Chapter 4 - The Public Facade
Using a dead man's identity to secure a hospital suite was a new level of depravity.
Daniel was deliberately setting up my deceased father's estate to take the fall for Chloe's massive medical bills.
I forwarded the hospital confirmation to my secret email address and placed the phone exactly where I found it.
When Daniel came downstairs smelling of fresh soap, I handed him his dinner with a sweet smile.
My pregnancy progressed into the third trimester.
My body ached, and my patience was wearing dangerously thin.
Daniel continued to play the role of the perfect, doting husband whenever we were in public.
He brought me flowers when his coworkers came over for dinner.
He rubbed my shoulders and talked loudly about how excited he was to be a father.
Everyone told me how incredibly lucky I was to have such a supportive man.
I just smiled and agreed, swallowing the bitter taste of bile in my throat.
One Saturday afternoon, Daniel insisted we go to an upscale baby boutique to look at cribs.
He said we needed to maintain appearances for some of his wealthy clients who shopped there.
We were standing in the middle of the store when the front bell chimed.
I turned my head and felt the air instantly leave my lungs.
It was Chloe.
She was heavily pregnant, wearing the exact designer maternity dress I had seen on Daniel's credit card statement.
She was laughing and holding hands with a tall, handsome man who was clearly not my husband.
I stepped behind a tall display of strollers, pulling Daniel with me.
Daniel's face turned completely ashen.
He stared at Chloe and the strange man with a look of pure, unadulterated rage.
Chloe did not notice us hiding in the back of the store.
She kissed the man's cheek and pointed to a ridiculously expensive crystal mobile.
I watched Daniel's fists clench so tightly his knuckles turned entirely white.
He was trembling with a jealousy he could not hide.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and aggressively typed a text message.
Across the store, I heard Chloe's purse chime.
She pulled out her phone, read the screen, and her smile instantly vanished.
She looked around the store frantically, her eyes wide with sudden fear.
The man beside her asked what was wrong.
Chloe whispered something to him and practically dragged him out the front door.
Daniel shoved his phone back into his pocket, his breathing heavy and erratic.
He turned to me and snapped that he had a sudden work emergency and we had to leave immediately.
I nodded obediently, acting completely clueless.
But as we walked out to the car, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
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It was a message from Eleanor, my attorney.
She had finally tracked down the mysterious man Chloe was with, and the truth changed absolutely everything.
