Chapter 2: The Secret Inside the Envelope
Daniel stared at the folded document lying among the broken glass.
His father reached for it, but Vanessa moved first.
“Don't touch that!”” she shouted.
The room fell silent.
Vanessa froze, apparently realizing how suspicious she sounded.
She quickly pressed a hand against her belly and lowered her voice.
“Daniel, please. I'm frightened. Your father has been threatening me for weeks.””
Robert gave a bitter laugh.
“Threatening you? Is that what you're calling it now?””
Daniel held up one hand.
“Both of you, stop.””
He picked up the document himself.
It was a white envelope, slightly worn along the edges. His father's name was written across the front in blue ink.
Inside were several printed pages and a smaller sheet covered in handwritten notes.
Daniel unfolded the first page.
His expression changed almost immediately.
“What is this?””
Robert adjusted his bleeding lip.
“It's a bank statement.””
Daniel scanned the numbers.
There were transfers from the Mitchell family trust to a private account he didn't recognize. The amounts were enormous: twenty-five thousand dollars, forty thousand, then sixty thousand.
The transfers had occurred over the previous five months.
At the bottom of the final page was a signature.
Daniel recognized it.
It belonged to Vanessa.
He looked up slowly.
“Why is your signature on these transactions?””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
“Your name is right here.””
“She must have forged it,” Vanessa said, pointing at Robert.
“He's been trying to make me look unstable ever since I became pregnant.””
Robert stared at her in disbelief.
“You gave me these documents yourself when you thought I was too old to understand online banking.””
“That's not true!””
“You asked me to approve a transfer of eighty thousand dollars last month. When I refused, you told me Daniel would be furious if I didn't help his family.””
Daniel turned toward his father.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Robert lowered his eyes.
“Because I wanted to be certain before accusing your wife of stealing.””
“Stealing?”” Vanessa whispered.
Daniel looked at her.
“Is that what this is?””
She shook her head violently.
“No. Your father is twisting everything. He's never accepted me. From the day we married, he treated me like an outsider.””
Robert's jaw tightened.
“I paid for your wedding. I bought the house where you live. I even gave you the family credit card because Daniel said you should never have to worry about money.””
“And you reminded me of it every chance you got!””
“Because you spent forty thousand dollars on designer handbags in three months!””
Vanessa's cheeks flushed.
Daniel looked down at the statement again.
The private account number was unfamiliar, but the bank name wasn't. It belonged to a branch in downtown Boston where Vanessa had once claimed she was meeting a friend for lunch.
He remembered that day.
She had returned home with a new diamond bracelet and said a client had given it to her as a gift.
“Vanessa,” he asked carefully, “whose account is this?””
She folded her arms.
“I don't know.””
“It's in your name.””
“Then someone must have stolen my identity!””
Robert shook his head.
“Daniel, the bank confirmed the account was opened using her identification. I have the original verification documents.””
Vanessa looked toward the front door.
Daniel noticed.
“Where are you going?””
“I'm not staying here while your father humiliates me.””
She started toward the hallway.
Daniel stepped in front of her.
“No. We're not finished.””
“Move.””
“Not until you tell me the truth.””
Her eyes flashed.
“I'm carrying your child, Daniel!””
“And my father is bleeding because I believed you!””
For the first time, Vanessa had no immediate answer.
The silence seemed to frighten her more than his anger.
She finally whispered, “I did it because I had no choice.””
Daniel stared at her.
“No choice about what?””
She looked toward Robert.
His face had gone still.
“Tell him,” Robert said.
“Tell him why you needed the money.””
Vanessa's breathing became shallow.
“Shut up.””
“Tell him about the man who keeps calling you.””
Daniel frowned.
“What man?””
“Your father has been spying on me!””
Robert pulled another sheet from the envelope.
“This is a record of calls from the phone bill. The same number contacted her dozens of times, sometimes after midnight. I called it yesterday.””
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“Who answered?””
“A man named Marcus.””
Vanessa's lips parted.
Robert continued.
“He said he was waiting for his money.””
Daniel felt the room tilt around him.
He had heard the name Marcus before.
Three months earlier, Vanessa had told him she was helping an old college friend through a difficult divorce. She had asked Daniel to transfer five thousand dollars to cover legal fees.
He had done it without hesitation.
Then another request had come.
And another.
Each time, Vanessa had a convincing explanation.
Daniel looked at her.
“Who is Marcus?””
“No one.””
“Don't lie to me again.””
“He's someone I used to know.””
“Why is he demanding money from you?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“He's blackmailing me.””
Robert exhaled sharply.
“About what?””
She shook her head.
“I can't tell you.””
Daniel took a step closer.
“You can tell me, or I can call the police and let them ask.””
Vanessa grabbed his sleeve.
“Please, Daniel. Not the police.””
“Why not?””
“Because you'll lose everything!””
He stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She looked toward the envelope.
Then she whispered words that made his blood run cold.
“Your father doesn't know what he's really uncovered.””
Robert straightened.
“What are you talking about?””
Vanessa backed away from both men.
“The money is only part of it.””
Daniel's voice was barely audible.
“Part of what?””
She pressed her hands over her belly.
“I was trying to protect our baby.””
Robert shook his head.
“Don't use that child as a shield.””
Vanessa suddenly screamed at him.
“You don't get to talk about my baby!””
“Then stop using your pregnancy to destroy this family!””
Daniel stepped between them.
“Enough!””
He turned toward Maria, who remained beside the doorway.
“Maria, please take my father to the guest room and get him some ice.””
Robert stiffened.
“I'm not leaving until this is settled.””
“Dad, your face needs attention. Please.””
For a moment, Robert looked as though he wanted to argue.
Then he glanced at Daniel's clenched fists and slowly nodded.
As Maria led him away, Robert paused beside his son.
“There's one more thing you need to know.””
Daniel waited.
Robert lowered his voice.
“The private account isn't the only account I found.””
Vanessa stopped breathing.
Robert looked directly at her.
“There's another account opened in your name. One that receives payments from a company you supposedly never worked for.””
Daniel's eyebrows drew together.
“What company?””
Robert reached into his pocket and produced a business card.
He handed it to Daniel.
The card belonged to a medical billing company called Harbor Medical Solutions.
Daniel recognized the name because it appeared on several documents Vanessa had brought home during her first trimester.
He had assumed it was connected to her prenatal care.
“What does this have to do with Vanessa?””
Robert's expression hardened.
“I don't know yet. But the payments started six months before she announced she was pregnant.””
Vanessa's face had become completely colorless.
Daniel slowly turned toward her.
“Vanessa, what were you doing six months ago?””
She looked at him, her lips trembling.
Then she said something he would remember for the rest of his life.
“I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you.””
Daniel stared at her.
“What?””
She covered her mouth, as if she had revealed something she could never take back.
Robert stopped in the hallway.
Maria turned around.
And Daniel felt the foundations of his marriage begin to collapse.
“Vanessa,” he whispered, “what exactly are you saying?””
May you like
She looked at the envelope in his hand.
Then she whispered, “I didn't marry you because I loved you.””
