Chapter 3 - THE MORNING AFTER
The sun rose over the desert,
casting long,
orange shadows across the living room.
I hadn't slept a wink,
the adrenaline of the discovery keeping me wired.
I was dressed in my best power suit,
a sharp,
navy blue ensemble that made me look like I was heading to a merger.
My eyes were tired,
but my mind was a steel trap.
I had three copies of the file,
one in the envelope,
one in a safe deposit box,
and one stored on a cloud server Levi couldn't touch.
At 8:00 a.m.,
the front door opened.
Levi walked in,
still wearing his tuxedo pants but with his shirt unbuttoned.
He smelled of expensive bourbon and Claire’s perfume.
He looked at me sitting at the kitchen table,
the envelope resting in front of me.
“You’re still up,” he said,
his voice tired and dismissive.
“I stayed up to finish some work,” I replied,
my voice as smooth as glass.
He went to the coffee maker,
not looking at me.
“Look, Hannah, about last night,” he started.
“I don’t want to hear it, Levi.”
He turned,
a frown forming on his handsome face.
“We need to have a mature conversation about where this marriage is going.”
“I think your actions last night made it very clear where it’s going,” I said.
He sighed,
leaning against the counter.
“Claire is... she’s important to the firm’s future. It’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated at all,” I said,
taping the envelope shut.
“You’re sleeping with a marketing consultant and paying her with company money.”
He froze,
the coffee pot midway to his mug.
The silence in the room was deafening.
“What did you say?” he asked,
his voice dropping an octave.
“I found the L&C Holdings account, Levi.”
The color drained from his face,
leaving him looking pale and old.
“You... you went through my things.”
“I audited our life, Levi. That’s what I do.”
He set the coffee pot down with a bang.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Those are legitimate business expenses.”
“Legitimate business expenses don’t usually include diamond bracelets for 'consultants' on their birthdays,” I countered.
He stepped toward me,
his eyes flashing with anger.
“Give me that envelope, Hannah.”
“No.”
I stood up,
clutching the envelope to my chest.
“This is going to the board meeting at 10:00 a.m.”
“You’ll ruin everything!” he hissed.
“Everything we worked for! My career, the house, our reputation!”
“No, Levi,” I said,
walking toward the door.
“You ruined it when you told me to walk away.”
He tried to grab my arm,
but I evaded him with a quickness that surprised us both.
“If you do this,” he shouted,
“I’ll make sure you get nothing! No alimony, no house, nothing!”
I stopped at the door and looked back at him.
“I don’t want your money, Levi. I want the truth.”
I walked out of the house and straight to my car.
As I drove toward his office building,
my phone began to explode with calls.
Levi,
his lawyer,
even Claire.
I ignored them all.
I arrived at the Parker & Associates building,
a glass tower that reflected the morning sun.
I walked into the lobby,
the security guard nodding to me as I passed.
I was Mrs. Parker,
I belonged here.
I took the elevator to the top floor,
the silence of the ride giving me one last moment of peace.
The doors opened to the executive suite.
His assistant,
Sarah,
looked up with wide eyes.
“Mrs. Parker? Levi said he wouldn’t be in until noon.”
“I’m not here for Levi, Sarah,” I said.
“I’m here for the board.”
I walked past her into the conference room,
where the directors were already gathered for their weekly briefing.
They looked up in surprise as I entered.
“Hannah? Is everything all right?” the chairman asked.
I placed the envelope on the mahogany table.
May you like
“Everything is about to be very clear,” I said.
“I’m here to report a discrepancy.”
