Chapter 2: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
“Camille,” Andre said slowly, “why is my phone in your bag?””
She didn't answer.
The ringing stopped.
For three seconds, the only sound in the room was my daughter's soft breathing.
Then Camille forced a laugh.
“That's not what it looks like.””
Andre stood up.
“Then tell me what it looks like.””
She glanced at me, then at Eli, who was pressed against his father's side.
“Can we please discuss this somewhere else?””
“No,” I said.
My voice surprised even me.
Camille turned toward me.
“Tiana, you've just given birth. You're emotional, and—”
“Finish that sentence,” I interrupted.
“Go ahead. Tell me how being in labor makes me imagine your handbag ringing with my husband's phone inside it.””
Her mouth snapped shut.
Andre held out his hand.
“Give me the bag.””
“Why are you acting like I'm a criminal?”” Camille demanded.
“Because you have my phone!””
“I was helping you!””
The words burst from her so loudly that my daughter startled awake.
Denise immediately moved closer to my bed.
“Everyone needs to lower their voices.””
Andre didn't look away from his sister.
“Helping me do what?””
Camille swallowed.
“I picked up your phone because you left it at my apartment.””
“When?””
“Last night.””
“Then why didn't you bring it to me?””
“I was going to.””
“When?””
She opened her mouth, but no answer came.
Andre took one step toward her.
“Camille, I missed the birth of my daughter. My son spent the entire night trying to reach me. My wife was alone in a delivery room, and you're standing here telling me you were helping?””
“I didn't know she was going to deliver so early!””
“You knew she was in labor!””
“I thought you would have time!””
The room went silent again.
I stared at her.
There it was.
Not an apology.
Not even a denial.
She had known.
Andre reached for the handbag.
Camille jerked it away.
“Don't touch my things!””
“Give me my phone.””
She looked toward the hallway as if searching for an escape route.
Then she pulled the phone from her bag and held it out.
Andre snatched it.
His screen lit up with dozens of notifications. He swiped through the call history, his jaw tightening with every movement.
“Twenty-seven missed calls,” he whispered.
He looked at me.
“Twenty-seven, Tiana.””
I couldn't answer.
He scrolled farther.
“Where are the calls from the hospital?””
Denise stepped closer.
“Some of the calls may have been blocked or filtered, depending on the settings. I can't determine exactly what happened from the call history alone.””
Andre tapped the screen.
“There's a blocked number here.””
He held it up.
The number belonged to the hospital.
A second number appeared beneath it.
Then a third.
My hands began to shake.
Eli tugged at his father's sleeve.
“Dad, I told you I called.””
Andre crouched in front of him.
“I believe you, buddy.””
“You do?””
“Of course I do.””
Eli looked down at his sneakers.
“Because Mom said you loved us, but I thought maybe you didn't want to come.””
Andre closed his eyes.
A tear rolled down his cheek.
“Oh, buddy. No. Never think that.””
He pulled Eli into his arms.
My son clung to him with a desperation that broke something inside me.
I wanted to join them.
I wanted to believe that this was a terrible misunderstanding and that the family I had built was still standing.
But Camille was still in the doorway.
And she was watching them with an expression I couldn't explain.
It wasn't guilt.
It was resentment.
“Camille,” I said quietly, “how did you get into Andre's phone?””
She crossed her arms.
“He gave me his passcode months ago.””
Andre lifted his head.
“For what?””
“To help with your schedule.””
“I never asked you to manage my schedule.””
“You asked me to help with your business.””
“That was last year!””
“And you never changed the passcode!””
Her voice cracked on the last word.
For a moment, she looked less like a woman caught in a lie and more like someone furious that her private arrangement had fallen apart.
Andre stood.
“Did you block these calls?””
Camille shook her head immediately.
“No.””
“Did you turn off the hospital notifications?””
“No.””
“Did you know Tiana was trying to reach me?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Andre stared at her.
“You knew.””
“I knew she was calling!””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
Camille's eyes filled with tears.
“Because you were finally doing something for yourself!””
I blinked.
“What does that mean?””
She ignored me.
Andre shook his head.
“Explain.””
“You spend every waking hour running after Tiana and the kids. Every family event becomes about them. Every conversation becomes about what Tiana needs. Even when you promised to help me, you canceled because she had a doctor's appointment!””
I stared at her in disbelief.
I remembered that appointment.
It had been the day my doctor discovered that my blood pressure was dangerously high and told me to rest.
Andre had canceled a dinner with Camille to take me to the hospital.
He'd never complained.
He'd never even told me Camille had been upset.
“You blocked your brother's calls because he was taking care of his pregnant wife?”” I asked.
Camille turned on me.
“You always make everything about yourself!””
“I was giving birth to his child!””
“And he has a life outside this family!””
Andre's expression hardened.
“You don't get to decide which part of my life matters.””
Camille flinched.
For a moment, I thought she might finally apologize.
Instead, she looked at Eli.
“Your father has always been like this. He promises everyone the world, then forgets about the people who were there before you came along.””
