Chapter 5: The Secret Daniel Left Behind
“Don't open that door,” Daniel warned.
I stood in the office with the phone pressed against my ear, listening to Vanessa pound on the entrance downstairs.
“Daniel, what is happening?””
“I don't have time to explain everything right now.””
“You've had days to explain. Your mother has been threatening me, your sister is trying to get into my house, and you keep telling me to hide things without telling me what they are.””
“I know.””
“No, you don't know. You weren't here when Evelyn reached for Lily.””
His breathing grew heavier.
“I never told her to take Lily.””
“Then why did she think she had the right?””
“I told her we needed to discuss the arrangements for the baby. That's all.””
“What arrangements?””
He didn't answer.
I heard a muffled voice on his end, followed by the sound of a door closing.
“Daniel?””
“I'm here.””
“Where are you?””
“I'm trying to get home.””
“You said that yesterday.””
“I know.””
“Then tell me what is in the office.””
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Finally, he spoke.
“There are records that belong to me. Some are business-related. Some involve my mother.””
“And the key?””
“Did you find it?””
“I found a note. It mentions a second key.””
He inhaled sharply.
“Where is the note now?””
“Somewhere safe.””
“Good. Keep it that way.””
I pressed my free hand against the desk.
“Daniel, stop giving me instructions as if I'm part of some secret operation. I am your wife. I deserve the truth.””
“You do.””
“Then tell me.””
He went quiet again.
Downstairs, the pounding grew louder.
“Nia!”” Vanessa shouted.
“Open the door! We need to talk!””
Daniel heard her.
“Don't let them in.””
“I wasn't planning to.””
“Promise me.””
“I am not promising anything until you tell me why your mother is looking for a key.””
His voice dropped.
“Because she thinks she can still get to the records before I do.””
“What records?””
“The ones that show what happened to the money.””
My stomach tightened.
“What money?””
He exhaled.
“The money connected to your business.””
I couldn't move.
For several seconds, all I could hear was the faint sound of his breathing.
“What did you do with my money?”” I whispered.
“I didn't take anything from you.””
“Then what are you talking about?””
“Someone used your name to authorize a transaction. I found out afterward.””
“Who?””
“I think my mother was involved.””
The words struck me like a physical blow.
I gripped the edge of the desk.
“You think your mother used my name?””
“Yes.””
“And you knew this before Lily was born?””
Another silence.
“Daniel!””
“I suspected something was wrong before she was born. I didn't know the full extent of it.””
I closed my eyes.
Three weeks before Lily arrived, he had been asking me to sign paperwork.
He had been talking about financial arrangements.
He had been telling me not to worry.
Had he suspected his mother was doing something wrong while I was preparing to give birth?
“Why didn't you tell me?”” I asked.
“Because I needed proof.””
“You could have told me you were investigating something.””
“I was afraid you'd confront her before I knew what she had done.””
“So you decided I didn't deserve to know?””
“I was trying to protect you.””
I almost laughed at the familiar phrase.
“Everyone keeps saying that. Your mother claims she's protecting Lily. Vanessa says you were doing what you thought was necessary. And now you're telling me you hid something involving my business because you were protecting me.””
“I know how it sounds.””
“It sounds like you decided my trust was less important than your secrets.””
He didn't argue.
For the first time, I heard genuine regret in his silence.
Then Vanessa struck the door again.
“Open up, Nia!””
I walked to the office doorway.
“Daniel, I need you to answer one question. Did you give your mother permission to come here and take our daughter?””
“No.””
“Did you tell her the house belonged to your family?””
“No.””
“Then why did she say you told her she could make changes?””
He paused.
“I told her we might need to change some financial arrangements. I never said she could touch the house.””
I stared at the wall.
“You should have told me.””
“I know.””
“Your silence gave her room to believe she could control me.””
“I know.””
“And it made me wonder whether you were involved in whatever happened.””
His voice cracked slightly.
“I understand.””
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to believe that there was still a difference between my husband making a terrible mistake and my husband deliberately betraying me.
But I had learned that trust could not survive on promises alone.
“Tell me exactly what I'm supposed to find,” I said.
“There's a black folder in the bottom drawer of my desk. If it's still there, don't remove anything. Just check whether it's present.””
I looked at the desk.
“The keys are missing.””
“What?””
“The drawer where I saw them is empty.””
He swore again.
“Then she may already have taken one.””
“Who?””
“My mother. Or Vanessa.””
“How could they have taken a key from a locked office?””
“Because they had access to the house before I left.””
The answer made my stomach turn.
“When?””
“Last week.””
I remembered Evelyn visiting while I was preparing the nursery.
She had insisted on helping organize the house.
Vanessa had come with her, claiming she wanted to see Lily's room before the baby arrived.
I had been grateful for the help.
I had left them alone downstairs while I rested upstairs.
Had they gone into Daniel's office?
Had they searched through our belongings while I slept?
I felt sick.
“You knew they had been in there?””
“I suspected it.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I was trying to determine what had gone missing.””
I stared at the closed desk drawer.
“You should have told me.””
