Chapter 12 - Collapsing House of Cards
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Vanessa’s face changed. The nervous, polite smile vanished, replaced by a look of genuine confusion. It wasn't a dramatic shift, but it was enough to confirm my worst suspicion.
“Don’t answer that, Vanessa,” Daniel ordered, his voice cracking.
Vanessa ignored him. She stared at me, her brow furrowed. “You said you were basically separated, Daniel.”
My stomach tightened into a painful knot, but somehow, hearing the actual words spoken out loud didn't hurt as much as I expected. By this point, I had already mapped out the shape of his dishonesty in my head. Hearing her confirm it was just matching a puzzle piece to a hole.
“What exactly does ‘basically separated’ mean, Vanessa?” I asked calmly.
Vanessa swallowed hard, looking desperately between me and Daniel. “He... he said you two were only still living in the same house for financial reasons. Because the mortgage was underwater.”
Robert closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in sheer disgust. Our mortgage was nearly paid off.
Daniel stood up again, his face flushed crimson. “This is not happening. I’m not doing this.”
I looked up at him, my voice dripping with ice. “When exactly were you planning to inform me that I was a separated woman, Daniel?”
“Emily, she completely misunderstood what I said!” Daniel yelled, pointing at Vanessa.
Vanessa stood up, her own anger finally sparking. “No, I didn’t misunderstand! You told me you slept in separate rooms!”
I couldn't help it. A dark, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Well, we certainly do now.”
Vanessa’s face went chalk-white. She finally realized the depth of the deception she had walked into.
Daniel ran both hands frantically through his hair, pacing behind the sofa. “It was complicated, okay? You don't understand the pressure I was under!”
Margaret finally broke her silence. Her voice was low and lethal. “No, Daniel. It wasn’t complicated. It was convenient.”
Daniel spun on his mother, his eyes blazing with betrayal. “You set this whole thing up! You told me to bring her here so you could ambush me!”
“Yes, I did,” Margaret admitted without a shred of remorse.
“So you could humiliate me in front of everyone?!”
“No,” Margaret said softly, looking her son dead in the eye. “So you could finally hear yourself.”
That sentence silenced the room entirely.
I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. I opened the CHRISTMAS PHOTOS folder, selected the first PDF file, and looked directly at Vanessa.
“Were you with my husband at the Everett Boutique Hotel on October seventeenth?”
Daniel lunged forward. “Emily, stop!”
Vanessa stared at me, trembling. Then she looked at Daniel, waiting for him to deny it. When he couldn't, the answer was written plainly across her devastated face. Yes.
“Did he tell you I was in Boston for an architectural conference?” I pressed.
Vanessa looked thoroughly confused. “He... he said you were visiting a sick friend.”
Another lie. Another cowardly, pathetic excuse to clear his schedule for a rendezvous. I turned the screen of my phone around, showing Daniel the highlighted hotel charge from our joint credit card. His shoulders instantly dropped in defeat.
Then, I swiped to the next photo. The jewelry receipt. $1,240.00.
May you like
Unconsciously, Vanessa’s hand drifted up to her chest, her fingers brushing against the delicate gold necklace resting just beneath the collar of her blouse.
I noticed the movement. So did Margaret. I didn't even need to ask the question out loud.
