Chapter 5: The Man From Her Past
I read the message three times.
Her first husband.
The words didn’t make sense.
Because Vanessa had told me she had never been married before.
That was one of the first things we talked about when we met.
Her past.
Her family.
Her life before me.
She told me there were no secrets.
I believed her.
Maybe that was my biggest mistake.
I grabbed my coat and stepped outside.
I needed air.
I needed answers.
But most importantly, I needed to find out who Marcus Reed was.
The unknown number sent me an address.
A coffee shop on the north side of Chicago.
I almost didn’t go.
Meeting a stranger who claimed to know my wife sounded like something from a movie.
But my life had stopped feeling normal the moment I heard my daughter cry.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into the coffee shop.
A man sitting in the corner stood up.
He looked older than me.
Tired.
Like someone who had spent years carrying a secret.
“Daniel?””
I nodded.
“Marcus?””
He looked around before sitting down.
“I wasn’t sure you would come.””
I stayed standing.
“You sent me those messages.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked at me.
“Because your children are in danger.””
My expression hardened.
“Careful.””
“I’m not here to fight you.””
“Then explain.””
Marcus took a deep breath.
“Vanessa was my wife for four years.””
I said nothing.
“She left me after our daughter died.””
The words stopped me.
“Your daughter?””
He nodded.
“Her name was Lily.””
I sat down slowly.
“What happened?””
Marcus looked down.
“She was six years old.””
His voice cracked.
“She got sick. Vanessa blamed herself. She couldn’t handle the grief.””
I listened.
“She started changing after that.””
“How?””
“She became obsessed with control.””
I thought about the locked pantry.
The empty plates.
The fear in my children’s eyes.
Marcus continued.
“She told herself she was protecting people. But eventually, she started hurting them.””
I stared at him.
“Why didn’t you warn me before?””
“Because Vanessa disappeared after our divorce. I didn’t know where she went.””
“Until now.””
He nodded.
“I saw your family photo online.””
My stomach tightened.
“You were watching us?””
“No.””
He quickly shook his head.
“I saw your company website. There was an article about you. A family picture.””
I believed him.
At least, I wanted to.
“What does Vanessa want from me?””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Your money.””
I frowned.
“She has access to our accounts.””
“Exactly.””
He pulled out a folder.
Inside were documents.
Court papers.
Financial records.
I looked through them.
My hands became colder with every page.
“She has been researching divorce laws,” Marcus said.
I looked at him.
“Custody.””
He nodded.
“She believes if she can make you look unstable, she can take control.””
I thought about the therapist receipt.
The secret appointments.
The lies.
“She’s trying to take my children?””
Marcus looked away.
“She doesn’t want the children.””
That sentence confused me.
“What?””
“She wants what comes with them.””
“What does that mean?””
He pushed another document toward me.
A life insurance policy.
My name was written at the top.
I stared at it.
The beneficiary was Vanessa.
The amount was enormous.
“When was this created?””
Marcus looked at the date.
“Three months ago.””
I felt sick.
Three months ago.
Around the same time Vanessa started acting differently.
Around the same time my children started hiding.
I stood up.
“I need to get home.””
Marcus grabbed his folder.
“Daniel.””
I turned.
“You need to be careful.””
“Why?””
His face became serious.
“Because Vanessa knows you know something.””
I froze.
“What are you talking about?””
He looked at his phone.
Then showed me a message.
A message sent ten minutes earlier.
From Vanessa.
The message only contained one sentence.
“Your husband just met Marcus, didn’t he?””
I stared at the screen.
My blood went cold.
Because Vanessa wasn’t surprised.
May you like
She was waiting.
And she already knew my next move.
