Chapter 6: What My Wife Had Been Paying For
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Richard's words remained in the air.
A repayment agreement.
I looked at Vanessa.
She had both hands pressed against her mouth.
"How much money did Derek owe you?"" I asked.
Richard cleared his throat.
"Marcus, I think this conversation would be better handled in person.""
"No. You can answer me now.""
Vanessa shook her head slightly.
I ignored the gesture.
"How much?""
Richard sighed.
"About one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.""
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Why?""
"That's between Vanessa and Derek.""
"Not anymore.""
Richard went silent.
I looked at my wife.
"Did you lend him money?""
She nodded.
"Before we met?""
"Yes.""
"How much?""
"One hundred and twenty thousand.""
I stared at her.
"Where did you get that kind of money?""
She wiped her cheeks.
"My savings. Some money from my grandmother. And an inheritance from my aunt.""
I sat down.
For the first time, I began to understand why the old document had mattered so much.
Vanessa had given Derek a substantial amount of money before we were together.
Then he had failed to repay her.
And instead of telling me, she had allowed him to use my identity in another financial arrangement.
"Why didn't you sue him?"" I asked.
She looked at her father.
Richard answered first.
"Because Derek promised to repay her.""
I turned toward the phone.
"How long ago?""
"Several years.""
"And you thought using my financial information was a reasonable way to recover the money?""
"No. I never approved that.""
"But you received a hundred thousand dollars.""
Richard was silent.
I continued.
"Where did it go?""
He exhaled.
"Some of it went toward the property purchase. Some was used to pay off existing obligations.""
"Whose obligations?""
"That's not something I can answer without the records.""
I laughed quietly.
"Everyone seems to have a lot of things they can't answer.""
Vanessa reached for the phone.
"Dad, please tell him everything.""
Richard's voice became sharper.
"Vanessa, I told you not to involve me in this.""
I looked at her.
"Why did he tell you not to involve him?""
She lowered her eyes.
Richard spoke again.
"Marcus, listen. I didn't steal your money. I was told the arrangement was legitimate.""
"Then you shouldn't have a problem explaining it to an attorney.""
There was a long pause.
Finally, Richard said, "I think that's best.""
The call ended.
Vanessa lowered the phone.
I sat across from her.
"How long have you known about the loan?""
She looked at the floor.
"Since the beginning.""
"How long have you known my name was on it?""
She didn't answer.
"Vanessa.""
"Since the paperwork was submitted.""
I leaned back.
"Then why did you tell me you didn't know?""
She began crying.
"Because I was scared.""
I nodded slowly.
"Of what?""
"Of what you would do.""
I stared at her.
"You were afraid I would be angry?""
"Yes.""
"Did you think I wouldn't be angry if I discovered it myself?""
She covered her face.
I stood and walked to the window.
A few months earlier, we had stood in that same kitchen discussing a vacation.
I had offered to pay for a week in the Caribbean.
Vanessa had said she didn't want to spend money unnecessarily.
I had thought she was being responsible.
Now I wondered whether she had been trying to preserve money for something else.
I turned around.
"Did you use our joint account to pay any of this debt?""
She froze.
That was the answer.
I walked to the study and opened the banking application.
I scrolled through the transactions.
At first, I saw nothing unusual.
Then I noticed several transfers to an account I didn't recognize.
Five thousand dollars.
Seven thousand.
Three thousand five hundred.
Another twelve thousand.
The payments were spread across several months.
I printed the statements.
When I returned to the living room, Vanessa was still sitting in the same position.
I placed the papers in front of her.
"Explain these.""
She looked down.
Her lips trembled.
"Those were payments to Derek.""
I felt my stomach drop.
"From our joint account?""
She nodded.
"Why?""
"He said he needed help keeping the property from going into default.""
"Whose property?""
"The investment property.""
I tapped the statement.
"How much?""
She looked through the pages.
"I don't know exactly.""
I added the amounts.
Twenty-seven thousand five hundred dollars.
Then I found another payment.
Then another.
The total was over sixty thousand dollars.
I stared at the number.
"Did you ever ask me before transferring this money?""
She shook her head.
"Why?""
"I thought I could replace it.""
"With what?""
She didn't answer.
I pushed the papers away.
"Vanessa, do you understand that you have been using our household money to repay a debt you created before we were married?""
She nodded.
"I was trying to fix it.""
"No. You were hiding it.""
She stood.
"I wanted it to go away!""
Her voice cracked.
"I thought if I paid Derek enough, he would finally settle everything. I thought we could move on.""
I looked at her.
"And the affair?""
She closed her eyes.
"I didn't plan for that.""
"Did Derek threaten you?""
She hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"Sometimes.""
I stood still.
"What kind of threats?""
"He said he could make everything public. He said he could show you the old documents. He said he could tell you what happened before we got married.""
I stared at her.
"So you slept with him because he threatened to expose the financial arrangement?""
She immediately shook her head.
"No. It wasn't like that.""
"Then explain.""
