Chapter 3 – Part 2: Secrets That Refused to Stay Buried
Chapter 3 – Part 2: Secrets That Refused to Stay Buried
The ultrasound image remained on my screen long after the notification faded.
She isn't telling him everything.
Five words.
No explanation.
No signature.
Just another anonymous message that felt less like a threat and more like a warning.
Evelyn Carter studied the phone in silence.
Finally, she looked up.
"May I?"
I handed it to her.
She examined the image closely, enlarging the photograph with careful fingers.
"This isn't a screenshot from your husband's phone."
"It isn't?"
She shook her head.
"The timestamp is different."
She pointed to the lower corner of the image.
"The picture your husband received yesterday was taken nearly three weeks ago."
I frowned.
"This one was taken yesterday morning."
"How can you tell?"
"The date."
Sure enough, buried in tiny gray letters beneath the hospital logo was a different examination date.
Someone had access to the mistress's most recent ultrasound.
Someone close enough to obtain it almost immediately.
Evelyn returned the phone.
"This sender wants you to know something."
"But what?"
"That someone is lying."
Before either of us could speculate further, Detective Harris returned.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all," Evelyn replied.
The detective noticed the expression on my face.
"Something happened."
I handed her the phone.
She read both anonymous messages carefully.
"The cyber unit traced the routing."
"And?"
"They were sent through encrypted servers."
"So you can't find who sent them?"
"Not yet."
She looked at the newest image.
"This is interesting."
"You think so too?"
"I do."
She reached for her notebook.
"May I ask a question?"
I nodded.
"Did your husband ever tell you the mistress's name?"
"No."
"But I saw it flash on his phone."
"What was it?"
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember.
Everything had happened so quickly.
Then it came back.
"...Vanessa."
Detective Harris immediately wrote it down.
"Last name?"
"I never saw one."
"Occupation?"
"I don't know."
"How long do you think the affair lasted?"
"I honestly have no idea."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"That gives us somewhere to start."
After the detective left to make a few calls, Evelyn reopened her briefcase.
"I believe it's time we discussed the divorce."
The word landed with surprising calm.
Twenty-four hours earlier, it would have shattered me.
Now...
It felt inevitable.
"I don't even know where to begin."
"You begin by protecting yourself."
She removed a yellow legal pad.
"First question."
"Do you share any bank accounts?"
"One."
"Freeze it today."
"I can do that?"
"Absolutely."
"Second."
"Credit cards?"
"Two joint accounts."
"Cancel them."
"What if Daniel needs money?"
Evelyn's expression remained composed.
"He should have considered that before assaulting the person paying the bills."
The truth of that sentence settled over me.
For years, Daniel had acted like the provider.
In reality, he had relied on my salary more than anyone realized.
He earned a respectable income in sales, but his spending had always exceeded it.
Luxury watches.
Designer suits.
Golf memberships.
Business-class vacations.
I had assumed success paid for them.
Now I wasn't so sure.
Evelyn continued.
"Third."
"Change every password."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"Banking."
"Email."
"Cloud storage."
"Insurance."
"Utilities."
"If he ever had access, remove it."
I nodded slowly.
For the first time in years, I wasn't reacting.
I was planning.
A knock interrupted us.
This time it wasn't a nurse.
A uniformed officer stepped inside.
"Detective Harris asked me to deliver these."
He handed me a clear evidence bag.
Inside was my wedding ring.
My necklace.
My watch.
Everything the hospital had removed before X-rays.
The gold band looked strangely unfamiliar.
Just yesterday it had symbolized commitment.
Today...
It felt like evidence.
I slipped the bag into the bedside drawer without opening it.
"I don't think I'll be wearing that again."
The officer offered a sympathetic smile before leaving.
An hour later, Detective Harris returned with an unexpected expression.
Half satisfaction.
Half surprise.
"We identified Vanessa."
I sat up carefully despite the pain.
"You found her already?"
"She wasn't difficult to locate."
She opened a thin folder.
"Vanessa Morgan."
"Twenty-nine."
"Marketing consultant."
"No criminal history."
She paused.
"She's currently twenty-three weeks pregnant."
Exactly what I'd expected.
