night I had asked whether he wanted to start looking at houses together.
He had told me to be patient.
He had said we needed to strengthen our finances first.
All the while, he had been spending our money on someone else.
“Do you love her?” I whispered.
Marcus hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than his confession.
“I don't know what I feel.”
I nodded slowly.
“Then you should leave.”
He stared at me.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“This is my home too.”
“Then we need to discuss the lease and our shared expenses. But you are not going to stand in this kitchen and expect me to comfort you because you cheated on me.”
His face reddened.
“You're overreacting.”
I almost laughed.
He had finally admitted to a four-month affair, and he still believed my reaction was the real problem.
He picked up the roses and threw them into the trash.
“Fine. If you want to destroy everything over one mistake, that's your choice.”
I stepped aside as he walked toward the bedroom.
He returned several minutes later with a small bag.
Before leaving, he turned toward me.
“You'll regret this.”
I met his eyes.
“No, Marcus. I regret the time I spent believing your promises.”
The door slammed behind him.
I sank onto the sofa, shaking.
For several minutes, I couldn't move.
Then my phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Nia Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Patricia. I think we need to talk about Marcus.”
My stomach tightened.
“I know you were at the hotel.”
She exhaled.
“You saw the photograph?”
“Yes. Why were you there?”
“Because Marcus told me he needed help with an emergency business meeting. Vanessa was supposed to be presenting an investment opportunity.”
“And the champagne?”
“I thought it was a client dinner. I didn't know what was happening between them until I arrived.”
I wanted to believe her, but something in her voice sounded strained.
“Why are you calling me now?”
“Because I checked the expense report this morning.”
She paused.
“Some of the money Marcus spent on Vanessa was listed as a company expense. My signature appears on the authorization.”
My blood ran cold.
“Did you approve it?”
“No. I never signed that report.”
For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, my understanding of Marcus's betrayal shifted.
This was no longer only about infidelity.
Someone might have been falsifying financial records.
Patricia lowered her voice.
“Nia, I think Marcus has been using our business account for months. And I think Vanessa knows more than she's admitting.”
I gripped the edge of the counter.
“What do you need from me?”
“I need to know whether he used your shared account to cover expenses he couldn't explain.”
I looked at the laptop on the table.
“I have the statements.”
“Then please don't delete anything.”
Before hanging up, Patricia said one more thing.
“There is something else. Marcus has been telling people that you're planning to invest in his company.”
My stomach dropped.
“I never agreed to that.”
“I know. That's why I'm worried.”
After the call ended, I sat in silence.
Marcus had cheated on me.
He had lied about our money.
Now, apparently, he had been telling business associates that I supported an investment I had never discussed.
I opened the folder where I had saved the bank statements.
At the bottom of the transaction history, I noticed a payment I hadn't examined closely.
It had been made to Marcus's company.
The description read: INITIAL CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION — N. BENNETT.
May you like
I had never transferred that money.
Yet the record said I had.