She walked to the couch and sat down.
"Derek started calling again because he said the lender was demanding payment. He wanted me to help him get more time.""
"And you did.""
"Yes.""
"Then what?""
"He started inviting me to dinner. He said he missed me. He said we had unfinished business.""
I looked at her.
"Did you believe him?""
She nodded weakly.
"I don't know.""
She took a breath.
"He told me that he still loved me.""
I let out a slow breath.
"And you loved him?""
She shook her head.
"I loved what we had before everything went wrong.""
I stared at her.
"You keep describing a relationship that ended years ago.""
She looked up.
"Because it never really ended.""
The sentence landed harder than I expected.
I didn't respond.
She continued.
"Every time I tried to cut him off, he would contact me again. He knew about the money. He knew about the documents. He knew I had never told you.""
"And he used that against you.""
She nodded.
I walked toward the dining table and picked up my phone.
I needed to speak with Robert.
But before I could dial, a notification appeared.
An email from Northbridge Capital.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: Final Notice of Default — Marcus Reed*
I opened it.
The message contained an attachment.
A scanned copy of the original loan agreement.
I downloaded it.
Then I zoomed in on the signature page.
There it was.
My name.
My address.
My date of birth.
And a signature that looked exactly like mine.
But something else caught my attention.
The agreement had been witnessed by a notary.
I recognized the name.
It belonged to a woman who had worked at Vanessa's father's accounting office.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Who is Patricia Lane?""
She frowned.
"Why?""
"She notarized this document.""
Vanessa's face drained of color.
"She worked for my father.""
"Did she see me sign this?""
Vanessa looked at the floor.
"No.""
I stared at her.
"Then how did she notarize it?""
She began crying again.
"I don't know.""
I called Robert and sent him the document.
He asked me not to touch anything else.
Then he said he would arrange a meeting with the lender's legal representative.
I ended the call.
Vanessa was standing beside the window now.
"Marcus, I need you to understand something.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
"I never wanted you to be responsible for the debt.""
I stared at her.
"But you allowed my name to be placed on the agreement.""
"I thought Derek would repay it before anyone found out.""
"And when he didn't?""
She looked away.
"I kept making payments.""
"Using our money.""
She nodded.
I sat down.
For the first time that morning, I felt exhausted.
Not angry.
Not confused.
Just exhausted.
I had spent twelve years believing that marriage meant sharing the difficult things.
But Vanessa had apparently decided that the difficult things belonged to me only when she needed my name, my income, or my credit.
At 5:40 p.m., Robert called.
"Mr. Reed, we have a development.""
I stood.
"What is it?""
"The notary's office has confirmed that the document was processed on the date shown, but they cannot verify that you personally appeared.""
I looked at Vanessa.
"What does that mean?""
"It means the notarization may be invalid. We're requesting the original journal and supporting records.""
"Anything else?""
Robert hesitated.
"Yes. The lender has provided a copy of the property transfer history.""
I waited.
"The building was transferred to a company called Cole Property Holdings.""
I looked at Vanessa.
Her father's name.
Robert continued.
"But the beneficial ownership records list another individual.""
"Who?""
"Richard Cole and Derek Mitchell.""
I closed my eyes.
They had both been involved.
Not just Vanessa.
Not just Derek.
Her father too.
"Is there anything else?"" I asked.
Robert lowered his voice.
"One more thing. The company sold the building six months ago.""
"To whom?""
"That's the unusual part.""
He paused.
"The buyer was an entity connected to a trust.""
I felt a cold chill.
"What trust?""
"Reed Family Trust.""
I stopped breathing for a moment.
I had never established a trust under that name.
I had never authorized anyone to use my identity to create one.
"Robert, I don't understand.""
His voice became firm.
"Neither do I. But the trust documents include a beneficiary designation.""
"Who is the beneficiary?""
Robert paused.
Then he answered.
"Your wife, Vanessa Reed.""
I looked across the room.
Vanessa was watching me.
She knew.
She knew what I had just heard.
And before I could ask another question, she whispered:
"Marcus, please don't hate me. The money wasn't the only reason Derek wanted your name.""
I lowered the phone.
"What else did he want?""
She began shaking.
Then she reached into her handbag and removed a small envelope.
It was old, yellowed at the edges, and sealed with a strip of transparent tape.
She placed it on the table.
"I found this in my father's office last week.""
I looked at the handwriting.
It was Derek's.
And beneath his name were four words:
*For when Marcus finds out.*
Vanessa pushed the envelope toward me.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Derek standing outside a hospital room, holding a newborn baby.
On the back, someone had written a date.
A date from twelve years ago.
The month Vanessa and I got married.
I looked at her.
"Who is the baby?""
Vanessa's lips trembled.
Then she whispered the words I would never forget.
"Marcus, Derek has a child.""
I stared at the photograph.
"With whom?""
She didn't answer.
I looked at the date again.
Then at the handwriting.
May you like
And finally, I noticed the name printed on the hospital bracelet.
*Vanessa Reed.*