Then Detective Harris added quietly,
"She also came to the station this morning."
Both Evelyn and I stared at her.
"She did what?"
"She asked to speak with investigators."
"Why?"
"Because she learned Daniel had been arrested."
My pulse quickened.
"What did she say?"
The detective opened her notebook.
"According to Ms. Morgan..."
"...Daniel told her he was already divorced."
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was painfully predictable.
"He lied."
"Apparently."
"He claimed you refused to sign paperwork."
Of course he had.
The perfect victim.
The unreasonable wife.
I could almost hear him telling the story.
"He said we lived separately."
"We didn't."
"We know."
The detective leaned forward.
"There's more."
I braced myself.
"Vanessa claims she never knew you were living together."
That surprised me.
"Really?"
"So she says."
"Do you believe her?"
Detective Harris hesitated.
"I think she's hiding something."
"What?"
"I don't know yet."
Across town, Daniel sat alone inside an interview room.
A public defender had advised him to remain silent.
Instead, he paced.
His phone calls had accomplished nothing.
The first lawyer refused the case after reviewing the security footage.
The second demanded an enormous retainer.
The third never called back.
When the door opened, Daniel looked up hopefully.
Instead of an attorney...
His mother walked in.
Gloria's perfectly styled hair was disheveled for the first time anyone could remember.
"They searched the apartment."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"I know."
"They took the recording equipment."
"I know."
"They have the video."
He stopped pacing.
"I know."
Gloria lowered her voice.
"We need Vanessa."
Daniel looked up sharply.
"No."
"She'll support your story."
"No."
"She loves you."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"You don't understand."
"What?"
"I lied to her."
"So?"
"I told her I was divorced."
Gloria stared.
"You what?"
"I never expected this to happen."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally Gloria whispered,
"You fool."
Back at the hospital, my phone rang again.
This time there was no hidden number.
The caller ID displayed a name I had never seen before.
Vanessa Morgan.
Evelyn looked at me.
"You don't have to answer."
I watched the screen.
Ring...
Ring...
Ring...
Part of me wanted to ignore it forever.
Another part needed answers.
I pressed Accept.
Neither of us spoke first.
Finally, a quiet female voice broke the silence.
"...Is this Emily?"
"Yes."
There was a long pause.
Then...
"I'm so sorry."
The sincerity in her voice caught me off guard.
"You knew he was married?"
"I found out yesterday."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I don't know what you believe."
Her voice trembled.
"But I swear I didn't know until the police came to my apartment this morning."
I remained silent.
She continued.
"He told me he'd been separated for over a year."
"He showed me photographs."
"What photographs?"
"Pictures of an empty apartment."
My heart skipped.
Our apartment.
Daniel often traveled for work.
He could easily have taken pictures while I was visiting clients.
Vanessa spoke again.
"I think..."
She hesitated.
"I think he lied to both of us."
I closed my eyes.
"Probably."
Another silence.
Then she whispered something that changed everything.
"Emily..."
"There's something you need to know."
"What?"
"The baby..."
She stopped.
I heard her breathing unevenly.
"The baby may not be Daniel's."
Every thought in my mind froze.
"What did you say?"
"I found out yesterday."
"My doctor questioned the conception date."
"So whose baby is it?"
"I..."
Before she could answer—
The line went dead.
Not disconnected.
Cut off.
Detective Harris immediately grabbed my phone.
"Did you hang up?"
"No."
She looked toward the window.
A black SUV had just pulled away from the hospital entrance.
One of the security officers outside was speaking urgently into his radio.
The detective's instincts kicked in.
She rushed into the hallway.
Seconds later she returned, her expression hard.
"Hospital security says a woman matching Vanessa Morgan's description arrived ten minutes ago."
My heart pounded.
"Where is she now?"
"They don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"She disappeared."
Detective Harris looked at the silent phone still resting in my hand.
Then she said the words neither Evelyn nor I wanted to hear.
"I don't think the call ended by accident."
Outside, thunder rolled across the dark afternoon sky.
Somewhere in the city, Vanessa Morgan had vanished.
May you like
And she had taken the biggest secret in this entire case with her.
End of Chapter 3 – Part 2
