Chapter 4: Five Months of Lies
Sophie sat down slowly.
She looked nervous.
Her fingers trembled around the envelope.
"I didn't want to get involved," she began.
"But when I found out you had twins, I couldn't stay quiet anymore.""
I glanced at the babies.
Piper had woken up.
She made a tiny sound before settling against the stroller cushion.
"What do you know?"" I asked.
Sophie opened the envelope.
Inside were printed photographs.
The first showed Tyler standing on a balcony overlooking the ocean.
His arm was around a brunette woman.
The second showed them entering a restaurant.
The third was taken in a private lounge.
Tyler was holding the woman's hand beneath the table.
I looked at Sophie.
"Who is she?""
"Lauren Parker.""
The name from Michael's tablet.
Sophie continued.
"Lauren worked as a guest entertainment coordinator. She and Tyler started spending time together during the first month of his assignment.""
Rachel leaned forward.
"And Vanessa?""
"Vanessa was a passenger initially. She later started traveling on the ship regularly.""
I looked down at the photographs.
"So he was seeing both of them?""
Sophie nodded.
"And there was another woman.""
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course there was.
Sophie pulled out another photograph.
This one showed Tyler at a small restaurant in Nassau.
He was holding a little girl.
The child was wearing a yellow dress.
I recognized the woman standing beside him.
Lauren.
"That's her daughter," Sophie said.
My throat tightened.
"How old is she?""
"About two.""
I stared at the picture.
"Does Tyler claim she's his?""
Sophie hesitated.
"Lauren told people he was the father.""
The room seemed to tilt.
I reached for the edge of the table.
Michael immediately stood.
"Emily, do you need a moment?""
"No.""
My voice sounded strange.
Thin.
Almost unfamiliar.
I looked at the photograph again.
"Does he pay child support?""
Sophie nodded.
"He used company reimbursements to cover some of Lauren's expenses. I saw the records because I helped process travel-related paperwork.""
Michael's expression darkened.
"Those payments were never authorized.""
Sophie nodded.
"I know.""
I took a slow breath.
There were two women.
Possibly three.
A little girl in Orlando.
A woman in Nassau.
And me.
The wife who had delivered twins while he was building a collection of secret lives.
"Why didn't you tell someone earlier?"" Rachel asked.
Sophie looked down.
"Because Tyler was my supervisor. He controlled schedules, promotions, and performance reviews. I was afraid I'd lose my job.""
Michael nodded.
"You're protected under our internal reporting policy.""
Sophie slid the final photograph toward me.
It showed Tyler standing outside a jewelry store.
Beside him was Vanessa.
She was holding a small velvet box.
I looked closer.
There was a date printed beneath the image.
Three weeks before our daughters were born.
My fingers went numb.
"What did he buy her?""
Sophie swallowed.
"A diamond necklace.""
I stared at the picture.
Three weeks before I gave birth.
I had been lying in a hospital bed during a pregnancy complication, waiting for Tyler to answer his phone.
He had sent me a message that night.
*Sorry, babe. Busy with work. I'll call tomorrow. Love you.*
I had read that message dozens of times.
I'd even saved it.
Now I knew where he'd been.
At a jewelry store.
Buying another woman a diamond necklace.
I looked at Michael.
"I want copies of everything.""
"We can provide the records relevant to your complaint.""
"I want all the records connected to the family allowance and the false expenses.""
"Understood.""
"And I want to know whether any money was transferred using my name without my consent.""
Michael nodded.
"Our legal team will investigate.""
Rachel reached across the table.
"Emily, I have something that might help.""
She pulled out her phone.
A message thread appeared.
Vanessa had sent her a series of photographs several months earlier.
One showed Tyler standing in a luxury apartment.
Another showed him holding a champagne glass.
The last one was a screenshot of a message.
*Once the babies arrive, she'll be too overwhelmed to fight. I'll sort everything out before I come back.*
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
My stomach turned.
"Did Tyler send that?""
Rachel nodded.
"Vanessa forwarded it to me when she was angry with him. I didn't realize you were the wife he was talking about.""
I stared at the screen.
Too overwhelmed to fight.
He hadn't simply betrayed me.
He had planned around my pregnancy.
He had counted on my exhaustion.
He had expected me to be too busy caring for our children to notice what he was doing.
And the worst part?
He had been right.
Until now.
A knock sounded.
Michael stepped outside.
When he returned, his expression was serious.
"Tyler wants to speak with you.""
I laughed softly.
"Of course he does.""
"He's asking for five minutes.""
I looked at my daughters.
Then at Rachel.
"Can you watch them?""
"Absolutely.""
I walked into the hallway.
Tyler stood near a window overlooking the harbor.
His navy uniform was wrinkled.
His expensive watch caught the sunlight.
For the first time, he looked less like the confident man I'd married and more like someone who had run out of excuses.
"Emily," he said.
I stopped several feet away.
"Five minutes.""
He stepped closer.
"I know you're angry.""
"That's an interesting understatement.""
"I made mistakes.""
"You keep using that word.""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Things got complicated.""
"How?""
He sighed.
"Being away from home. The pressure. The pregnancy. Everything happening at once.""
I stared at him.
"You were the one who left.""
"I know.""
"You promised to come home.""
"I know.""
"You missed the birth of your daughters.""
His eyes dropped.
"I couldn't get away.""
"You could get away to Nassau.""
He looked up sharply.
"Who told you about that?""
I smiled without warmth.
"Does it matter?""
He took another step.
"Emily, I never stopped loving you.""
"Then why did you make me live like I was raising these girls alone?""
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Finally, he said, "Because I didn't know how to stop.""
I looked at him.
"Stop what?""
He swallowed.
"Everything.""
I shook my head.
"You don't accidentally rent an apartment. You don't accidentally buy diamond necklaces. You don't accidentally create another family.""
His face hardened.
"Lauren isn't my family.""
"Then why are you paying for her daughter?""
He looked away.
I understood then.
He wasn't ashamed.
He was calculating.
Trying to decide which lie would cost him the least.
"Emily, listen. There's something I need to tell you before you hear it from somebody else.""
I folded my arms.
"Go ahead.""
He glanced toward the conference room.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Vanessa wasn't the reason I stayed away.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"There's another reason.""
His eyes moved to the stroller visible through the glass.
Then back to me.
"One of the girls might not be mine.""
The hallway went silent.
I stared at him.
"What did you just say?""
May you like
He swallowed.
"One of the twins might not be my biological daughter.""
