Chapter 3
I read Tessa's message three times.
The custody papers weren't his idea.
My first instinct was to call her.
My second was to throw the phone across the room.
I had already discovered that my husband wanted another woman.
Now that woman appeared to know intimate details about our unborn child.
I placed one hand over my belly.
Then typed a response.
Who are you?
The reply came immediately.
I'm the woman Marcus has been seeing.
My throat tightened.
I stared at the words.
There it was.
The truth.
No more suspicions.
No more excuses.
I swallowed.
Why are you contacting me?
Several seconds passed.
Then my phone rang.
I hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice spoke quietly.
"Nia?"
"Yes."
"My name is Tessa Morgan."
I closed my eyes.
"Congratulations."
She sounded confused.
"What?"
"You managed to help destroy a marriage."
Silence.
Then she whispered, "I didn't know he was married when we met."
I laughed bitterly.
"That's convenient."
"I know how it sounds."
"Do you know I'm pregnant?"
She paused.
"Yes."
"When did you find out?"
"Three months ago."
I gripped the phone.
"And you stayed?"
Her voice broke.
"I tried to leave."
I almost hung up.
Then she said something that stopped me.
"Marcus told me he was protecting his baby from you."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"He said you were unstable."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
He had been telling the same story everywhere.
I took a slow breath.
"Tessa, why are you calling?"
She hesitated.
"Because I found something."
"What?"
"A folder in his apartment."
I stared at the wall.
"His apartment?"
"He rented one six months ago."
The exact length of their affair.
My heart sank.
Tessa continued.
"It contained legal documents, financial statements, and emails."
I swallowed.
"What emails?"
"Messages between Marcus and someone named Valerie Bennett."
My body went cold.
Valerie.
Marcus's mother.
The woman who had never approved of me.
"What did they say?"
Tessa hesitated.
"Nia, I think you should see them yourself."
I closed my eyes.
For six years, Valerie had made her feelings about my inheritance perfectly clear.
She believed a wife should place every asset under her husband's control.
She regularly criticized my grandmother for leaving property solely to me.
And when Marcus and I purchased furniture for the nursery, she insisted I was trying to make her son feel financially inferior.
Now her name was appearing in documents about my unborn daughter.
I swallowed.
"What does Valerie have to do with the custody papers?"
Tessa's voice trembled.
"She introduced Marcus to the attorney who prepared them."
My heart pounded.
"Why?"
"I don't know everything."
"Tell me what you do know."
She took a breath.
"Valerie told him that if he had primary custody, he could request support and gain leverage in the divorce."
I pressed my hand against my chest.
There it was.
The baby.
The house.
The money.
Everything connected.
I could barely speak.
"Do you have proof?"
"Yes."
"Then send it to my attorney."
Tessa hesitated.
"Can I speak to you first?"
"No."
My voice hardened.
"If you want to help, send the documents through legal channels."
She was quiet.
Then whispered, "I understand."
I gave her Camille's office number.
After ending the call, I sat motionless.
I wanted to hate Tessa.
Part of me did.
But the larger betrayal had come from the man who promised to love me.
And from the family that had been smiling at my baby shower only three weeks earlier.
I remembered Valerie holding a tiny pink blanket.
She had kissed my cheek.
Then whispered, "Soon everything will be exactly where it belongs."
At the time, I thought she meant our daughter.
Now I wondered what she'd really been talking about.
Upstairs, I heard Marcus moving around.
A suitcase rolled across the floor.
Then his footsteps approached.
He entered the kitchen carrying a black overnight bag.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
He looked surprised.
"You told me to pack."
I stared at him.
"You have somewhere to stay?"
He hesitated.
"Yes."
I almost laughed.
"Your apartment?"
His face changed.
"What apartment?"
"The one you've been sharing with Tessa."
For a moment, he looked stunned.
Then angry.
"She called you?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
He set the suitcase down.
"Nia, whatever she told you—"
"She mentioned your mother."
His expression darkened.
I watched him carefully.
"Why is Valerie involved in our custody arrangements?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"My mother is worried about the baby."
I stared.
"She barely asks about my pregnancy."
"She's concerned."
"About what?"
He didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
"Did she tell you to have me declared unfit?"
His jaw tightened.
"Nobody declared you anything."
I took a breath.
"Did she help prepare that false medical statement?"
He looked away.
That was enough to frighten me.
I swallowed.
"Marcus, look at me."
He didn't.
"LOOK AT ME."
His eyes met mine.
"Did your mother help create that document?"
He exhaled.
"She said she knew someone who could help."
I felt sick.
"Help with what?"
"Protecting the baby."
I shook my head.
"From her own mother?"
His expression hardened.
"You're taking everything out of context."
I laughed bitterly.
"No."
For the first time, I wasn't confused.
I was beginning to understand.
Marcus hadn't suddenly decided he wanted a different life.
He had been constructing one for months.
A life where I remained financially responsible.
But he controlled our child.
I looked toward his suitcase.
"Leave your keys on the counter."
He stared.
"Nia—"
"We'll handle the rest through our attorneys."
He hesitated.
Then removed his keys.
But before placing them down, he said something that made my stomach drop.
"You think your grandmother left you enough protection?"
I froze.
"What?"
He smiled faintly.
"You've never understood how complicated her estate really is."
My heart pounded.
"What are you talking about?"
He placed the keys on the counter.
Then walked toward the front door.
I followed him.
"Marcus!"
He stopped.
I gripped the doorframe.
"What did you do?"
He looked back.
For a moment, I saw something almost like regret.
Then he said, "Ask your grandmother's attorney."
The door closed behind him.
I stood motionless.
My grandmother had died four years earlier.
Her attorney, Samuel Whitaker, handled her estate.
I hadn't spoken to him in nearly two years.
Because Marcus always insisted the estate had been fully settled.
I reached for my phone.
Then searched for Samuel's number.
When he answered, his voice sounded surprised.
"Nia?"
"Mr. Whitaker, I need help."
His tone became serious.
"What's happened?"
I swallowed.
"My husband says there's something wrong with my grandmother's estate."
Silence.
Then Samuel asked a question that made my entire body go cold.
"Nia, has Marcus been trying to get you to sign anything recently?"
I gripped the counter.
"Yes."
Samuel exhaled.
"Then we need to meet immediately."
May you like
And when I asked why, he gave me an answer that changed everything.
"Because your grandmother left instructions about exactly this possibility."
