I stared at the security log until the numbers blurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six times Claire had entered my home while I was away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And every single visit had happened when Damon knew I would be gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I scrolled back through the dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first entry was three months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continue reading on next page\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The second was two weeks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each time, I remembered exactly where I had been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One appointment had been my first ultrasound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another had been the day I spent nearly four hours at the hospital because my doctor wanted additional tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third had been the afternoon Claire had volunteered to help me organize the nursery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had thanked her for being such a wonderful friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had hugged her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had told her I didn’t know what I would do without her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The memory made my stomach turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I kept scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I noticed something strange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The entries weren’t always close together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were gaps of several weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But every time Claire entered the house, Damon had been home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I opened the camera history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The system stored recordings for thirty days, so most of the older footage was already gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one recording remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was from nine days earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I clicked on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The front door opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claire walked inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn’t wearing the expression of someone sneaking around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She carried a large black handbag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I watched her lock the door behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Damon appeared at the top of the stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They didn’t kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They didn’t embrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, Damon said something that made me pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audio was faint, but I could hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Did you bring it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claire nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She opened her bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Damon looked inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he immediately glanced toward the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I rewound the footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Damon looking directly at the security camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knew it was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sat frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If they knew about the cameras, why had they been careless enough to let themselves be recorded?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless they wanted me to find something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thought made no sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I closed the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a message from Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did the appointment go? Is the baby okay?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My best friend was asking me about my daughter while she had been hiding in my closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I typed a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything is perfect. Thank you for asking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I deleted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then typed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n She’s healthy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I sent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three dots appeared almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few seconds later, another message arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m so relieved. I love you both so much.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I put the phone face down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was when I realized something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire wasn’t acting like a woman who had just been caught cheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was acting like someone who believed she had a reason to be in my house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A terrible reason, perhaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I needed answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also needed to be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I did something I never thought I would do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I called Owen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire’s fianc\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He answered after the third ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Hey,” he said. “Is everything okay?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I almost laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything was very far from okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I need to ask you something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n His voice changed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Sure. What is it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Has Claire been acting strangely lately?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just long enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why are you asking?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because she’s my best friend.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Owen said quietly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Has she told you anything?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Like what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then why did you ask?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He exhaled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Maybe you should talk to Claire.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I tried.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “About what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “About why she was in my house today.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The line went completely silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could hear Owen breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, he whispered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “She was there?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was all I needed to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You knew.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “No.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You knew something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I knew she was worried about you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What does that mean?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owen didn’t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Tell me the truth,” I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His voice cracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Claire told me Damon was hiding something from you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know what it is.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then why would you let her come here?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I didn’t know she was coming here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “How did she get inside?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You’re lying.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “No,” he said quickly. “I’m not.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then explain why your fianc\u00e9e has been entering my house behind my back.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I can’t.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why not?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because Claire made me promise.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Promise what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n His voice dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Not to tell you until she was certain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Certain of what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Owen could answer, I heard the sound of my front door opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon was home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Are you still there?” Owen asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Yes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Listen to me. Whatever you do, don’t confront him yet.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because if what Claire suspects is true, you need to know everything before you say anything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What does she suspect?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owen hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “She thinks Damon has been planning something involving the baby.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The call ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood in the nursery, staring at the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My first instinct was to dismiss it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon was my husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The father of my child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man who had held my hand when we first heard our daughter’s heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then I remembered the six security entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The secret visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The camisole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now Owen’s warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I heard footsteps coming upstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I quickly put my phone away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon appeared in the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You okay?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I forced myself to smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Just tired.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then his eyes moved to the security tablet sitting on the dresser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My heart skipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He walked over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What’s that?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Nothing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He picked it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I reached for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Don’t.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n His expression changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was subtle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I saw it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon handed the tablet back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why are you acting strange?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked directly at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Am I?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the smile didn’t reach his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You’ve been emotional lately.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I’m pregnant.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Exactly.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n There it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first time he had used my pregnancy to explain away my behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remembered something Claire had once told me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If someone keeps telling you that you’re imagining things, pay attention to what they don’t want you to notice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I had always assumed she was talking about someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I wondered if she had been talking about Damon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That evening, I acted normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I made dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I laughed at the right moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I asked Damon about his day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He seemed relieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too relieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After he went to bed, I waited until his breathing became steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I quietly opened his laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I knew his password.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or at least I thought I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first password failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I remembered something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon’s password wasn’t our anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn’t our daughter’s expected due date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was the date we bought our house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I entered it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The computer unlocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My hands were trembling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I searched his email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I searched his messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I opened the recently deleted folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were dozens of files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most were ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But one caught my attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A document titled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guardianship Options \u2014 Confidential<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document discussed temporary guardianship of our unborn child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I kept reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proposed guardian was not me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I nearly dropped the laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I saw the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document had been created six weeks earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Claire had entered my house for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I had ever suspected anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I kept scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions about my mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comments about my “emotional instability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n References to my “increasing dependence on others.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every sentence described me as though I were incapable of caring for my own child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I noticed the name of the person who had written the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A family attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recognized the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It belonged to a lawyer who had represented Damon for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I closed the laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I finally understood why Claire had been coming to my house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I still didn’t understand her role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next morning, I called her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Can we meet?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Of course.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Somewhere private.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Okay.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n We met at a small caf\u00e9 across town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire arrived ten minutes late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment she sat down, I placed my phone on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I know you’ve been coming to my house.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her face went pale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I know about the security log.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire closed her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “How much do you know?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt my throat tighten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Tell me everything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked around the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then she leaned toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I wasn’t sleeping with your husband.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That day in the closet wasn’t what you think.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then why were you hiding?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because Damon came home early.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt my heart sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why were you there?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because I was trying to protect you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “From what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She reached into her purse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And placed a folder on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inside were copies of financial documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bank statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Property records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insurance forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Claire…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Damon has been moving money.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Where?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I think he’s preparing for something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at the documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I saw the final page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a draft agreement involving our house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The property I had owned before I married Damon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document would transfer control of the property if I became “medically or psychologically incapacitated.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n My hands went cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why would he need this?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That’s what I’ve been trying to find out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then why did you tell Owen?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because I was scared.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Of Damon?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Of what he might do next.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought about the guardianship document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I asked the question that had been haunting me since I walked into my bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What about the camisole?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I changed clothes here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because Damon told me to.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “He said you were going to be gone longer than expected. He asked me to come over because he wanted to discuss something with me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Then why were you hiding?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because when you came home, Damon told me not to move.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n That answer frightened me more than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Claire reached into her purse again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This time she pulled out a small flash drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I found this in Damon’s desk.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn’t touch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What is it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Videos.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What kind of videos?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Of you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt the room spin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire quickly reached across the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Listen to me. I don’t know what he was planning. But he was recording conversations you had when you thought you were alone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at the flash drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire world seemed to grow quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A message from Damon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn’t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another message arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to talk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then a third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire told me everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked up at my best friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her face had gone completely white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What does that mean?” I whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then my phone buzzed one final time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This message was different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was from an unknown number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t go home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon knows you found the documents.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first time, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because suddenly, the question wasn’t whether my husband had betrayed me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How long had he been planning to take control of my life\u2014and who else had been helping him?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And somewhere between the hidden security entries, the secret documents, and the mysterious videos, I realized something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire hadn’t been hiding from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She had been hiding from Damon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And whatever was on that flash drive was about to reveal why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I stared at the security log until the numbers blurred. Six visits. Six times Claire had entered my home while…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19092,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19090\/revisions\/19092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menufiyat.net\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}