Chapter 9: The Man Behind the Lies
I didn't sleep that night.
At 2:17 a.m., I was still sitting in my father's car outside the house.
My parents had taken Jordan home with them.
Sarah had stayed behind.
She'd asked me not to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to spend another night under the same roof.
My phone was filled with messages.
Some from Rebecca.
Some from Melissa.
And several from Sarah.
The last message simply said:
Please come home. We can fix this.
I didn't respond.
Instead, I opened the photograph Rebecca had sent.
It showed a conversation between Daniel and Melissa.
The date was eight months earlier.
Daniel had written:
Sarah believes Michael is hiding money. She'll cooperate if she thinks he's preparing to leave.
Melissa had replied:
I don't want to be involved in your marriage problems.
Daniel's response was chilling.
You don't have to be. Just sign the statement confirming he knew about Ethan. Sarah will handle the rest.
Melissa had written:
What happens to the child?
Daniel replied:
He gets the money he deserves. Everyone wins.
I read the exchange several times.
Then I called Rebecca.
She answered immediately.
"Michael?""
"Where did you get these messages?""
"Melissa sent them to me.""
"Are they authentic?""
"She says they are.""
"Why didn't you show me sooner?""
Rebecca sighed.
"Because I was ashamed.""
"Of what?""
"Of believing Daniel.""
I waited.
She continued.
"Sarah contacted me because she wanted to know whether you had ever cheated on her. At first, I told her the truth. You never cheated on me.""
I leaned back against the car seat.
"Then what happened?""
"Daniel contacted me separately. He said Sarah was investigating your finances and that he could help me recover money I believed you still owed me.""
I frowned.
"You knew I didn't owe you anything.""
"I did. But he showed me documents suggesting otherwise.""
I closed my eyes.
"Rebecca...""
"I know. I should have checked.""
She began crying.
"He told me you had been hiding assets. He said Sarah was trying to protect herself and that if I cooperated, he would pay me for my trouble.""
"How much?""
"Ten thousand dollars.""
I stared through the windshield.
"Did you take it?""
"No.""
"Did Sarah?""
"She transferred money to Daniel. I don't know how much he kept.""
I rubbed my forehead.
"Why did you keep speaking to him?""
"Because he threatened me.""
My eyes opened.
"What?""
"He said he had private messages from our relationship. He claimed he could make it look like you had manipulated me financially.""
I shook my head.
"That's insane.""
"I know. But I was afraid he'd destroy my reputation.""
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Then Rebecca added:
"Michael, Daniel has done this before.""
"What do you mean?""
"He's been involved in several property disputes. He approaches people who are going through relationship problems, offers financial advice, and convinces them to move money into accounts he controls.""
I sat upright.
"How do you know?""
"Melissa found another woman.""
"Who?""
"Someone named Karen.""
I searched my phone.
Nothing.
Rebecca continued.
"Karen was married to a man Daniel worked with. She lost nearly sixty thousand dollars.""
My stomach tightened.
"Is there a police report?""
"Yes. Melissa found it.""
I looked toward the house.
Sarah had been sending money to Daniel for months.
How much had he actually taken?
At 8:30 that morning, I met Melissa at a small coffee shop near her apartment.
She arrived carrying a thick folder.
She looked tired.
Her eyes were red, and she kept glancing toward the entrance.
"Michael?""
I stood.
"Melissa.""
We shook hands awkwardly.
For years, I'd imagined seeing her again only in the context of Rebecca.
Now she was sitting across from me, telling me she might be the mother of my child.
She placed the folder on the table.
"I brought everything.""
I opened it.
There were messages, bank records, printed emails, and photographs.
The first document was a hospital record.
It showed Melissa had given birth eight years earlier.
The second was a private message from Rebecca.
I know you believe Michael is Ethan's father. I'm sorry I didn't tell him.
I looked up.
"Rebecca knew?""
Melissa nodded.
"She was there when I took the pregnancy test.""
I stared at her.
"Why didn't you contact me?""
Melissa looked down.
"Because Rebecca told me you were getting married. She said you had moved on and didn't want complications.""
"Did you believe her?""
"At first, yes.""
She paused.
"Then I saw you at the hospital after your accident.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"You were unconscious. Rebecca came to visit. I told her I was pregnant, and she begged me not to tell you until you recovered.""
I tried to remember.
A hospital room.
Bright lights.
A nurse adjusting an IV.
A woman crying near the doorway.
But the memory was blurry.
Melissa continued.
"After you woke up, Rebecca told me you didn't remember me visiting. She said the doctors had warned against emotional stress.""
My stomach tightened.
"She told you that?""