“I should have.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Daniel said, “Nia, I need you to understand something. Whatever you find, don't assume the worst about me.””
I looked down at the attorney's letter.
“I already don't know what to assume.””
“I know.””
“Come home, Daniel.””
“I am.””
“Today?””
“Yes.””
I ended the call before he could offer another explanation.
Downstairs, Vanessa continued shouting.
I went to the front door but kept the deadbolt locked.
“What do you want?””
“We need to come inside.””
“No.””
“It's important.””
“Then explain it through the door.””
She exchanged a look with Evelyn.
My mother-in-law stepped forward.
“Daniel is in trouble, Nia. You need to stop making this harder for him.””
I stared through the narrow glass panel.
“What kind of trouble?””
“The kind you don't understand.””
I almost smiled at the repetition.
“Everyone seems convinced I don't understand anything. Perhaps one of you should try explaining something.””
Vanessa looked toward her mother.
Evelyn shook her head slightly.
I noticed.
They were communicating again.
“Is this about the money?”” I asked.
Both women froze.
It was only for a second.
But it was enough.
Evelyn recovered first.
“What money?””
“The money connected to my business.””
Vanessa's face lost its color.
I felt a cold certainty settle inside me.
Daniel hadn't invented the concern.
His mother knew something.
Perhaps Vanessa knew more than she had admitted, too.
I pressed my palm against the door.
“Did you use my name on a financial document?””
Evelyn's expression hardened.
“You have no idea what you're accusing me of.””
“Then answer the question.””
“This is between me and my son.””
“No. If my name and my business are involved, it is between you and me.””
Vanessa stepped closer to the glass.
“Nia, please. We don't want to hurt you.””
“Then stop trying to get into my house.””
“We're trying to help Daniel.””
“Help him do what?””
Neither answered.
I took a breath.
“If you have information about a transaction involving my business, tell me now. Otherwise, leave.””
Evelyn straightened her shoulders.
“You will regret turning against this family.””
“I haven't turned against anyone. I'm asking questions.””
“Questions can destroy things you aren't prepared to lose.””
I stared at her.
“Is that another threat?””
She looked away.
Vanessa grabbed her mother's arm.
“Mom, stop.””
For the first time, I heard something other than arrogance in Vanessa's voice.
Fear.
She looked directly at me.
“Please don't open the black folder.””
I went completely still.
Daniel had told me there was a black folder in his desk.
I hadn't mentioned it to either woman.
“How do you know about the folder?”” I asked.
Vanessa's mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Evelyn spun toward her daughter.
“That's enough.””
“No,” I said.
“It's not enough.””
Vanessa looked as though she might cry.
“I didn't know what Mom was planning at first.””
Evelyn grabbed her arm.
“Get in the car.””
“Mom—”
“Now.””
Vanessa pulled free.
“No! I'm tired of covering for everyone!””
The words hung in the air.
My heart began pounding.
“What are you covering up?””
Vanessa looked at me through the glass.
Then she glanced at her mother.
For a moment, I thought she might finally tell me everything.
Instead, she whispered, “Ask Daniel about the authorization form.””
Evelyn dragged her toward the driveway.
I watched them leave.
I didn't open the door.
I didn't follow them.
I went straight back to Daniel's office.
The bottom drawer was locked.
I searched the other drawers for the key but found nothing.
I wasn't going to force anything open or disturb records I might need to show my attorney.
Instead, I photographed the locked drawer and sent the image to Daniel.
Vanessa knows about the black folder. She told me to ask you about the authorization form.
His reply arrived almost immediately.
Do not open the drawer. I'm coming home.
I stared at the message.
Then I looked at the desk.
Something was wrong.
I had expected Daniel to be relieved that I had found the folder.
Instead, he seemed terrified that I might see it.
I returned to the living room and checked on Lily.
She was awake, making small noises in her bassinet.
I lifted her carefully and held her against my chest.
“I'm going to keep you safe,” I whispered.
Then I noticed a small envelope lying beneath the sofa.
It must have slipped out of Vanessa's handbag when she stood near the doorway.
I picked it up.
My name wasn't on the front.
Neither was Daniel's.
There was only a handwritten date.
The date was three weeks before Lily's birth.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a photocopy of a financial authorization form.
My name appeared at the bottom.
The signature looked almost exactly like mine.
But I knew I hadn't signed that page.
I read the transaction description.
Then I read it again.
The document appeared to authorize a financial transfer connected to my business.
The recipient information was partially obscured on the copy, but one name remained visible.
Evelyn.
I gripped the paper so tightly that it began to crease.
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
Then I heard a car pull into the driveway.
A door slammed.
Footsteps approached the entrance.
Daniel was home.
I rushed to the front door and unlocked it.
He stood on the porch, pale and exhausted, carrying a travel bag.
His eyes went straight to the paper in my hand.
He stopped moving.
“Where did you get that?””
I held it up.
“Tell me the truth, Daniel.””
He stared at the signature.
Then he looked at me.
And the first words out of his mouth were not an explanation.
May you like
They were a warning.
“Whatever you do, don't let my mother know you found that copy.””
