Chapter 2
I turned toward Claire.
"Why are you telling Maya to stay quiet?"
My wife stared at me.
For several seconds, she didn't answer.
Then she forced a laugh.
"Marcus, she's a child."
I felt anger rising.
"That doesn't mean she can't tell the truth."
Claire pointed toward Maya.
"She's confused!"
My daughter began crying again.
I immediately crouched beside her.
"Sweetheart, look at me."
She slowly lifted her face.
"You're not in trouble."
Her chin trembled.
"Even if Mommy gets mad?"
My heart shattered.
I took her little hand.
"Even then."
She looked toward Claire.
Then whispered,
"Mommy said Uncle Julian was going to be our new daddy."
I stopped breathing.
For a moment, the room seemed to disappear.
Julian.
My closest friend.
The man who stood beside me at our wedding.
The man who held Maya when she was born.
The man who came to our house every Christmas and called himself her favorite uncle.
I looked toward Claire.
She covered her face.
"Marcus, please."
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"How long?"
She shook her head.
I stood.
"How long have you been seeing him?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It wasn't supposed to happen."
I stared.
"How long?"
She swallowed.
"Eight months."
My knees weakened.
Eight months.
Eight months of lies.
Eight months of secret meetings.
Eight months of my wife kissing me goodnight after spending time with the man I trusted with my business.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
My hands were shaking.
Maya approached slowly.
"Daddy?"
I looked up.
Her eyes were frightened.
"Are you going to leave me?"
That question hurt worse than Claire's confession.
I immediately knelt.
"Never."
She started crying.
I pulled her into my arms.
"Listen carefully, Maya. Whatever happens between Mommy and me, I will always be your daddy."
She clung to me.
"And Hope?"
I looked toward the bassinet.
The newborn made a tiny movement beneath her blanket.
My heart tightened.
I wasn't her biological father.
But she was five days old.
She hadn't chosen any of this.
I looked at Maya.
"Hope hasn't done anything wrong either."
My daughter nodded.
Then whispered,
"Mommy said you wouldn't want her anymore."
I closed my eyes.
Claire had apparently told our seven-year-old daughter that a baby's worth depended on who her father was.
I felt sick.
I looked at my wife.
"Why would you tell her that?"
Claire began sobbing.
"Because I was scared!"
"Of what?"
She looked down.
"Of losing everything."
I stared at her.
Our home.
Our marriage.
Our daughters.
Our lives.
All reduced to something she was afraid of losing after making choices that destroyed our trust.
I took a slow breath.
"Claire, I need you to stop speaking to Maya about adult secrets."
She nodded.
I continued.
"And we are going to discuss what happens next without frightening the children."
She wiped her cheeks.
"Okay."
For a moment, I thought she understood.
Then Maya reached into the pocket of her lavender cardigan.
She removed a folded piece of paper.
My heart tightened.
"Daddy, Mommy said I should hide this."
Claire went completely still.
I looked at the paper.
"What is it?"
Maya handed it to me.
Her little fingers were trembling.
I unfolded it.
A bank receipt.
It showed a transfer of seventy-five thousand dollars.
From an account bearing the name Bennett Construction.
To a company called Brooks Financial Partners.
Julian's company.
My stomach dropped.
I stared at Claire.
"What is this?"
She looked away.
I felt cold.
"Claire."
She swallowed.
"Julian needed money."
I stared.
"From my company?"
She began crying.
"He said it was temporary."
I looked at the receipt.
The transfer had been made three weeks earlier.
While Claire was still pregnant.
While I was working twelve-hour days preparing for Hope's arrival.
I took a breath.
"How did you get access to the business account?"
Claire shook her head.
"Marcus, please."
"Answer me."
She whispered,
"You gave me access to the family financial portal."
I closed my eyes.
I had allowed Claire to view certain business statements because she helped organize household finances.
But viewing statements wasn't the same as authorizing transfers.
I looked at her.
"Did you sign my name?"
She didn't answer.
My stomach tightened.
Then Maya whispered,
"Uncle Julian came here when you were working."
I turned toward her.
"When?"
She swallowed.
"Lots of times."
My heart broke.
I looked toward Claire.
She was crying quietly.
I realized my daughter had spent months watching things she didn't understand.
She had been carrying secrets adults forced upon her.
I gently took the bank receipt.
"Sweetheart, thank you for telling me."
Maya nodded.
Then whispered,
"There's another paper."
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
She pointed toward the blue teddy bear.
I looked at it.
The toy had a small zipper along its back.
It was originally designed to hold a little recorded message.
I remembered buying it for Maya when she turned five.
She called him Blueberry.
She slept with him every night.
I carefully opened the zipper.
Inside was a small folded photograph.
I pulled it out.
Julian and Claire stood together outside a hotel.
Claire was visibly pregnant.
Julian had one arm around her waist.
My hands began shaking.
I looked at Maya.
"Where did you get this?"
She began crying.
"Mommy dropped it."
I swallowed.
"And she asked you to hide it?"
Maya nodded.
"She said if you saw it, our family would break."
I closed my eyes.
For months, my daughter had believed she was responsible for keeping our family together.
I pulled her into my arms.
"Oh, baby."
She began sobbing.
I held her tightly.
Then I whispered,
"Nothing about this is your fault."
For a long moment, she cried against my chest.
Finally, I looked toward Claire.
"Who took the photograph?"
She stared.
Then whispered,
"Julian."
I frowned.
"Why?"
Her expression changed.
She looked frightened again.
"Because he wanted proof."
My stomach tightened.
"Proof of what?"
She swallowed.
"That I was carrying his baby."
I stared at her.
Then she added something that made my blood run cold.
"Marcus, Julian said if I ever tried to leave him, he'd make sure you lost your company."
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
My wife had betrayed me.
My best friend had betrayed me.
And now I was learning that the affair might be connected to something much larger.
I looked toward the bank receipt.
Seventy-five thousand dollars.
Julian's company.
My forged authorization.
Then Maya whispered one final thing.
"Daddy, Uncle Julian said you were almost out of time."
I felt my heart stop.
May you like
Because suddenly, I realized Julian hadn't merely been trying to steal my family.
He might have been preparing to take everything I owned.
