Chapter 6: The Woman in the Photograph
I called Natalie immediately.
She declined.
Then a message appeared.
*Give me five minutes.*
I hated waiting.
Every second gave my imagination room to invent something worse.
Five minutes became seven.
Then my phone rang.
“Tell me.””
Natalie's voice was trembling.
“I found something in Bradley's bag.””
“What?””
“A receipt.””
“For the jewelry?””
“Yes.””
“Who was it for?””
“I don't know for certain.””
“You just told me you knew.””
“I know the name.””
I stood beside the hotel window.
“Say it.””
“Vanessa.””
The name meant nothing.
“Vanessa who?””
“I don't know.””
“Then how do you know the jewelry was for her?””
“There was a note with the receipt.””
“What note?””
Natalie hesitated.
“It said, ‘For Vanessa. Soon we won't have to hide.’”
The room went silent around me.
I sat down slowly.
My husband had stolen from my company.
He had financed his parents.
Paid his sister's debts.
Created fake vendors.
And apparently bought another woman nearly five thousand dollars in jewelry.
“You still there?”” Natalie whispered.
“Yes.””
“I'm sorry.””
“Take a picture of the receipt.””
“Maddie—”
“Take a picture.””
A minute later, it arrived.
Lakeside Jewelers.
A diamond bracelet.
$4,860.
Purchased using the corporate card.
I zoomed in on the date.
March 14.
My birthday.
Bradley had told me that day he was stuck at work.
He came home after nine carrying supermarket flowers.
I had kissed him and thanked him.
The memory made me feel physically ill.
“Do you know anyone named Vanessa?”” I asked.
Natalie was quiet.
“Maybe.””
My voice sharpened.
“Maybe?””
“There was a woman at Bradley's office Christmas party.””
“What woman?””
“He introduced her as someone from another department.””
“Name?””
“I think Vanessa.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did she look like?””
“Dark hair. Mid-thirties. Tall.””
“Did you see them together?””
“Not like that.””
“That's not what I asked.””
Natalie sighed.
“They were comfortable around each other.””
“How comfortable?””
“She touched his arm a lot.””
I closed my eyes.
“And you never told me?””
“I didn't know anything was happening.””
“But you noticed.””
“Yes.””
That hurt differently.
“How long?””
“I don't know.””
“Months?””
“Probably.””
I ended the call before anger made me say something I couldn't take back.
Then Bradley called again.
This time I answered.
“Where are you?””
His voice was frantic.
“Why?””
“We need to talk.””
“We've done plenty of talking.””
“Maddie, my company card stopped working.””
I almost smiled.
“My company card?””
Silence.
He realized his mistake.
“I mean the card you gave me.””
“I never gave you one.””
“Maddie—”
“Who is Vanessa?””
Nothing.
Not breathing.
Not excuses.
Nothing.
Then he said, “What?””
“You heard me.””
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
“Lakeside Jewelers. March fourteenth. Diamond bracelet.””
His breathing changed.
“Where did you get that?””
I felt something inside me break.
Not loudly.
Quietly.
Permanently.
“So she exists.””
“Maddie, listen.””
“How long?””
“It isn't what you think.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Every guilty husband apparently gets issued that sentence.””
“Vanessa is a friend.””
“Do you buy all your friends five-thousand-dollar diamond bracelets with stolen company money?””
“It wasn't stolen.””
“Stop saying that!””
My voice echoed through the room.
I forced myself to lower it.
“Did you sleep with her?””
“Maddie.””
“Yes or no?””
He didn't answer.
I whispered, “That's a yes.””
“No.””
Too late.
“You hesitated.””
“Because I knew you'd twist everything.””
“I'm not twisting anything. I'm finally seeing it.””
He became angry.
“This is exactly why I couldn't talk to you.””
There it was again.
His betrayal becoming my personality flaw.
“You stole from me because I'm difficult?””
“I didn't say that.””
“You lied because I ask too many questions?””
“Maddie, our marriage hasn't been good for years.””
I went still.
He continued.
“You're always working. Everything revolves around your company.””
“So you found someone else?””
“I didn't say that.””
“Then say you didn't.””
Silence.
My throat tightened.
“Say it, Bradley.””
He couldn't.
I ended the call.
For several minutes, I sat without moving.
Then someone knocked on my hotel door.
Three soft knocks.
I froze.
Nobody knew where I was.
Not Bradley.
Not Natalie.
Not even Daniel.
I approached carefully.
“Who is it?””
A woman's voice answered.
“My name is Vanessa Reed.””
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Then she said the last thing I expected.
“Please don't call Bradley. He doesn't know I'm here.””
I opened the door only far enough to see her.
Dark hair.
Mid-thirties.
Tall.
Exactly as Natalie described.
Vanessa's eyes were red.
She wasn't wearing a diamond bracelet.
She was holding one.
“I think this belongs to you,” she whispered.
I stared at the jewelry in her palm.
Then at her.
“Why are you here?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Because Bradley lied to both of us.””
I almost shut the door.
Then she said something that stopped my hand.
“And if you think the money he stole was only for his family and me, you're wrong.””
I stared at her.
“How much?””
Vanessa looked down the hallway before meeting my eyes again.
“I don't know the exact amount.””
May you like
She held up a small flash drive.
“But I know what he was planning to do with your company.””
