Chapter 3: The Name On The Account
The name sat there on the paper.
Daniel Whitmore.
A name I had never heard before.
But judging by Elise’s reaction, she knew it very well.
“Mark,” she said carefully.
I held up the paper.
“Who is Daniel?””
She looked away.
“No one.””
Again.
That word.
No one.
I laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“Interesting.””
“What’s interesting?””
“Every time someone says ‘no one,’ they usually mean someone they don’t want me to know.””
Elise’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re accusing me?””
“I’m asking a question.””
“No. You’re looking for a reason to punish me.””
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Punish you?””
I pointed toward the hallway.
“Our daughter was eating scraps from a dog bowl.””
Elise looked irritated rather than ashamed.
“She’ll survive.””
Those three words changed something inside me.
Because they revealed exactly how different we were.
To Elise, Lily surviving was enough.
To me, she deserved better.
That night, I moved Lily into my room.
She slept beside me holding her stuffed rabbit.
She woke up twice.
The first time, she asked if Mommy was angry.
The second time, she asked if I was leaving again.
“I’m here,” I whispered.
She squeezed my hand.
“Promise?””
I looked at my daughter.
And I made a promise I knew I would keep.
“I promise.””
The next morning, I called my lawyer.
Not because I wanted a war.
Because I needed answers.
His name was Andrew.
We had gone to college together.
When I explained what happened, he became silent.
“Mark,” he said, “there’s something you need to know.””
I sat at my desk.
“What?””
“Your wife has been withdrawing money from your joint account for months.””
I frowned.
“How much?””
“Almost two hundred thousand dollars.””
I stared at my computer screen.
“That’s impossible.””
“It’s not.””
“Where did it go?””
A pause.
Then:
“Most of it went to an account connected to Daniel Whitmore.””
My hands tightened.
“Who is he?””
Andrew hesitated.
“Mark…”
“Tell me.””
“He’s a real estate investor.””
“And?””
Another pause.
“And he’s the owner of the apartment building where your wife has been spending several nights each month.””
The room felt like it tilted.
I remembered all the nights Elise told me she was staying late with friends.
All the sudden weekend events.
All the times she said she was exhausted.
I thought she was lonely.
I thought she missed me.
I thought my absence was hurting our marriage.
I never imagined I was being replaced.
When I got home that afternoon, Elise was waiting.
She knew.
I could see it.
“You called someone,” she said.
I removed my coat.
“Yes.””
Her face hardened.
“You’re really doing this?””
“Doing what?””
“Destroying our family.””
I stared at her.
“You did that when you hurt Lily.””
Her expression flickered.
Just for a second.
Guilt.
Then anger.
“You have no idea what it’s like being alone.””
I laughed quietly.
“Alone?””
I stepped closer.
“I spent three months sleeping in hotels.””
“And I spent three months raising a child by myself.””
“By yourself?””
I looked toward the stairs.
“Rosa was here.””
Elise looked away.
That told me everything.
Later that night, I checked the security cameras.
Something I had never done before.
Because I trusted my wife.
I watched footage from the past month.
My hands shook.
There was Lily.
Standing in the hallway.
Holding a plate.
Elise walked by without looking at her.
Then Lily dropped it.
The plate shattered.
Elise turned.
I couldn’t hear the audio at first.
Then I turned up the volume.
And heard my wife say:
“You want to act like a baby? Then you can eat like a dog.””
I covered my mouth.
I couldn’t breathe.
The next video showed something worse.
Lily sitting alone in the kitchen.
Crying.
Waiting.
And then Elise walked in holding the dog bowl.
My phone suddenly rang.
It was Rosa.
I answered immediately.
“Rosa?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Mr. Mark…”
“What happened?””
“I found something in Mrs. Elise’s room.””
“What?””
A pause.
Then she whispered:
“Pictures.””
My heart stopped.
“Pictures of what?””
May you like
Rosa breathed in.
“Of Lily.””