Chapter 5 - The Other Woman's Version
I hated that I wanted to believe Lena.
I hated it even more that I wanted her to be lying.
If she had known everything, then the betrayal was simple.
Two selfish people.
One exhausted wife.
Two babies left behind.
But life rarely offers villains who make every fact convenient.
Lena's email was long.
She wrote that Julian had told her we were separated.
He said we continued living together temporarily because of the twins.
He claimed I wanted an amicable divorce but didn't want the news made public until our financial arrangements were finalized.
He told her I had returned to work.
That I had full-time childcare.
That the babies were usually with my sister.
Every detail was designed to make his absence appear harmless.
I read the email twice.
Then I forwarded it to Maren.
She called the next morning.
“Would you be comfortable communicating with Lena through counsel?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
Maren arranged a meeting at her office.
Lena arrived wearing jeans and a simple white blouse.
Without makeup and resort photographs, she looked younger than I expected.
Nervous.
She sat across from me.
“I'm sorry.”
I didn't answer.
She looked down.
“I know that doesn't fix anything.”
“No,” I said. “It doesn't.”
She nodded.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then I asked, “When did you start seeing my husband?”
“Three months ago.”
“Did he tell you I was pregnant?”
“Yes.”
I stared at her.
She swallowed.
“He said the marriage was already ending. He told me you were both trying to keep things peaceful for the girls.”
I looked away.
Julian had been kissing my forehead every morning.
He'd been telling me we were adjusting.
He'd been asking what I wanted for our anniversary.
Meanwhile, he was telling another woman we'd already separated.
Lena's eyes filled.
“I found out he lied when your sister contacted me.”
Caroline shifted beside me.
I'd forgotten she'd sent Lena a message after the vacation photographs appeared.
“What did she say?” I asked.
Lena looked at Caroline.
“She asked whether I knew Julian had abandoned his wife with six-month-old twins.”
I closed my eyes.
Lena continued.
“I confronted him.”
“What did he say?”
“He said you were exaggerating.”
Of course.
“He said you had his mother helping.”
I laughed bitterly.
“His mother didn't arrive until Sunday.”
Lena looked down.
“I know that now.”
Maren redirected the discussion to the investment documents.
Lena explained that she had been hired to help develop Breakwater Lodge.
Leonard Reed had presented himself as an experienced hospitality investor.
He claimed to have secured financing.
Julian contributed personal funds and helped prepare promotional materials.
But Lena had grown concerned when invoices didn't match the project's stated expenses.
She requested records.
Leonard became angry.
Julian told her not to worry.
Then, shortly before the trip, Lena saw a draft agreement naming me as a guarantor.
She asked whether I understood the arrangement.
Julian said yes.
I felt cold.
“Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“And later?”
She opened a folder.
“I asked to see your authorization.”
Inside were copies of emails Julian had sent her.
One contained the signature page.
Another said:
Audrey has agreed to support the investment. She's busy with the twins, so I'll handle the rest.
I stared at the words.
Busy with the twins.
The phrase he'd used to excuse everything.
Lena continued.
“Then I saw another document.”
She passed it to Maren.
It was a revised financing proposal.
The cottage appeared again.
But the requested loan amount had increased.
From forty thousand dollars to eighty-five thousand.
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Lena shook her head.
“I don't know. I stopped working on the proposal when the lender asked for direct verification.”
Maren examined the document.
“Was this submitted?”
“Not by me.”
Lena looked at me.
“But Julian and Leonard were discussing it.”
I stared at the pages.
My mother had left me a little cottage.
My husband had tried to turn it into eighty-five thousand dollars.
For an investment I hadn't agreed to.
I took a breath.
“Were you sleeping with him during the vacation?”
Lena lowered her head.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
There it was.
No excuse.
No misunderstanding.
Just the truth.
For a moment, I wanted to tell her how many times I'd cried while Julian was away.
How Nora screamed on Saturday night because she was overtired.
How Ivy wouldn't settle unless I rocked her for forty minutes.
How I stood in the kitchen holding a bottle and wondered whether disappearing for ten minutes would make me a terrible mother.
But Lena wasn't the person who had promised to share those responsibilities.
Julian was.
I looked at her.
“Thank you for giving us the documents.”
She nodded.
“I'll cooperate with whatever verification is needed.”
Then she stood.
At the door, she hesitated.
“Audrey?”
I looked up.
“I'm sorry I didn't ask more questions.”
I didn't tell her it was all right.
It wasn't.
But I said, “Now you know.”
After she left, Maren reviewed the new documents.
The lender had paused the proposed financing pending direct confirmation.
The cottage remained unaffected.
But the records showed that Julian had repeatedly represented my consent without obtaining it.
Maren prepared the appropriate disputes and requested that the relevant documents be preserved.
I sat quietly.
Caroline took my hand.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“Want me to get the girls?”
I smiled through tears.
“Please.”
When we returned to Diane's house, Ivy and Nora were awake.
Diane sat on the floor beside them, shaking a soft rattle.
Both girls were laughing.
I watched them.
Then I sat down and joined them.
Nora grabbed my finger.
Ivy smiled.
For ten minutes, I forgot about Julian.
About Lena.
About Breakwater Lodge.
There were only two little girls laughing at a ridiculous plastic giraffe.
Then Diane's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face changed.
“It's Leonard.”
I froze.
She answered.
“Hello?”
A man's voice came through the speaker.
“Diane, tell Audrey to stop interfering.”
Diane slowly stood.
“Interfering with what?”
“The investment.”
I felt my stomach drop.
Leonard continued.
“Julian says she's bringing lawyers into this.”
Diane looked directly at me.
Then she asked a question I'd never expected.
“Leonard, where did the twelve thousand dollars go?”
There was a long silence.
May you like
And then he answered:
“Ask your son what he bought with it.”
