Chapter 2: The Man Who Knew Everything
Daniel arrived seventeen minutes later.
I knew because I stood at the living room window watching his silver SUV pull into our driveway.
Vanessa had spent those seventeen minutes walking between the kitchen and the living room, repeatedly checking her phone.
She hadn't cried again.
That bothered me.
The woman who had been sobbing on my floor now seemed more irritated than frightened.
“Who is Daniel?”” I asked.
“An attorney.””
“Your attorney?””
“He handles some business matters.””
“What business matters?””
She ignored me.
The doorbell rang.
I opened the door.
A tall man in his early forties stood outside, wearing a charcoal suit and carrying a leather briefcase. His eyes moved past me toward Vanessa.
“Marcus,” he said.
I didn't offer my hand.
“You know me?””
“Vanessa has told me about you.””
“Interesting. She hasn't told me about you.””
He gave a polite, uncomfortable smile.
“I'm Daniel Brooks. I represent Vanessa in a private legal matter.””
I stepped aside.
“Then you should probably explain what that matter is.””
Daniel entered.
Vanessa immediately walked toward him.
“You need to make him understand.””
Daniel glanced at her stomach.
Then at the recorder-shaped outline in my pocket.
His expression tightened.
“What exactly did you hear?”” he asked.
I looked at Vanessa.
“That's a strange first question.””
Daniel cleared his throat.
“I mean, what has she told you?””
“Apparently, my wife has been pretending to be pregnant. Apparently, my daughter supposedly pushed her. And apparently, you knew enough to arrive before I could even finish asking questions.””
Daniel placed his briefcase on the coffee table.
“Let's all remain calm.””
I almost laughed.
“My eleven-year-old daughter packed a suitcase because my wife told her to leave. My wife then pretended to be injured on the floor. I think calm is a little beyond us.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Marcus, I told you I was grieving.””
“You also told me there was a baby.””
“I lost it.””
“Then show me the medical records.””
She looked at Daniel.
He answered instead.
“Medical information is private.””
“She's my wife.””
“Marriage doesn't automatically entitle you to every medical record.””
He was right about that.
But something about his confidence made me uncomfortable.
I stepped toward the coffee table.
“Fine. Then tell me why you called him before I had even asked who he was.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I needed someone who could protect me.””
“From whom?””
She looked upstairs.
“From what your daughter has been doing.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Stop blaming Maya.””
Daniel opened his briefcase.
“Perhaps we should discuss the custody situation.””
I froze.
“What custody situation?””
Vanessa pulled a document from her handbag.
“This is what I wanted you to sign.””
She placed it on the coffee table.
It was a legal agreement.
My name appeared at the top.
So did Maya's.
I picked it up.
The document concerned temporary guardianship.
It stated that I would authorize Maya to reside with my older sister, Rebecca, for an extended period while our household adjusted to the arrival of a new baby.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
“Why would I sign this?””
Vanessa sighed.
“Because Maya needs stability.””
“She has stability.””
“She needs boundaries.””
“She needs a father who believes her.””
Daniel interrupted.
“Marcus, this arrangement was intended to be temporary. Vanessa believed it would reduce conflict.””
I looked at him.
“Did she tell you about the pregnancy?””
He paused.
“Yes.””
“Did she tell you she had lost the baby?””
His eyes flickered toward Vanessa.
“I was informed of certain personal circumstances.””
“That isn't an answer.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Marcus, you have to understand. I was trying to protect our marriage.””
“By sending my daughter away?””
“By giving us room to become a family!””
I looked at the document again.
There was a signature line at the bottom.
And beneath it, a clause granting Vanessa authority to make certain decisions concerning Maya during the proposed arrangement.
I put the paper down.
“You wanted me to sign away part of my parental authority?””
“It's temporary.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you always choose Maya.””
The words came out before she could stop them.
I stared at her.
There it was.
Not grief.
Not fear.
Resentment.
Vanessa had never wanted to be a mother to Maya.
She wanted to be the only woman in my life.
Daniel closed his briefcase.
“I think we should postpone this conversation.””
“Good idea,” I said.
“Because I have another question.””
I looked directly at Vanessa.
“Who is Daniel to you?””
“He's my lawyer.””
“Then why did he look at your stomach when he walked in?””
Daniel's face went rigid.
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“What kind of question is that?””
“The kind I ask when two people seem to know more about my marriage than I do.””
Daniel picked up his briefcase.
“I'll leave you both to discuss this privately.””
He headed toward the door.
I followed him.
“Daniel.””
He stopped.
“Did you know there was no baby?””
He didn't turn around immediately.
Then he looked over his shoulder.
“Marcus, you need to be careful about making accusations without evidence.””
I held his gaze.
“That's not what I asked.””
His jaw tightened.
“I suggest you speak with your wife.””
He walked out.
Vanessa watched through the window until his SUV disappeared.
Then she turned toward me.
“You've made everything worse.””
I took out my phone.
“I'm calling my sister. Maya is staying with her tonight while I figure out what's happening.””
Vanessa's face hardened.
“You can't just take her away.””
“She's my daughter.””
“And I'm your wife!””
I looked at her.
“Then start acting like someone I can trust.””
I went upstairs.
Maya was sitting on her bed, still wearing her school uniform. Her backpack was beside her, and her little recorder case lay open on the desk.
She looked up when I entered.
“Dad?””
I sat beside her.
“Can I ask you something?””
She nodded.
“Why did you record Vanessa?””
Maya stared at her hands.
“Because she kept saying things when you weren't home.””
“What things?””
“She said you were going to forget Mom.””
My chest tightened.
Maya's mother, Emily, had died when Maya was six. It had taken years before she stopped crying whenever someone mentioned her.
I brushed a loose braid away from her face.
“What else?””
“She said the baby would be more important because it was yours and hers.””
I swallowed.
“She said you would love me less once the baby came.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did you believe her?””
Maya shrugged.
“Sometimes.””
I pulled her into my arms.
“You are never going to lose your place in my heart. Do you understand?””
She nodded against my shoulder.
After a moment, she reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this in Vanessa's handbag.””
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Vanessa stood outside a medical building, wearing the same burgundy dress. She wasn't looking at the camera.
She was holding a large white envelope.
On the back, someone had written a date.
Three weeks earlier.
I turned the photograph over again.
“What is this place?””
Maya shook her head.
“I don't know.””
I examined the building's sign.
It was a private reproductive health clinic.
My stomach tightened.
“Did Vanessa tell you she went there?””
“No.””
“Did you see anything else?””
Maya hesitated.
Then she reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“I found this in the trash.””
It was a printed email.
The sender's name was Daniel Brooks.
The subject line read:
*FINAL PAYMENT AND DOCUMENTATION.*
I began reading.
The email mentioned a payment, a medical appointment, and a date that matched the photograph.
Then I reached the final sentence.
Once the paternity and pregnancy questions are resolved, Marcus will have no reason to suspect the arrangement.
I read it again.
And again.
Paternity?
I looked at Maya.
“Did Vanessa ever say anything about another man?””
Maya nodded slowly.
“She said Daniel was helping her because he knew what it was like to love someone who couldn't have children.””
My stomach dropped.
I looked toward the bedroom door.
Downstairs, Vanessa was speaking on the phone.
Her voice was quiet.
But one sentence carried clearly through the hallway.
“No, Daniel. He hasn't found out about the money yet.””
The money.
May you like
I looked at the email in my hand.
And suddenly, the fake pregnancy wasn't the only lie I needed to investigate.
