Chương 13
“Some do.”
“Then I’ll take those.”
Walter stood again.
“You are not walking out with my files.”
Margaret looked at him.
“Try to stop me.”
Samuel moved between them.
Walter’s face darkened.
“Get out of the way.”
“No.”
“This is my house.”
Samuel’s laugh was bitter.
“You really want to use that sentence tonight?”
Walter’s hands curled at his sides.
For one alarming second Margaret thought he might shove Samuel.
Instead he stepped back.
Margaret gathered the documents bearing her name and placed them on the desk.
“I’m photographing everything.”
Walter stared at her.
“You don’t understand what you’re looking at.”
“Then the bank can explain it.”
His expression changed.
That was the first real sign of panic Margaret had seen since the bedroom.
“Don’t call the bank.”
Samuel looked at him.
“Why?”
Walter ignored him.
“Margaret, listen to me.”
“No.”
“If you call them and start making accusations, they could freeze accounts.”
“Good.”
“No, not good.”
His voice rose.
“There are automatic payments tied to those accounts.”
“Which accounts?”
Walter stopped.
Margaret felt the answer before she heard it.
Samuel did too.
“What else is there?” he asked.
Walter ran a hand through his hair.
“I need time.”
Margaret looked at the clock on the wall.
It was after eight.
Thirty-two years of marriage had become four hours of discovery.
“You’ve had fifteen years.”
Walter sat down.
For the first time, he looked defeated rather than cornered.
Margaret almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
Then he said, “Daniel needs me.”
Samuel flinched.
Margaret looked at her husband.
“Do you love him?”
Walter’s eyes filled.
That answer hurt in a different place.
“Yes.”
Margaret nodded.
“And Elena?”
Walter rubbed his mouth.
“I cared about her.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I don’t know what word you want.”
“The true one.”
Walter looked down.
Samuel turned away again.
Margaret waited.
Finally Walter said, “I loved her once.”
Margaret felt no surprise.
The absence of surprise frightened her more than the confession.
“And Jenna?”
Walter shook his head.
“No.”
“What about the others?”
Samuel looked back.
Walter stared at Margaret.
“How many?” she asked.
“Margaret.”
“How many women?”
He swallowed.
“Three.”
“Including Elena?”
“No.”
Samuel muttered something under his breath.
Margaret counted silently.
Elena.
Jenna.
Three others.
Five women.
Maybe Walter saw the arithmetic on her face.
“It wasn’t constant.”
Margaret laughed.
Walter flinched.
“Thank you for clearing that up.”
“I’m not proud of it.”
“No?”
He stood abruptly.
“What do you want me to say?”
Samuel answered before Margaret could.
“Anything that doesn’t make you the victim.”
Walter turned on him.
“You have no idea what marriage is.”
Samuel’s face went hard.
“I know enough to know you don’t sleep with five people and borrow against your wife’s house.”
“Your marriage is falling apart because you lied to Chloe for months.”
Samuel stepped forward.
“At least I’m trying to tell the truth now.”
“Because you got caught.”
The words landed.
Samuel stopped.
Margaret saw his face.
Walter saw it too.
For a second, shame moved between father and son with awful familiarity.
Then Margaret spoke.
“Both of you stop.”
Neither did.
Samuel pointed at Walter.
“You taught me this.”
Walter laughed.
“That is pathetic.”
“You taught me that if I could justify the reason, hiding the method was acceptable.”
“No one forced you to lie.”
“No.”
Samuel’s voice cracked.
“But you made it look normal.”
Walter shook his head.
Samuel continued.
“You told me Mom couldn’t handle the loan.”
“You told me Chloe couldn’t handle knowing where it came from.”
“You kept telling me protecting somebody meant deciding what truth they deserved.”
Walter stared at him.
Margaret felt every sentence cutting in two directions.
Because Samuel had learned it from Walter.
Because Margaret had practiced her own version with Chloe.
She had decided Chloe did not deserve privacy because Margaret’s suspicion felt more important.
The family sickness was larger than one man.
Walter’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen and went pale.
Margaret saw the name before he turned it over.
Elena.
Samuel saw it too.
No one moved.
The phone kept ringing.
Walter reached for it.
Margaret said, “Answer.”
He looked at her.
“Margaret.”
“Answer it.”
The call stopped.
Three seconds later it rang again.
Walter picked up.
“Elena.”
A woman’s voice came through loudly enough to hear.
“Walter, where are you?”
His eyes closed.
“At home.”
“You said you were fixing this.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
A pause.
Then Elena said, “The school called me.”
Walter’s face drained.
“What happened?”
“They said the payment was reversed.”
Margaret looked at Samuel.
Samuel stared back.
Walter stood.
“That shouldn’t have happened.”
“Well, it did.”
Elena’s voice shook.
“And Daniel heard me arguing with them.”
Walter pressed his fingers to his temple.
“I’ll handle it tomorrow.”
“You said that last week.”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
“No.”
The woman took a breath.
“I’m done letting you handle things.”
Walter glanced at Margaret.
Elena continued.
“I told Daniel.”
Walter went completely still.
“Told him what?”
The answer came through the phone with devastating clarity.
“Who you are.”
Walter lowered the phone slowly, as though the weight of it had changed.
Samuel was the first to speak.
“So now he knows.”
Walter nodded.
Margaret watched her husband’s face collapse around a fear that had nothing to do with her.
It was not fear of divorce.
Not fear of money.
Not even fear of being exposed.
It was fear of a fourteen-year-old boy looking at him and deciding what kind of father he was.
Elena’s voice came faintly from the phone.
“Walter?”
He lifted it again.
“I’m here.”
“He wants to meet you.”
Walter closed his eyes.
“Tonight?”
“No.”
Elena sounded tired now rather than angry.
“He doesn’t want to see you tonight.”
Samuel looked away.
Margaret felt that sentence settle into Walter harder than anything she could have said.
Elena continued.
“He asked if you had other children.”
Walter’s hand tightened around the phone.
May you like
“I told him yes.”
“What did you tell him about Samuel?”
