Chapter 2: The Name He Never Mentioned
My father picked up on the second ring.
"Clara?" His voice was still rough with sleep.
"It's barely eight.
What's wrong?"
I didn't answer right away.
I was sitting in my Audi at the end of their driveway, staring at the steering wheel, my cheek still burning.
"Dad," I finally said.
"I need you to call the bank."
Silence.
Then, quietly: "How bad?"
"Bad enough."
He didn't ask questions.
He just said, "Give me twenty minutes."
I hung up and sat there.
Through the front window of the house, I could see Julian pacing.
Victoria was on her phone.
Chloe had disappeared upstairs like none of it had happened.
Then my own phone buzzed.
A text from Julian.
*"Come back inside and we can talk about this like adults."*
I almost laughed again.
Then a second text came through — not from Julian.
From a number I didn't recognize.
*"You're not the first wife he's done this to.
Call me before you do anything.
— Diane"*
I stared at that name for a long time.
Diane.
Julian had never once mentioned anyone named Diane.
---
May you like
What Clara found out about Diane — and what Julian had been hiding long before the wedding — is darker than anyone expected.
Click the link below to read the full story.
