“Why ten?”
“Because he told me he had 30,000 saved for our new apartment.”
Grant and I had less than 8,000 dollars in our savings account.
I typed the number.
He responded, “I can’t get that much without my wife noticing.”
Tessa read the message twice.
“So he was going to use your money to silence me.”
“Apparently.”
“What a thoughtful husband.”
The next stage was hers.
Tessa called him from her real number.
I sat beside her while she placed the phone on speaker.
He answered immediately.
“Tessa?”
“We need to meet.”
“I told you this is over.”
“You told me you loved me.”
“Keep your voice down.”
“You’re not even near me.”
“Just stop, okay? You made your point with my back.”
“Did Rachel see it?”
His silence answered.
Tessa continued, “I’m going to tell her everything.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’ll destroy my life.”
“You destroyed your life.”
“Tessa, please. Meet me tomorrow. We can talk.”
“Where?”
He suggested a restaurant near his office.
After the call, Tessa looked at me.
“Do you think he’ll confess?”
“Not unless he believes confessing is the safer option.”
So I gave him one.
That evening, I sat beside Grant on the couch while he pretended to watch television.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
He stiffened.
“Sure.”
“Are you happy?”
He looked at me carefully.
“Of course I am.”
“With us?”
“Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t know. You’ve seemed distracted since you came home.”
“It’s work.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
I nodded.
“I was thinking we could have dinner tomorrow night. Somewhere nice.”
His face changed.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I may have to work late.”
“Again?”
“We’re dealing with the account from the conference.”
The lie came so easily that I almost admired it.
“Then Friday?”
“Friday works.”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Good.”
The next day, Grant left the office early and drove to the restaurant.
Tessa waited inside at a table near the back.
I sat in a rented car across the street, listening through her phone.
Grant arrived 12 minutes late.
“What do you want?” he asked before he even sat down.
Tessa kept her voice calm.
“I want you to tell Rachel.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then I will.”
“You don’t understand her.”
“I spoke to her.”
The silence lasted so long I checked the call to make sure it had not disconnected.
“You what?” he whispered.
“I spoke to Rachel.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Not everything.”
“Why would you contact her?”
“Because she deserves to know who she married.”
Grant lowered his voice.
“Tessa, listen to me. Rachel is unstable.”
I gripped the steering wheel.
Tessa glanced through the restaurant window, though she could not see me.
“How?”
“She has a temper. She twists things. If you tell her about us, she’ll ruin both our lives.”
“Us?”
