Chapter 4 - The Money Daniel Never Sent
Daniel pulled his banking records.
Two years earlier, Aaron’s treatment had cost more than forty thousand dollars.
Vanessa had come to Daniel crying after insurance stopped covering part of the residential program.
Daniel agreed to help.
He transferred twenty thousand dollars into the joint household account.
Vanessa told him she would cover the balance from her savings.
Daniel never checked.
Now he did.
His twenty thousand dollars had never gone to the treatment center.
It had remained in their account for three months and later paid property taxes on the mansion.
Aaron’s entire rehab balance had been paid from another source.
Bennett Commercial Group did not appear anywhere.
A private LLC did.
North Vale Consulting.
Daniel recognized the name.
It was a vendor on the Hudson Ridge project.
One of the vendors in his missing notebook.
Daniel called Vanessa.
“You told me you paid Aaron’s treatment.”
“I said it was handled.”
“You let me believe we paid it.”
Silence.
“Who is North Vale?”
“Daniel—”
“Who?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“That’s a lie.”
Vanessa began breathing quickly.
“Eric arranged it.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Why would my brother pay forty thousand dollars for your brother?”
“Because Aaron did work for him.”
“What work?”
“I didn’t ask.”
Daniel laughed once.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
That answer stopped him.
Vanessa’s voice shook.
“I expect you to believe I should have asked.”
Daniel went quiet.
She continued.
“After Aaron got out, Eric gave him small jobs. Deliveries. Property checks. Stuff nobody wanted.”
“And?”
“Then Eric started asking me for things.”
“What things?”
“Copies of your project schedules. Vendor lists. Notes you brought home.”
Daniel stood.
“You gave him my files?”
“Not at first.”
“At first?”
Vanessa started crying.
“He kept saying Aaron owed him.”
Daniel gripped the counter.
“So you eventually did.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“About a year.”
The betrayal was quieter than the storm.
That made it worse.
Daniel had trusted Vanessa with access to every room, every password drawer, every unfinished thought he carried home from work.
She had been passing pieces of that trust to his brother.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was ashamed.”
“No. Why didn’t you tell me tonight before Emma screamed?”
Vanessa’s breathing stopped for a beat.
Then she said:
“Because tonight wasn’t the first time Eric threatened to use Emma.”
Daniel felt the room narrow around him.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa immediately regretted saying it.
He could hear it.
May you like
“Vanessa.”
She whispered, “Ask Emma why she stopped sleeping upstairs last month.”