Melissa nodded.
"And when I tried contacting you, she said you had moved to another city.""
I shook my head.
"I never moved.""
"I know.""
She opened another document.
It was an email from an account I'd never seen before.
The sender's address included my name.
The message was dated seven years earlier.
Melissa, I don't want any further contact. Please don't involve me in this situation.
I stared at it.
"That's not my email.""
Melissa nodded.
"Daniel found it. He showed me the account information.""
"Did you ever reply?""
"Yes.""
She pulled out the response.
I understand. I won't contact you again.
I felt sick.
Someone had impersonated me.
For years, Melissa had believed I had rejected her and her child.
And I had believed Melissa had simply disappeared from Rebecca's life.
I looked at her.
"Did you ever tell Ethan about me?""
She nodded.
"Not by name. I told him his father lived somewhere else.""
"Does he ask about me?""
Her eyes filled.
"Every birthday.""
I looked down at the folder.
I didn't know whether I was his father.
But I knew I wanted to find out.
"Can we arrange a DNA test?""
Melissa nodded.
"Yes.""
Then she reached into her bag and removed one final document.
It was a property purchase agreement.
The buyer was Daniel Carter.
The purchase price was $185,000.
But the listed source of funds included transfers from an account belonging to Sarah.
I looked at the transaction dates.
The money had come from the same account receiving my monthly household contributions.
My hands tightened around the paper.
"Did Daniel actually buy this house?""
Melissa nodded.
"He told me he was purchasing it as an investment. Then he asked whether I wanted to move there with Ethan.""
I stared at her.
"Why would he offer you a house?""
She hesitated.
"Because he said Sarah wanted you out of the picture.""
I felt cold.
"What did he mean?""
Melissa looked directly at me.
"He said that once Sarah filed for divorce, she would claim you had abandoned your family and refused to support your child. Daniel would provide the documents.""
I sat back.
"And then?""
"Then Sarah would sell the house you live in, and Daniel would help her purchase another property.""
I looked at the agreement.
The house was being purchased under Daniel's company.
But there was another name listed under the intended occupancy section.
Sarah Mitchell.
I slowly closed the folder.
"Melissa, did Sarah know you were supposed to move into that house?""
She nodded.
"She came to see it with Daniel.""
My jaw tightened.
"Did she say anything?""
Melissa looked uncomfortable.
"She said she wanted Ethan to have a stable home.""
I stared at her.
Then Melissa reached for another sheet.
"There's something else.""
It was a printed email from Daniel.
The subject line read:
*AFTER THE DIVORCE.*
The message contained a list of planned financial transfers.
One line stood out.
*Final payment to Sarah: $75,000.*
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Melissa.
"Why would Daniel pay my wife seventy-five thousand dollars?""
Melissa swallowed.
"Because he wasn't just helping her hide money.""
She pointed toward the bottom of the email.
There was a second line.
*Property commission and client acquisition fee: $75,000.*
I stared at the two identical amounts.
My wife hadn't simply been planning to protect herself.
She had been promised a payment.
I took a photograph of the document and sent it to my father.
His reply came almost immediately.
Michael, don't confront them alone. I've spoken to your attorney. We need to bring all of this evidence together.
Then another message appeared.
It was from Jordan.
I need to tell you something about Daniel. I found out where he works. He's not just a financial adviser.
I called him.
He answered on the first ring.
"Jordan, what did you find?""
His voice was shaking.
"Michael, I checked the business records again. Daniel's company isn't just fake financial consulting.""
"What is it?""
Jordan took a breath.
"He's connected to the same property group that bought the apartment Sarah has been paying for.""
I frowned.
"Why does that matter?""
"Because the company also owns the house Sarah and Daniel visited four months ago.""
I looked at Melissa.
Then I heard Jordan say something that made my stomach turn.
"Michael, the property wasn't purchased as an investment.""
"What was it purchased for?""
Jordan hesitated.
"To become your family's new home.""
I closed my eyes.
Then he added:
"And there's a signed document showing Sarah agreed to move there with Daniel after your divorce.""
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
The woman who had told me there wasn't enough food for me had apparently been planning an entirely different future.
But before I could respond, my phone rang.
Sarah.
I answered.
Her voice was barely recognizable.
"Michael, you need to come home.""
"Why?""
"Daniel is here.""
I stood up.
"What's he doing?""
Sarah began crying.
"He says you have the documents, and he wants them back.""
Then I heard a man's voice in the background.
"Tell him he has until noon.""
The line went dead.
A message arrived seconds later.
It was a photograph of my front door.
May you like
Daniel was standing outside.
And he was holding a set of keys.
