Chương 10
"What you liked."
"Who you talked to."
"Whether you'd dated anyone before him that he didn't know about."
"Whether you had savings he couldn't see."
My heart began beating faster.
"Why would you answer?"
"I didn't understand what he was doing."
"That's convenient."
"I know."
I glared at her.
"Sorry."
She looked down.
"Eventually I stopped answering."
"When?"
"About a month ago."
"What happened then?"
"He got angry."
"How angry?"
"He said if I cut him off, he'd tell Mark everything."
"That sounds like a consequence, not a threat."
"I know."
She swallowed.
"Then he said he'd make sure you hated me more than Mark ever could."
I stared at her.
"He said that?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Three weeks ago."
"Do you have it in writing?"
Claire hesitated.
"No."
"Of course not."
"I have some messages."
My attention sharpened.
"What messages?"
"Not that exact one."
"What do you have?"
She pulled out her phone.
Her fingers shook as she opened a folder.
"I saved screenshots after he started deleting chats."
"You said he was deleting them?"
"Yes."
"From your phone?"
"No."
"His messages disappeared from the app."
I took the phone from her.
There were dozens of screenshots.
Some were flirtatious.
Some sexual.
I scrolled past those because I could not bear them yet.
Then I saw one dated eleven days earlier.
Daniel had written, You don't get to walk away clean while I marry the person you left me with.
Another said, If she ever learns the truth, she'll know exactly who ruined her life.
My stomach turned.
"Why didn't you show me?"
Claire covered her face.
"Because then you'd know what I did."
"And that mattered more than protecting me?"
She lowered her hands.
"At first."
The answer was nearly inaudible.
"And later?"
"Later I was scared of what he'd do."
"You let me walk into the wedding."
"I tried to stop it."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"You told me I looked beautiful."
"I know."
"You helped Mom button my dress this morning."
"I know."
"You stood three feet away from me while I practiced my vows."
"I know."
I handed her the phone.
"That is not trying to stop a wedding."
She took it without defending herself.
For the first time since she arrived, I believed she fully understood that forgiveness was not waiting nearby.
"I need the screenshots," I said.
She looked up.
"All of them?"
"Everything."
"Even the personal ones?"
"Especially those."
She went pale.
I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
"Send them to the new email address I'm giving you."
"Okay."
"And don't warn Daniel."
"I won't."
"If he contacts you, don't delete it."
She nodded.
"If Mark contacts you?"
Her face crumpled.
"I don't know."
"That's your problem."
"Yeah."
I went back toward the door.
"Anna."
I stopped but did not turn.
"I really am sorry."
I looked at the brass handle.
Then at my reflection in the narrow glass beside the door.
My hair was still pink.
My eyes looked older.
"I believe you."
Claire made a small sound behind me.
I opened the door.
"That doesn't help yet."
Inside, Beth was standing in the hallway with her arms folded.
"You listened."
"I wasn't eavesdropping."
"You were six feet from the door."
"I was strategically nearby."
I almost smiled.
Then she saw my face.
"What happened?"
I handed her my phone.
"Daniel didn't start wanting Claire seven months ago."
Beth read the screenshots silently.
Her expression changed with each one.
When she reached the last message, she looked up.
"This isn't just an affair."
"No."
"What do you want to do?"
I looked toward the kitchen where my father was arguing with Mom about whether he could drive himself to urgent care.
My phone buzzed in Beth's hand.
Unknown number.
She showed it to me.
A text message appeared.
Anna, this is Mark.
I have something from Daniel's laptop you need to see.
Beth handed the phone back without touching the message.
"Do you trust him?"
"No."
"Good."
"I also don't distrust him enough to ignore that."
"Also good."
I typed, What is it?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
A folder.
Screenshots and documents.
I found it on a backup drive Claire left at my place months ago.
My stomach tightened.
Why was Daniel's stuff on Claire's drive?
Mark's reply came after a pause.
Because she backed up his laptop for him.
She told me it was for work.
Beth read over my shoulder.
"That's bad."
"Everything is bad."
"Fair."
Another message came.
I don't want to send it electronically until you see what it is.
Daniel may have access to her accounts.
I stared at that line.
Mark had reached the same conclusion I had.
I typed, Where are you?
Parking lot behind the urgent care on Madison.
I looked toward the kitchen.
Dad was still refusing medical attention.
"Convenient."
Beth frowned.
"What?"
"Mark is already at urgent care."
"Why?"
"He probably punched a wall."
I regretted the joke as soon as I said it.
Beth did not laugh.
"Go with your dad."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
Mom came into the hall carrying Dad's wallet.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Mark found something."
Mom stopped.
"Claire's Mark?"
"There is only one Mark."
"Today I wouldn't assume anything."
I showed her the messages.
She read them twice.
"We're going."
"Dad needs an X-ray anyway."
From the kitchen Dad shouted, "I do not."
Mom called back, "Congratulations, democracy has ended."
Twenty minutes later, Beth drove because Dad's hand had swollen enough that even he stopped pretending.
I sat beside her.
My parents rode in the back.
Nobody mentioned Claire.
I watched houses slide past the window and tried not to think about the folder.
Daniel had always been particular about backups.
He kept copies of tax documents, receipts, warranties, even old apartment leases.
He once teased me because I threw away the manual for our microwave.
May you like
"You'll regret that when the clock starts blinking," he had said.
The clock did start blinking.
