Chapter 3 - THE PRIVATE EYE’S REPORT
I met the private investigator,
Elias,
in a quiet park two days later.
The air was crisp,
carrying the scent of fallen leaves and damp earth.
He handed me a thick manila envelope,
his face a mask of professional neutrality.
“It’s worse than you thought,
Adeline,”
he said,
sitting on the bench beside me.
I opened the envelope,
my fingers steady despite the cold.
The first photo was of Marcus and Vanessa at a jewelry store,
six months ago.
He was buying her a diamond pendant,
the same one I had seen her wearing in her "maternity photos."
The second photo was of them at a romantic getaway in the mountains,
during a time when Marcus said he was at a conference in Chicago.
The timeline was devastatingly clear.
The affair hadn't started during the pregnancy.
It had been going on for nearly three years.
My sister,
my only sibling,
had been sleeping with my husband while I was paying for her lifestyle.
She had been smiling at me over holiday dinners,
wearing the clothes I bought her,
while carrying on a life with the man I shared a bed with.
“There’s more,”
Elias said,
pointing to a set of documents at the bottom of the pile.
It was a lease agreement for a secondary apartment,
signed by Marcus four months ago.
He had set up a "family home" for them,
using a forged signature from my office to authorize the security deposit.
I felt a sharp pain in my chest,
not of heartbreak,
but of profound disgust.
He had used my own authority to build a life for his mistress.
“Did you find the birth certificate?”
I asked,
my voice sounding like it was coming from a great distance.
Elias nodded.
“He’s listed as the father.”
“The name is Leo Marcus Thorne.”
He used my maiden name for the child’s middle name.
A final,
twisted insult.
Or perhaps a way to claim the Thorne legacy for a child that had no right to it.
“Thank you,
Elias,”
I said,
closing the envelope.
“I have what I need.”
He looked at me with a flicker of concern.
“What are you going to do,
Adeline?”
I stood up,
the envelope tucked firmly under my arm.
The sun was setting,
casting a blood-red light across the trees.
“I’m going to go to the office,”
I said.
“I have some restructuring to do.”
I walked back to my car,
every step feeling lighter.
The truth was a heavy burden,
but it was also a weapon.
And I was finally ready to use it.
I drove to the Thorne Building,
the glass tower that my father had built.
May you like
The security guard nodded as I passed,
unaware that the woman walking by was about to set fire to her own world.
