Chapter 2
The first image showed our garage in darkness.
Then the robot's camera adjusted.
The workbench appeared.
Our old paint cans.
Lily's bicycle.
And the small desk where Maya helped her sister build Silver Star.
The date was yesterday.
2:17 in the morning.
I watched Marcus enter the garage.
He was wearing the same navy polo shirt he had on now.
His phone was pressed against his ear.
He shut the door behind him.
Then he said something that made my stomach turn.
"I found the recording device."
A woman's voice answered.
"Are you sure?"
Marcus looked toward Lily's robot.
"Yes. The little machine has a camera."
I glanced at my husband.
He stood motionless.
On the screen, he continued.
"She leaves it running when she's testing it."
The woman sounded frightened.
"Then destroy it."
My heart stopped.
Marcus shook his head.
"If Nia finds it broken, she'll ask questions."
The woman snapped:
"She'll ask worse questions when she finds out what you signed."
I felt Maya stiffen beside me.
On the recording, Marcus opened a folder.
He removed several documents.
Then placed them on the workbench.
"I only agreed because you said the money would be returned."
The woman laughed bitterly.
"Don't pretend you're innocent now."
I couldn't breathe.
Marcus lowered his voice.
"Nia cannot find out about the house."
The video continued.
The woman said:
"Then stop worrying about your wife and finish what we started."
Marcus ended the call.
He stared at Lily's robot.
Then reached toward it.
The recording stopped abruptly.
I looked at him.
"What house?"
He didn't answer.
"Marcus."
His lips trembled.
I stepped closer.
"What did you sign?"
He looked toward the street.
Then whispered:
"Something I shouldn't have."
My chest tightened.
Behind me, Lily began crying.
"Daddy, why did you want to break Silver Star?"
He closed his eyes.
"Baby, I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"You killed him!"
My heart broke.
To Lily, Silver Star wasn't just an expensive toy.
It was her project.
Her dream.
Something she'd built herself.
Marcus had destroyed it because he feared what it had recorded.
I gently turned toward her.
"Sweetheart, we're going to get your robot repaired."
She sniffled.
"Promise?"
"I promise we'll do everything we can."
Maya touched her shoulder.
"I'll help."
Then I looked back at Marcus.
"Who was the woman?"
He stared at the ground.
"Nobody."
I almost laughed.
"You just admitted something happened."
"Nia, it's complicated."
"Then explain it."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I was trying to protect us."
I felt anger rising.
"Protect us from what?"
He looked at Maya.
Then at Lily.
"Can we talk without the girls?"
I thought carefully.
The children were already frightened.
They didn't need to hear every adult problem.
But I wasn't going to let Marcus use their presence to avoid accountability.
I turned toward Maya.
"Take Lily inside."
She hesitated.
"Mom..."
"I'll be right here."
Maya nodded.
Then took her sister's hand.
Before leaving, she looked directly at Marcus.
"I copied the files."
His expression changed.
"What?"
Maya stood straighter.
"The robot backs up recordings to the laptop."
She pointed toward the garage.
"Breaking it didn't erase everything."
Marcus looked as though he'd been struck.
Maya guided Lily inside.
I waited until the door closed.
Then turned toward my husband.
"Start talking."
He sat heavily on the edge of the driveway.
For a moment, he looked exhausted.
Then he whispered:
"I borrowed money."
I stared at him.
"How much?"
He swallowed.
"Two hundred thousand."
My stomach dropped.
"Two hundred thousand dollars?"
He nodded.
I felt dizzy.
We had savings.
Retirement accounts.
A mortgage.
But we didn't have two hundred thousand dollars available to throw away.
"From whom?"
He looked down.
"A private lender."
I took a slow breath.
"What was the money for?"
He hesitated.
"My business."
I stared.
Marcus owned a small home renovation company.
It had struggled over the past year.
Some clients delayed payments.
Material costs increased.
He told me things were difficult.
But he never mentioned a loan this large.
"Did you sign personally?"
He nodded.
My heart sank.
"Did you use our house as collateral?"
Silence.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Marcus."
He looked away.
"Please don't make me say it."
I stepped backward.
Our house.
The home where both girls grew up.
The home I bought with the insurance money from my first husband's death and years of my own savings.
I had owned it before marrying Marcus.
After our wedding, I added him to the title because I trusted him.
Now I wished I'd asked more questions.
"Did you mortgage our home without telling me?"
His eyes filled.
"I thought I could fix it before you knew."
I stared at him.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I remembered the woman's voice.
The threat.
The urgency.
The way she knew about the documents.
"Who helped you?"
Marcus rubbed his face.
"Nia, please."
I took a breath.
"Who?"
He looked toward the garage.
Then whispered:
"My sister."
My stomach dropped.
"Danielle?"
He nodded.
Danielle was forty-five.
A real estate broker.
Beautiful.
Confident.
And constantly offering financial advice nobody had requested.
She had never liked me.
She said I was too independent.
Too controlling.
Too protective of property that should belong to my husband.
I had ignored those comments.
Now they sounded different.
"Danielle arranged the loan?"
Marcus nodded.
"She said she knew a lender."
I stared at him.
"Did she know the house belonged to me before we married?"
He looked down.
"Yes."
My hands trembled.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Renee.
"I'm outside. Don't let Marcus leave until I've spoken with you."
I looked toward the front gate.
Her car had just pulled up.
Relief washed through me.
But before I could call her over, Maya burst through the back door.
"Mom!"
Her face was pale.
I rushed toward her.
"What happened?"
She held up the laptop.
"I found another recording."
My stomach tightened.
She looked toward Marcus.
Then whispered:
"Mom, Danielle wasn't just talking about the house."
I stared at her.
"What else?"
Maya swallowed.
"She said they needed to make you look like an unfit mother."
For a moment, the world stopped.
May you like
Then I looked toward my husband.
And realized the house might not be the only thing I was about to lose.
