A loose note fell out from between the medical pages. It was a letter from Lucy.
“Ray,
You brought the medical results home four years ago, but you never opened the envelope. You were too proud, too terrified that the ‘flaw’ might be yours. So you threw it in the bottom drawer and started drinking. I found it. I read it. And when I confronted the doctor, he confirmed you could never biologically father a child.
I loved you enough to keep your secret. I let you blame me. I endured your scoffs, your cold shoulders, and your public pity because I wanted to protect your fragile masculine ego. I thought my silence was loyalty. But then you brought Valerie into our lives. You threw your infidelity in my face, and worse, you used a miracle that you claimed I couldn’t give you as an excuse to break my heart.
But here is the truth you didn’t know about your precious Valerie, and your loyal business partner, David…”
My eyes flew to the next set of papers. They were corporate financial audits from Mendez & Associates—our architecture firm.
Over the last eighteen months, millions of dollars had been funneled out of our primary accounts. The destination? A shell company registered in Delaware under the name V.T. Holdings. Valerie Towers.
But it wasn’t David who was stealing it from me. The signatures approving the massive wire transfers weren’t forged. They were signed by David, yes, but the authorizing power of attorney belonged to someone else.
I turned the page, and a photograph fell onto my lap.
