Chapter 15 - The Marriage Finally Explodes
Ethan did not sleep. Claire knew because she heard him moving through the house until dawn, opening drawers, making calls, and once shouting at someone named Victor.
At seven thirty, he entered the kitchen and placed his phone on the counter.
“Are you planning to leave me?” he asked.
Claire was making toast. She turned off the burner.
“Yes.”
The answer seemed to surprise him more than any accusation could have.
“You’ve already decided.”
“I decided when I realized you were planning to transfer our home without telling me.”
“That’s not why.”
“No. It was the beginning of the end.”
Ethan paced. “You’ve been meeting Lucas behind my back.”
“I’ve been meeting a lawyer because my husband forged my signature.”
“I did not forge anything.”
Claire walked to the dining room and placed three photographs on the table. The first showed Ethan and Vanessa kissing. The second showed Vanessa wearing the bracelet bought with company money. The third was a copy of the loan agreement bearing Claire’s electronic signature.
Ethan stared at them.
“You stopped being my wife years ago,” he said.
Claire felt the sentence travel through her like a blade, but she remained still.
“I stopped being your wife?”
“You withdrew from me. You stopped caring about my work.”
“I gave up my career to save your company.”
“You chose that.”
“I chose us.”
“You were never happy with what we had.”
Claire placed the bank report beside the photographs. “You used our accounts to pay Vanessa.”
“She helped me.”
“Vanessa understands your bank accounts.”
Ethan’s expression changed from anger to fear.
“What have you done?”
“I preserved evidence.”
“You went through confidential records.”
“You made them my records when you put my name on the loan.”
He picked up the document. His hand shook slightly.
“This is a preliminary agreement.”
“It’s a $2.4 million loan secured by our house.”
“You don’t understand the structure.”
“Then explain it.”
He could not.
Claire watched him search for the words that had always worked on her: trust me, later, don’t worry, you’re too emotional.
None of them arrived.
“You have no idea how much I know,” she said.
Ethan dropped the document.
“What does that mean?”
“I know about the secret account. I know about Richard. I know your mother has been arranging a transfer. I know Vanessa told you to make me sign.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know about Richard?”
Claire smiled without warmth. “You should ask Vanessa.”
He grabbed his phone.
“Don’t call her,” Claire said.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m not. I’m telling you that she is not who you think she is.”
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m informed.”
Ethan called Vanessa anyway. She answered after four rings.
“Where are you?” he demanded.
Claire could hear her voice through the speaker, faint and controlled.
“At work.”
“Who is Richard to you?”
There was a pause.
Ethan looked at Claire.
“What did you tell him?” Vanessa asked.
“Answer me.”
“Not on the phone.”
“You’ve been meeting him.”
“We need to talk in person.”
Ethan ended the call and looked at Claire as if she were responsible for the betrayal he had uncovered.
“You did this.”
“No. I found it.”
He walked toward her. “If you file for divorce, you will not get anything.”
“You already moved most of it.”
“I can make sure you regret this.”
Claire’s phone began recording from the pocket of her sweater.
“Is that a threat?”
Ethan stopped.
For several seconds, they stared at each other across the table where they had once planned a nursery.
Then Claire opened the desk drawer and removed the blue box.
May you like
The ultrasound photograph rested on top of the tiny socks.
“There’s something else,” she said.
