Chapter 2 - The Money Nora Never Told Him About
Ethan did not let Marlene take the handbag.
He also did not let her stay.
His younger sister, Callie, lived ten minutes away. Ethan called her and asked her to come over without explaining why.
When Callie arrived, she found Marlene furious in the foyer and Ethan upstairs changing Lily’s wet clothes.
“Take Mom home,” Ethan said.
Marlene pointed toward the black bag on the kitchen counter.
“That belongs to me.”
“Then you can explain why my wife’s money is inside it.”
Callie looked between them.
Marlene’s expression told her not to ask.
Ethan’s told her she probably should.
Still, Callie took their mother home.
Only after the front door closed did Ethan count the cash.
The envelopes held $4,800.
The dates covered the previous four months.
Then he checked their joint checking account.
Nora handled most of the household bills because Ethan worked long hours as a project superintendent for a commercial construction company.
Nothing obvious looked wrong.
Then he noticed repeated cash withdrawals.
$1,200.
Always within the first three days of the month.
There were nine of them.
Almost eleven thousand dollars.
Ethan sat at the kitchen island with Lily asleep against him.
For the past year, Nora had complained constantly about expenses.
Daycare.
Their property taxes.
Her remaining graduate-school loans.
Ethan had stopped buying lunch at work and delayed replacing his aging pickup because they were trying to rebuild savings after Nora’s unpaid maternity leave.
All that time, money had been leaving their account.
Going to his mother.
At 5:41, Nora’s SUV pulled into the driveway.
She entered carrying a tote bag from the pediatric clinic where she worked as an occupational therapist.
“Why is Mom’s car gone?”
Ethan said nothing.
Nora saw the handbag.
Then the hospital paper.
The tote slipped from her shoulder.
“Where did you get that?”
It was the wrong first question.
Ethan’s voice stayed low.
“Were you paying my mother?”
Nora closed her eyes.
That answered him before she spoke.
“Yes.”
“For what?”
Her gaze moved toward Lily.
Ethan stood.
“No. Don’t look at her. Look at me.”
Nora did.
He held up the hospital document.
“Did you try to give our daughter away?”
Nora’s face changed instantly.
“No.”
“Then why does this say you asked where she could go if you couldn’t parent her?”
Nora looked toward the staircase as though considering escape.
Instead she whispered:
May you like
“Because that paper isn’t the whole story.”
And Ethan realized his mother had kept the document because she knew exactly how damaging half the truth could be.
