Claire recognized the timing immediately.
Three months before that date, Andrew had told her their savings were stretched and that they needed to delay the consultation they had been planning at a fertility clinic for nearly a year.
Vanessa looked up from the folder and said he had told her he was using his bonus.
Andrew reached for the folder. Daniel stopped him.
The movement caused enough disruption that two restaurant staff members moved quickly toward the table. Chairs scraped. Someone in the room made a startled sound. The man with the badge stepped between the two men and told them to back up.
Daniel released Andrew but held his position.
He told Andrew directly what he had managed to accomplish. He had used company funds to maintain a second life while two women made decisions based on a version of reality he had constructed entirely from lies.
Andrew’s composure, which had always been one of his most dependable tools, was completely gone.
The Sidewalk After
Claire placed the gift bag on the table in front of her husband.
She wished him a happy anniversary.
Then she walked out.
The cold hit her the moment she stepped through the door. Chicago in March has a particular kind of cold that feels personal. She made it halfway to the corner before her legs became unreliable.
Daniel followed but kept a respectful distance.
He told her he was sorry.
She asked which part he meant.
He gave a hollow laugh and told her to take her pick.
They stood on the sidewalk for a while without speaking, watching traffic pass, listening to the city continue its evening the way cities do regardless of what any particular person has just discovered about their life.
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