Chapter 4 - THE PERFECT HUSBAND
Daniel came home that night at 2:17 a.m.
I was awake.
He thought I wasn’t.
I heard him shower.
I heard him put his wet clothes into the washing machine.
I heard him stand in Lily’s future nursery for almost five minutes.
Then he slipped into bed beside me.
I waited.
“How was work?”
He jumped slightly.
“Jesus. I thought you were asleep.”
“I couldn’t get comfortable.”
He sighed.
“Long night.”
“Client problem?”
“Yeah.”
“What client?”
Silence.
Only for a second.
Then he said,
“Hamilton.”
There was no Hamilton.
I knew because Daniel had accidentally left his client list open on the dining table the week before.
I turned toward him.
“You smell like hospital soap.”
He froze.
I felt it.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
Then he laughed.
“We were at St. Luke’s. One of the guys had chest pain.”
“Is he okay?”
“Fine.”
Another lie.
Smooth.
Fast.
Effortless.
I realized then that Daniel didn’t lie because he was scared.
He lied because lying had become normal.
He believed whatever he said would become reality because I had always trusted him.
Three weeks later, Lily was born.
Daniel cried when he held her.
Real tears.
That was the confusing part.
He kissed her tiny forehead and whispered,
“Daddy loves you.”
I watched him.
And for one dangerous moment, I wondered whether I had been wrong about everything.
Maybe he loved Lily enough to stop.
Maybe becoming a father would wake him up.
Then, while I was recovering from a difficult delivery, Daniel disappeared for six hours.
His excuse was that he needed to sign emergency work documents.
I knew better.
Chloe had gone into labor.
Her son was born the same afternoon.
Daniel didn’t know I knew.
He returned to my hospital room with coffee and a stuffed rabbit.
“You look beautiful.”
I looked exhausted.
Pale.
Barely able to sit up.
“Where were you?”
“Office.”
His phone buzzed.
He looked down.
And smiled before he could stop himself.
I saw the preview.
He has your eyes.
My chest went cold.
Daniel quickly locked the screen.
“Work?”
I asked.
“Yeah.”
I looked at our newborn daughter sleeping beside me.
Then back at him.
“Busy day.”
He kissed my cheek.
“You have no idea.”
I did.
More than he could imagine.
The following month, Daniel announced the baptism party.
“I want something special.”
“How special?”
“Ballroom at the Grand Regent.”
I laughed.
“You said a night nurse was too expensive.”
“This is different.”
“Why?”
“It’s once in a lifetime.”
“So is childbirth.”
He ignored that.
Over the next two weeks, he planned the party like a royal wedding.
Flowers.
Live music.
Photographer.
Open bar.
Custom menus.
His mother loved it.
“You deserve something beautiful after everything you’ve been through.”
I nearly asked if she meant my husband getting another woman pregnant.
But I stayed quiet.
Then one night, while Daniel slept, I checked our savings.
My stomach dropped.
Nearly $20,000 was missing.
Transfers.
Deposits.
Hospital charges.
Daniel had used the money we saved for Lily’s birth to pay Chloe’s hospital expenses.
And another $8,000 had gone toward the baptism party.
I stared at the numbers.
Then I understood what Daniel was doing.
He was not just cheating.
He was using our daughter’s money to celebrate himself while financing Chloe’s child in secret.
The next morning, I told my attorney,
“I want him exposed.”
She studied me.
“In court?”
“No.”
I looked at the Grand Regent invitation on my phone.
“At the party.”
She frowned.
“Jennifer…”
“I’m not going to scream.”
“What are you going to do?”
I smiled.
“I’m going to let him ask me to pay the bill.”
She stared at me for a long second.
Then she said,
“Make sure you have copies of everything.”
“I already do.”
What I didn’t tell her was that I had also ordered something else.
A DNA test.
May you like
Because Chloe’s ex-husband had contacted me.
And he had a story Daniel never expected me to hear.
