Chapter 3: The Dead Brother Wasn't Dead
For several seconds, nobody moved.
I held the photograph so tightly that its edges bent beneath my fingers.
Michael Bennett.
The man Daniel had buried eight years earlier.
The man whose funeral I had attended.
The man whose mother had collapsed beside his coffin while I held her hand.
Alive.
And apparently, living close enough to attend a private dinner with Vanessa three weeks ago.
I looked at my husband.
"Tell me she's lying.""
Daniel stared at the floor.
"Olivia, this is complicated.""
I almost laughed.
"Complicated? You told me your brother was dead.""
"He was supposed to be dead.""
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
Evelyn covered her mouth.
Vanessa stepped away from him.
I looked at Daniel.
"What does that mean?""
He rubbed both hands over his face.
"Eight years ago, Michael was involved in something dangerous. He had debts. Serious debts. People were looking for him.""
"So you faked his death?""
"It wasn't that simple.""
"Then explain it!""
Daniel glanced at his mother.
Evelyn spoke first.
"Michael had been running a business with Daniel. They invested money together. When the company collapsed, they lost millions.""
I shook my head.
"Daniel told me Michael died in a car accident in Tennessee.""
"That was the story," Evelyn replied.
"Whose funeral did we attend?""
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"A body was identified using Michael's documents. The family was told it was him.""
I felt sick.
"And you knew?""
She shook her head.
"Not at first. I believed my son was dead. I mourned him for eight years.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"Olivia, listen to me. I did what I had to do.""
I backed away.
"You let your mother bury a stranger?""
He looked down.
"I couldn't tell anyone.""
"Yet you could tell me you loved me every morning?""
His expression tightened.
"Don't make this about our marriage.""
I stared at him.
"Everything you've done is about our marriage.""
Vanessa suddenly interrupted.
"Can we please stop talking about the past? I need to sit down.""
I turned toward her.
"You're carrying a baby whose father might be my husband's supposedly dead brother. I think the past is relevant.""
She pressed her lips together.
Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Vanessa, calm down.""
She pushed his hand away.
"Don't tell me to calm down. You said everything was going to be settled tonight!""
Evelyn looked sharply at her.
"What do you mean?""
Vanessa froze.
I noticed it immediately.
"What was supposed to be settled?""
Daniel stepped toward her.
"Don't.""
But Vanessa had already started.
"You told me Olivia would sign the papers tonight.""
I slowly turned to my husband.
"What papers?""
Daniel said nothing.
Vanessa looked between us.
"The divorce papers. And the business transfer documents.""
My stomach tightened.
"What business transfer documents?""
She rolled her eyes.
"Daniel said your company was basically his. He said the two of you had already agreed that he would take control after the divorce.""
I stared at Daniel.
My company.
The company I had founded twelve years ago with a secondhand laptop and a small loan from my aunt.
The company that now employed twenty-three people.
The company whose contracts, clients, and reputation I had built from nothing.
"Did you tell her that?"" I asked.
Daniel sighed.
"Olivia, we have assets together. We need to divide things fairly.""
"Fairly?""
"Yes.""
"Did you spend $6,850 from my business account on your engagement party?""
He didn't answer.
"Did you use my money to pay for Vanessa's apartment?""
Still nothing.
"Did you tell her my company belonged to you?""
He finally raised his voice.
"I helped you build it!""
I looked at him.
"You helped me carry boxes into my first office. You didn't build my company.""
His face reddened.
"Without me, you wouldn't have had a family!""
That sentence hurt more than I expected.
Because for years, I had believed our family was the most important thing we had.
I thought about Sophie.
She was probably at home with our babysitter, waiting for us to return from our anniversary dinner.
She had even made a little card for her father.
Earlier that afternoon, she had whispered, "Mommy, do you think Daddy will like my surprise?""
I had promised her he would.
Now I wondered how I was going to explain any of this to a seven-year-old.
Evelyn approached me.
"Olivia, there's another reason I asked you to come upstairs.""
She opened the envelope again.
This time, she removed several bank statements.
"I found these after Daniel transferred money from an account that belonged to Michael.""
I looked at the figures.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Several transfers had been made over the previous year.
The recipient account belonged to a company registered under Vanessa's name.
I looked at her.
"Why was Daniel sending you this much money?""
Vanessa became defensive.
"That money was for our future.""
"Whose money was it originally?""
She didn't answer.
Evelyn pointed to one transaction.
"Look at the account number.""
I recognized the last four digits.
My business savings account.
The one I had opened specifically to protect my employees' salaries and emergency operating expenses.
My hands began to shake.
"Daniel, did you transfer company money into Vanessa's account?""
He stepped forward.
"Those were temporary transfers.""
"Without my permission?""
"I was going to put it back!""
"When?""
He looked away.
That was when my phone rang.
The screen displayed a number I didn't recognize.
I almost ignored it.
But something made me answer.
"Hello?""
A man's voice came through.
Low.
Familiar.
"Olivia?""
My heart stopped.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it at Christmas dinners, birthday parties, and family barbecues.
I had heard it eight years earlier, on the voicemail Daniel played for me after telling me his brother was dead.
"Michael?"" I whispered.
Daniel suddenly lunged toward my phone.
"Hang up!""
I stepped away.
The voice continued.
"Don't listen to him, Olivia. He's going to tell you I betrayed him.""
I stared at Daniel.
His expression was almost unrecognizable.
Michael spoke again.
"There's something you need to know about Vanessa's pregnancy.""
Vanessa grabbed Daniel's sleeve.
"Hang up the phone!""
I pressed the phone closer to my ear.
"What do you want?""
There was a brief silence.
Then Michael said something that made the blood drain from my face.
"That baby isn't the only thing Daniel has been lying about. And if you want to know whose name is really on your company, you need to check the documents he signed eight months ago.""
I looked at the bank statements.
Then at Daniel.
He was no longer trying to hide his anger.
He was staring at my phone as though the person on the other end could reach through it and destroy him.
Michael's voice dropped.
"Olivia, whatever you do, don't sign the divorce papers tonight.""
"Why?""
"Because Daniel didn't bring Vanessa to your anniversary dinner just to announce their engagement.""
I swallowed.
"Then why did he?""
Michael paused.
And his next words changed everything.
"He's trying to make sure you're legally married to him when the police discover what happened to the money.""
The call ended.
I stood motionless.
Then Evelyn slowly reached into her handbag and placed one final document on the table.
It was a copy of a property transfer agreement.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
Except I had never signed it.
And the date was eight months earlier.
Daniel looked at the document.
For the first time that night, he didn't have an excuse.
May you like
He simply whispered:
"Olivia... please don't tell Sophie.""