Eli moved closer to me.
“Don't talk about Dad like that.””
The words were small.
But they landed harder than any scream.
Camille's face changed.
She had expected anger from Andre.
She had expected accusations from me.
She hadn't expected an eight-year-old boy to defend the father she'd just helped keep away from his own family.
Andre took Eli's hand.
“Camille, leave.””
She stared at him.
“Are you serious?””
“Leave the room.””
“You're throwing me out over one mistake?””
“One mistake?”” Andre repeated.
“You watched my son cry because he thought I didn't want him. You let my wife go through labor believing I wasn't coming. You had my phone, and you did nothing.””
“I didn't know what time the baby would come!””
“You knew enough to do something.””
Camille's tears spilled over.
She wiped them away angrily.
“Fine.””
She turned toward the door.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes settled on the pink blanket wrapped around my daughter.
“Just remember,” she said, “you don't know everything your husband has been doing behind your back.””
The air seemed to disappear from the room.
Andre's face went pale.
“What did you just say?””
Camille's expression shifted.
For the first time, she looked as if she'd revealed something she hadn't intended to say aloud.
“Nothing.””
“No. You don't get to say that and walk away. What are you talking about?””
She backed into the hallway.
“Ask your wife.””
Then she disappeared around the corner.
Andre stood motionless.
I watched him carefully.
“What does she mean?””
He looked at me.
“I don't know.””
“Andre.””
“I swear, Tiana. I don't know what she's talking about.””
I wanted to believe him.
But the fear in his eyes was different now.
He wasn't just afraid I'd leave him.
He was afraid of what I might discover.
Denise checked my blood pressure and gently reminded us that I needed rest. She helped settle my daughter against my chest while Andre took Eli into the hallway to get some water.
For the first time since the birth, I was alone.
I looked at my sleeping daughter.
Her tiny fingers curled around mine.
I whispered the name we'd chosen months ago.
“Amara.””
Andre and I had picked it together on a Sunday afternoon while Eli drew pictures at the kitchen table.
Grace, Andre had said when I asked what it meant.
We'd agreed that no matter what happened in life, our children would always know they were loved.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat.
I had never imagined that love could be turned into a weapon by someone who shared our blood.
When Andre returned, he sat beside my bed.
“I need to tell you something,” he said.
My chest tightened.
“What?””
“Three weeks ago, Camille asked me to transfer money into her account.””
“How much?””
“Forty thousand dollars.””
I stared at him.
“Forty thousand?””
“She said she had an investment opportunity. She wouldn't tell me exactly what it was, but she promised she'd pay it back within a month.””
“And you gave it to her?””
He rubbed his face.
“I said no.””
I waited.
“Then she told me she was in trouble,” he continued.
“She said someone was threatening her. She said she needed help.””
“What kind of trouble?””
“I don't know. She wouldn't explain.””
“And this has something to do with me?””
Andre looked down at his hands.
“Last night, she came to my office. She said she had something important to tell me about our family. She wanted to meet before your delivery.””
I felt cold.
“Did she tell you what it was?””
“No. She said she would explain when we were alone.””
“And you went?””
“I was supposed to meet her at seven. She never showed up.””
“Where were you this morning?””
“At the office. I fell asleep on the couch after working all night. I thought my phone was beside me.””
He looked up.
“When I woke up, Camille was there.””
My pulse quickened.
“She was at your office?””
“Yes. She said she'd come to drop something off. She told me you were still at home and that the hospital had postponed your admission.””
I sat up too quickly and winced.
“She told you that?””
Andre nodded.
“Then she said she needed my phone to check a work message. I handed it to her without thinking.””
“And you never got it back?””
“I thought I did. I remember picking up my jacket and leaving. I assumed the phone was in my pocket.””
I looked toward the door.
Camille hadn't simply taken the phone.
She'd lied about where I was, lied about the delivery, and somehow managed to keep Andre from learning the truth.
But why?
I reached for his hand.
“Did she say anything else?””
Andre hesitated.
Then he pulled out his wallet and removed a folded piece of paper.
“I found this on my desk when I woke up.””
He placed it on my blanket.
It was a printed email.
The sender's address was unfamiliar. The message contained only two lines.
Your wife isn't telling you everything.
Before the baby arrives, ask her about the money.
My mouth went dry.
Andre stared at me.
“Tiana, what money?””
I couldn't speak.
Because I recognized the email address.
It belonged to someone I hadn't spoken to in almost nine years.
Someone who had no reason to contact my husband.
Someone who wasn't supposed to know about our daughter.
I folded the paper slowly and looked at Andre.
“Where did you say Camille got this?””
“From my desk.””
I shook my head.
“No. Who sent it?””
Andre glanced at the address.
“I don't know.””
I closed my eyes.
May you like
Because suddenly, the phone wasn't the only secret in the room.
And whatever Camille had done to keep Andre away from the birth, I was beginning to suspect she'd been trying to stop him from asking the one question I had spent nine years praying he would never ask.
