The name stirred something in my memory.
“I’ve told you what I know.”
“No. Four years ago, you told me Lily was his cousin because you wanted me to stop asking questions.”
“I didn’t know what else to say.”
Publicidad
There it was.
An admission.
She had been keeping it from me for a reason.
“Why?”
“I have to go.”
“Who was Michael?”
She hung up.
I stared at the phone.
An admission.
Publicidad
Daniel’s mother and I had never been close, but this was different.
Why protect Daniel’s affair?
And what did Michael have to do with it?
Was he Rebecca’s brother? Had he helped Daniel hide it?
I opened my laptop again.
This was different.
***
Nearly an hour later, an old article gave me Michael’s last name.
Michael H. Daniel C.
Business partners.
Publicidad
Another article said the company had closed after a “financial dispute between its founders.”
“What did you do, Daniel?”
An old article gave me Michael’s last name.
I searched for Michael H.
His obituary appeared.
Then I saw the date. “No. That’s not possible.”
Daniel had told me Michael died before we met.
The obituary said otherwise.
Business partners.
Publicidad
Eight months after our first date.
Name, age, town.
Same man.
“So you lied about that too.”
I kept searching.
A car accident. A few business records.
The obituary said otherwise.
Then one archived filing stopped me.
Rebecca H.
“Wait.”
I read it again.
“Rebecca…?”
Publicidad
Not some distant cousin. Michael’s wife.
Then one archived filing stopped me.
“So that’s why the company fell apart.”
I stared at Daniel’s name on the screen.
“You were sleeping with your partner’s wife? God, Daniel. That’s disgusting.”
I searched their names together.
An old address appeared, then a newer one.
“Found you.”
I grabbed my keys.
