Chapter 7: The Other Man
Nobody spoke.
I held the phone tighter.
“What other man?””
Across the room, Rebecca stared at me.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
Emily answered carefully.
“I don't know his name.””
“Then what do you know?””
“He came to your house three times.””
Rebecca rushed toward me.
“Hang up.””
I stepped away.
“Three times when?””
“The camera footage I saw covered about six weeks. Nathan was there twice. This other man showed up three times.””
Nathan looked at Rebecca.
“What is she talking about?””
Rebecca ignored him.
“Daniel, Emily is trying to destroy us.””
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“Us?””
She turned.
“Not you and me. This family.””
Mom's voice came quietly from behind us.
“You already did that.””
Rebecca flinched.
I focused on Emily.
“How did you get this footage?””
“The house across from yours belongs to my coworker's parents. They installed a doorbell camera after packages were stolen. When I found Nathan's messages, I was desperate. I wanted proof.””
“You asked them for recordings?””
“I told my coworker I was trying to confirm whether Nathan had been somewhere. She helped me check dates.””
I closed my eyes.
“Describe the man.””
“Tall. Gray SUV. Usually wore a suit.””
“Could you see his face?””
“Not clearly in every clip.””
“Every clip?””
“There were three.””
Rebecca suddenly shouted, “This is insane!””
I lowered the phone.
“Then explain it.””
“Explain what? A man walking into our house?””
“Yes.””
“Maybe he was delivering something.””
“Three times?””
“He could've been a contractor.””
Nathan stared at her.
“You told me no one else was involved.””
Rebecca looked at him with disgust.
“You don't get to interrogate me.””
Nathan stepped forward.
“If you were seeing someone else while you were seeing me—”
I almost laughed.
The absurdity of it hit me.
“My brother is angry that my wife may have cheated on him.””
Nathan's face collapsed.
“Dan.””
“No. Appreciate the sentence.””
He looked away.
I put the phone back to my ear.
“Emily, when was the most recent visit?””
Paper rustled on her end.
“August twenty-eighth.””
Mom suddenly inhaled.
I turned toward her.
“What?””
She shook her head.
“Mom.””
Her fingers tightened around the armchair.
“That was the day before the pipe burst in my condo.””
Rebecca went completely still.
I noticed.
“So?””
Mom looked at Rebecca.
“I came here that afternoon.””
“You weren't staying here yet.””
“No.””
“But you came here?””
“I brought Daniel's birthday album.””
I remembered.
Mom had been putting together an album of photographs from my childhood.
She'd given it to me at dinner two days later.
“I rang the bell,” she said.
“Nobody answered.””
Rebecca interrupted.
“I was probably out.””
Mom shook her head.
“Your car was in the garage.””
“So?””
“I heard voices.””
The room went quiet.
“What voices?”” I asked.
“A man's voice. And Rebecca's.””
Nathan stared at her.
“Was it me?””
Mom shook her head.
“No.””
His face changed.
That answer hurt him.
I couldn't find any sympathy.
“What did you hear?”” I asked.
“Not much. I wasn't trying to listen. I thought perhaps you had come home early.””
She looked at me.
“But then the side door opened.””
Rebecca whispered, “Margaret.””
Mom ignored her.
“A man came out.””
“Did you see him?””
“Yes.””
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“Would you recognize him?””
Mom hesitated.
“I think so.””
Emily spoke through the phone.
“Daniel, I can send you a still image.””
“Send it.””
Rebecca moved toward me.
“No.””
I held up one hand.
“Stay there.””
“Daniel, don't turn this into something it isn't.””
“What is it?””
She said nothing.
My phone chimed.
An image arrived.
I opened it.
The picture was grainy, but clear enough.
A tall man in a dark suit stood beside a gray SUV.
His face was turned partially toward the camera.
I didn't recognize him.
I handed the phone to Mom.
She studied it.
Then nodded.
“That's him.””
Nathan took the phone.
His reaction was immediate.
“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.””
I stared at him.
“You know him?””
Nathan looked at Rebecca.
“You said he was your attorney.””
Rebecca's eyes flashed.
“He is.””
“Who is he?”” I asked.
Nathan handed back the phone.
“His name is Marcus Vale.””
I searched my memory.
Nothing.
“What kind of attorney?””
Rebecca answered.
“Family law.””
Those two words hit harder than I expected.
“Divorce?””
She looked away.
“Yes.””
I felt something inside me become strangely calm.
Not numb.
Clear.
“You hired a divorce attorney.””
“I consulted one.””
“With my money?””
“Our money.””
I laughed softly.
“There it is again.””
Rebecca pressed both hands against her temples.
“I was confused.””
“You had an affair with my brother, rented an apartment, moved money out of my account, and met privately with a divorce attorney three times.””
“I was trying to understand my options.””
“Your options for what?””
She finally looked at me.
“Leaving.””
Mom began crying again.
Nathan sat down.
I should have been devastated.
Instead, one question rose above everything else.
“If you planned to leave me, why didn't you?””
Rebecca's expression shifted.
Emily was still on the phone.
Nathan looked at Rebecca.
Mom looked at Rebecca.
Everyone waited.
“I changed my mind.””
“When?””
“A few weeks ago.””
“Why?””
“Because I realized I still loved you.””
I stared at her.
Then I remembered something.
A conversation from three weeks earlier.
My attorney had called during dinner.
Rebecca had asked why.
I had told her casually that my father's estate had finally settled a dispute involving commercial property.
She'd asked how much my share might be worth.
I had shrugged.
Maybe two million.
Maybe more.
At the time, her sudden interest hadn't bothered me.
Now it did.
“When did you find out about Dad's property settlement?””
Rebecca's face emptied.
Nathan slowly stood.
“What property settlement?””
I never looked away from her.
“Answer me.””
“Daniel—”
“When?””
She swallowed.
“Around the end of August.””
Exactly when she supposedly changed her mind.
My phone buzzed again.
A second message from Emily.
Another photograph.
This one wasn't from the security camera.
It was a photograph of a document.
At the top was Marcus Vale's law firm.
Below it were handwritten notes.
One line had been circled.
*Delay filing until Carter inheritance/property distribution is confirmed.*
I looked at Rebecca.
Her knees seemed to weaken.
“Where did Emily get this?””
Rebecca whispered, “That was private.””
That was my answer.
She hadn't stayed because she loved me.
She had stayed because she was waiting to see how much I was worth.
Then Mom said something that made every person in the room turn toward her.
“Danny, there's something else.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
May you like
She wiped her tears.
“The day I saw that lawyer leaving, Rebecca saw me too.””
