Chapter 3: The Secret Richard Buried
I couldn’t stop staring at the papers.
Richard had known.
That was the only thought my brain could process.
He had known I would eventually leave him.
Maybe he had counted on it.
Marcus placed the document on the table carefully.
“Emily, where did you find this?””
“In his home office.””
“When?””
“This morning.””
Marcus looked toward the window.
Richard was still standing beside his SUV, watching us.
“He wanted you to find it.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
But even as I said it, I knew.
Richard had always been careful.
He never left things behind accidentally.
He once changed the Wi-Fi password because I had looked at his emails. He told me privacy mattered in a marriage.
What he meant was privacy mattered for him.
Not me.
Marcus leaned closer.
“Tell me everything.””
I looked at the other five bikers.
They quietly moved away, giving us space.
I didn’t know why strangers were helping me.
I didn’t know why a man who had never met me was risking his afternoon for my problems.
But I knew I couldn’t fight Richard alone.
“I met Richard when I was twenty-seven,” I began.
Marcus listened.
“He was charming. Everyone loved him.””
“That’s usually when people hide the most.””
I looked at him.
“You sound like you know.””
Marcus looked away for a moment.
“I know enough.””
Before I could ask what that meant, Richard walked back inside.
This time, he wasn’t smiling.
“Emily.””
I immediately stood.
Marcus stood too.
Richard looked between us.
“You’re actually going through with this?””
“With what?””
“This little performance.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What?””
He laughed.
“You think I don’t know what you’re doing?””
I felt confused.
Richard pointed at Marcus.
“You found someone to play hero.””
Marcus crossed his arms.
“No one is playing anything.””
Richard ignored him.
“Emily, you always did this.””
“Did what?””
“Created a crisis and made yourself the victim.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
Because that was his favorite weapon.
Making me question my own memories.
I looked around the café.
At the people watching.
At Marcus standing there.
And for the first time, I heard Richard’s words without believing them.
“No,” I said quietly.
He stopped.
“No?””
“I spent years believing you because you sounded confident.””
His expression changed.
“But confidence doesn’t make someone right.””
The room went silent.
Richard stared at me.
Then he smiled.
A cold smile.
“Okay.””
He pulled out his phone again.
“Let’s see how confident you are when everyone knows the truth.””
My chest tightened.
“What truth?””
He unlocked his phone.
“You really didn’t tell them, did you?””
“Tell who?””
He looked at Marcus.
Then back at me.
“The reason you left.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Because there was something in his voice.
Something certain.
Richard turned the phone around.
A photo appeared.
It was me.
Standing outside a hotel.
With another man.
My breath caught.
“No.””
Marcus looked at the screen.
“Emily?””
“That’s not what it looks like.””
Richard smiled.
“Of course you’d say that.””
I grabbed the phone.
The picture was real.
But the date wasn’t.
The image had been taken six months earlier.
Six months before I had ever met the person in the photo.
Someone had edited it.
Someone had created a story.
Richard leaned closer.
“You’re going to come home.””
I stared at him.
“Or what?””
His smile returned.
“Or I show the court that you abandoned your family and had an affair.””
My hands went cold.
Marcus took the phone from Richard and examined the image.
Then he looked up.
“Interesting.””
Richard frowned.
“What?””
Marcus turned the screen slightly.
“This photo was altered.””
For the first time, Richard looked nervous.
Just for a second.
Then he hid it.
“You’re not an expert.””
Marcus handed the phone back.
“No.””
He looked directly at Richard.
“But I know someone who is.””
Richard’s face changed.
“What did you say?””
Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out his own phone.
He typed a message.
A few seconds later, his screen lit up.
He read the reply.
Then he looked at me.
“Emily, there’s something you need to know.””
My heart pounded.
“What?””
Marcus turned the phone toward me.
The message was from someone saved under a name that made my stomach drop.
Because it was someone connected to Richard.
Someone who had known him long before I did.
May you like
The message contained only one sentence:
*“Tell Emily the truth about why Richard chose her.””*
