Chapter 3: The Pills Beside My Bed
“Take that back,” Marcus said.
Vanessa stumbled away from the table.
“You said it wouldn't hurt her!””
“I told you to shut your mouth.””
Daniel stepped between them.
“Don't you dare touch her.””
Marcus's face flushed dark red.
“This is a private family matter.””
“No,” I said.
My voice sounded strange to me. Calm. Almost detached.
“You made it public when you brought your mistress into my home and told me to serve her wine.””
Marcus looked at me as if he had forgotten I was there.
“Lauren, listen to me. Vanessa is upset. She's saying things she doesn't understand.””
“Then explain the pills.””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I could still see the white bottle on my bedside table. Marcus had removed the original pharmacy label months ago, saying the adhesive irritated his fingers when he opened the cap. He had told me the medication was a mild sleep aid prescribed by Dr. Bell.
I had trusted him enough never to ask for the prescription.
“How long?”” I whispered.
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“It's not what you think.””
“How long have you been giving me something without telling me what it is?””
“Lauren, you're being hysterical.””
Daniel let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“That's your answer? She's asking you a simple question, and you're calling her hysterical?””
Marcus pointed toward the front door.
“Get out before I call the police.””
Daniel reached into his jacket and produced a second envelope, smaller than the first.
“Please do. I've already spoken to an attorney, and I've preserved copies of the financial records. I've also documented the unauthorized insurance application and the property transfer.””
Marcus's eyes flicked toward the envelope.
“What exactly do you want?””
“The truth.””
“You don't know anything.””
“I know my wife lied to me for nearly a year. I know your company received money from accounts neither of us authorized. And I know someone tried to arrange a policy on Lauren's life without her consent.””
Daniel's voice lowered.
“If you have an innocent explanation, now would be an excellent time to give it.””
Vanessa began crying in earnest.
“I didn't know it would go this far.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“You knew enough to sign the papers.””
“Marcus said Lauren was unstable. He said she had been forgetting things for years.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Years?””
Vanessa wiped her face with a trembling hand.
“He told me you had episodes. That you couldn't be trusted with money. He said the house was going to be sold eventually, and he needed to protect the investment.””
“The house is mine.””
“I know that now.””
“No,” I said.
“You knew it then. You saw the documents.””
She looked down.
Marcus stepped toward me.
“Lauren, sweetheart, this has gotten out of hand. Let's talk privately.””
I moved away from him.
“Don't call me sweetheart.””
His expression shifted from anger to wounded disbelief, a familiar performance designed to make me feel cruel for refusing him.
“After everything I've done for you?””
I almost laughed.
“You gave me a pill every night and told me it was prescribed.””
“It was prescribed.””
“Then show me the prescription.””
He looked toward the hallway.
That tiny movement told me more than any confession could have.
I took my phone from my pocket.
“I'm calling Dr. Bell.””
Marcus grabbed my wrist.
“Don't.””
His fingers dug into my skin.
Daniel immediately caught his arm.
“Let her go.””
Marcus released me, but not before I saw his expression change. The polished husband, the successful businessman, the man who always knew exactly what to say, had vanished.
What remained was someone frightened of what might happen if I made one phone call.
I dialed the doctor's office.
The call went to voicemail.
I left a message asking for confirmation of every medication prescribed to me during the previous six months. Then I called my sister, Emily, and asked her to come over.
Marcus paced beside the fireplace.
“You're making a terrible mistake.””
“Maybe,” I replied.
“But I'm making it with my eyes open.””
Daniel gathered the documents and placed them back in the envelope, leaving copies of the most important pages with me.
“I want you to keep these somewhere safe,” he said.
“And don't confront either of them alone again.””
Vanessa sank into her chair.
“Daniel, please. We can fix this.””
He looked at the bracelet on her wrist.
“Take it off.””
She hesitated.
“Daniel—”
“Take. It. Off.””
With shaking fingers, she unclasped the gold bracelet and placed it on the table.
Daniel didn't pick it up.
“Keep it,” he said.
“You'll need to explain where it came from.””
Then he turned to me.
“There's something else you should know. The attorney who prepared the property agreement told my investigator that Marcus had been asking how quickly a court could declare a spouse incapacitated.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why would he need that?””
Daniel's eyes met mine.
“Because if you were declared unable to manage your affairs, someone could seek control over your assets.””
“And the insurance?””
He paused.
“That's what worries me most. The policy and the property agreement appear to have been arranged around the same time.””
Marcus suddenly spoke.
“You're twisting everything. Lauren has been sick for months. I was trying to protect her.””
“Then you won't mind if we have the medication independently tested,” I said.
His face went pale.
I walked upstairs.
My bedroom looked exactly as I had left it that morning. The quilt was folded at the foot of the bed. My reading glasses sat beside a half-finished novel. The white pill bottle stood next to a glass of water.
I picked it up.
The label was blank.
My hands began to shake.
I opened the drawer where Marcus kept the household medical records. Inside, beneath a stack of receipts, I found an old prescription slip.
The doctor's name was printed at the top.
Dr. Richard Bell.
But the medication listed on the slip wasn't a sleep aid. It was for an entirely different condition, and the dosage instructions did not match the pills Marcus had been giving me.
I photographed the bottle and the prescription, then placed both in a clean plastic bag.
When I returned downstairs, Emily was standing in the doorway, breathless from hurrying over.
“Lauren, what's going on?””
I tried to answer, but my throat had closed.
She took one look at my face and wrapped her arms around me.
Marcus stood beside the dining table, staring at the documents Daniel had left behind.
For the first time, he looked less like a husband defending himself and more like a man watching a trap close.
Then my phone rang.
The caller ID displayed Dr. Bell's office.
I answered immediately.
“Doctor, I need to know what you've been prescribing me.””
A woman spoke on the other end.
“Mrs. Mitchell, I'm calling because Dr. Bell reviewed your records this afternoon. He says he never prescribed the medication you described.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“Then who did?””
There was a pause.
“We've discovered a prescription issued under your name using an authorization that doesn't match our records.””
My eyes moved toward Marcus.
He was watching me.
The woman continued.
“There's one more thing, Mrs. Mitchell. Before we can discuss the details, I need to ask whether your husband has access to your patient portal.””
I couldn't speak.
Because at that exact moment, Marcus reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and began typing furiously.
May you like
Then a message appeared on my screen from an unfamiliar number.
*STOP ASKING QUESTIONS. YOUR HUSBAND ISN'T THE ONLY PERSON WHO SIGNED THOSE PAPERS.*
