Chapter 6
I had spent six years believing Denise married me because she loved me.
Now her former husband stood in my dining room suggesting otherwise.
I looked at Raymond.
"Explain yourself."
Denise immediately stepped between us.
"Marcus, he's lying."
Raymond laughed.
"I haven't said anything yet."
"Get out of my house," Denise snapped.
I raised my hand.
"Nobody is leaving until I understand what's happening."
Maya stood beside me, clutching her new shopping bags.
I turned toward her.
"Sweetheart, go upstairs for a little while."
She looked frightened.
"Daddy—"
"I'll come check on you."
She nodded and slowly walked away.
I waited until she was gone.
Then I faced Raymond.
"Start talking."
He placed both hands on the dining table.
"Your wife and I owned a small investment company together."
I glanced at Denise.
She stared at the floor.
"Southcrest Holdings?" I asked.
Raymond looked surprised.
"So you already know something."
"Enough to know you've been receiving money from my household account."
His expression changed.
"Denise told you?"
"My accountant found it."
Raymond shook his head.
"Then you're smarter than she thought."
Denise snapped, "Raymond!"
I looked at her.
"Let him finish."
Raymond opened the envelope.
Inside were business documents.
Property records.
Bank statements.
Copies of emails.
He spread them across the table.
"Before Denise married you, she helped me establish Southcrest Holdings."
I stared at the papers.
"Why?"
"Because we knew your company was planning to sell that commercial building."
My heartbeat quickened.
"How did you know?"
Raymond looked at Denise.
"She told me."
Denise closed her eyes.
I felt my stomach sink.
At the time, Denise and I had been dating.
I had told her about the building because I trusted her.
I remembered explaining that the property was expensive to maintain.
She had encouraged me to sell quickly.
Now I was beginning to understand why.
"Did you use information I gave Denise to negotiate the purchase?" I asked.
Raymond hesitated.
"Yes."
My hands tightened.
"Did you misrepresent who controlled the buying company?"
Raymond looked down.
"Yes."
Denise suddenly spoke.
"Marcus, I never intended to hurt you."
I turned toward her.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
Her eyes filled.
"Because I knew you'd leave."
The words landed heavily.
Raymond continued.
"Denise and I had a private arrangement."
He pointed at the property documents.
"She was supposed to receive a share of the profits."
I stared at him.
"How much?"
He hesitated.
"Two hundred thousand dollars."
I felt sick.
Denise had helped arrange a transaction involving my company while hiding her financial interest.
"Did you receive that money?" I asked her.
She shook her head.
"Not all of it."
Raymond laughed bitterly.
"Because you wanted everything."
Denise turned on him.
"You promised the girls would be provided for!"
"They were!"
"You disappeared for months!"
Their voices rose.
I slammed my palm against the table.
"Enough!"
Both went silent.
I took a breath.
"Raymond, why have you been demanding money from Denise?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"She owed me."
"For what?"
"Legal expenses. Investments. Money I put into the company."
I stared at him.
"Then why threaten to expose her before the wedding?"
He hesitated.
Denise looked terrified.
I knew there was more.
"Raymond."
He sighed.
"Because she wasn't supposed to keep the property proceeds after our settlement."
I looked at Denise.
"Is that true?"
She began crying.
"Marcus, please."
"Answer me."
She nodded.
My heart sank.
Then I looked at Raymond.
"And you decided to pressure her for money instead of resolving it legally?"
He looked away.
"I made mistakes."
I almost laughed.
Mistakes.
That was becoming everyone's favorite word.
But the harm done to Maya wasn't a bookkeeping mistake.
It was a choice repeated over months.
I looked at Denise.
"Did you take money intended for Maya and send it to Raymond?"
She started sobbing.
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, the room seemed to tilt.
I thought about Maya tutoring other children to buy her own school supplies.
About the winter coat she had needed.
About the glasses she had been afraid to ask for.
I opened my eyes.
"How could you?"
Denise shook her head.
"I didn't know what else to do."
"You could have told me the truth."
"You would have hated me!"
I stared at her.
"I don't hate you."
She looked hopeful.
Then I continued.
"But I don't trust you."
Her expression collapsed.
Raymond began gathering his papers.
"I've told you what you need to know."
I turned toward him.
"No."
He stopped.
"You participated in this. You don't get to walk away pretending you're innocent."
His face hardened.
"I came here voluntarily."
"And you'll have an opportunity to explain everything through the proper legal process."
Raymond looked uneasy.
I picked up my phone.
"Rachel is coming over. You're going to leave copies of those documents."
Denise wiped her eyes.
"Marcus, please don't ruin our family."
I looked toward the staircase.
"Our family was already being hurt."
My voice cracked.
"While I was trusting you."
Denise began crying harder.
Then Tasha appeared in the doorway.
She had been listening.
Her face was pale.
"Mom?"
Denise turned.
"Tasha, go upstairs."
But Tasha didn't move.
She looked at Raymond.
"Dad, is it true?"
Raymond froze.
She continued.
"Did you make Mom give you money?"
He looked ashamed.
"Tasha, it's complicated."
She started crying.
"Did you know Maya wasn't getting anything?"
Neither adult answered.
Tasha stared at her mother.
"Mom?"
Denise covered her face.
And in that moment, I saw something I hadn't expected.
My stepdaughter's anger wasn't directed at Maya.
It was directed at the adults who had made her sister feel unwanted.
Tasha stepped backward.
"I thought Maya was just jealous."
Her voice broke.
"That's what you told me."
Denise whispered her name.
But Tasha shook her head.
"No."
Then she turned and ran upstairs.
I watched her go.
For six years, I had tried to give all three girls a stable family.
May you like
Now every one of them was hurting.
And the people responsible were standing in my dining room.
