Chapter 3 - Andrew Comes Home
Andrew returned at 6:12 that evening.
Lorraine had been waiting by the front window for nearly an hour.
The moment his car entered the driveway, she rushed outside.
I remained at the dining table.
The green folder sat to my right.
Gabriel’s photographs sat to my left.
Andrew entered less than a minute later.
He looked from me to the evidence.
Then he stopped.
That was the first moment I saw the real Andrew Parker.
Not the charming salesman.
Not the conflict-avoidant husband.
Not the dutiful son.
The man beneath all of those versions appeared for one short second.
He calculated.
“Where did you get those?”
Not who is that.
Not Claire, I can explain.
Where did you get those?
I leaned back.
“Sit down.”
“Claire.”
“Sit.”
Something in my voice worked.
He sat.
Lorraine remained behind him.
“You should not speak to my son like he is a criminal.”
Andrew turned sharply.
“Mom, stop.”
She fell silent.
I slid the first photograph toward him.
“How long have you been sleeping with Serena Blake?”
His jaw tightened.
“It is complicated.”
“How long?”
“We became close several months ago.”
“Nine?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know whether you have been sleeping with someone for nine months?”
“Do you want a timeline or do you want the truth?”
“I want both.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Things between us have been bad for a long time.”
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“You never told me.”
“I tried.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You avoided dinner when conversations became uncomfortable.”
“You slept in the guest room after arguments.”
“You worked late.”
“You let your mother attack me while you told me to be patient.”
“Those are not attempts to save a marriage.”
His eyes hardened.
“You were never home.”
“I was working.”
“You always had some emergency.”
“I am a paramedic coordinator.”
“Exactly.”
The accusation was almost absurd.
My job saving other people had somehow become evidence that I had failed him.
I pushed the screenshot across the table.
“If Claire signs Monday, everything changes.”
Andrew looked at it.
His face drained.
“What was I supposed to sign?”
“That is not what it looks like.”
“I did not ask what it looked like.”
I leaned forward.
“What were you planning to put in front of me on Monday?”
Lorraine moved toward the kitchen.
“Stay.”
She froze.
Andrew looked at his mother.
That glance told me everything.
She knew about Monday too.
I opened the green folder.
Andrew’s eyes followed it.
“You remember this?”
He stared at the postnuptial agreement.
“Of course.”
“You signed it.”
“I know.”
“In front of two witnesses and a notary.”
“Claire, stop turning this into some courtroom performance.”
“I am trying to understand why a man who signed an agreement recognizing my financial interest in this house was telling another woman the house would soon belong to both of them.”
“It was fantasy.”
“What was Monday?”
He said nothing.
I reached for my phone.
“I am calling Nora.”
His head snapped up.
Nora Chen was the attorney who had prepared the agreement.
“You do not need a lawyer.”
That sentence was the clearest sign yet that I absolutely needed one.
“I disagree.”
Andrew stood.
“We can fix this.”
“We?”
“Yes.”
He pointed toward the photographs.
“I made a terrible mistake.”
“Nine months is not a mistake.”
“Then I made many mistakes.”
“And Monday?”
He looked away.
“I had been exploring refinancing options.”
I stared at him.
“For what?”
“Debt.”
“What debt?”
“Business debt.”
“You are not self-employed.”
He went silent again.
I turned to Lorraine.
“What debt?”
She folded her arms.
“Do not drag me into your marriage.”
“You threw a pot at my head this morning and knew about his affair.”
“You dragged yourself into it.”
Andrew slammed his palm against the table.
“Enough.”
The sound echoed through the room.
I did not flinch.
“Do that again and this conversation ends.”
His face shifted.
Perhaps he expected me to become frightened.
Instead, I opened my contacts and called Nora.
She answered on the fourth ring.
“Claire?”
“Nora, I need help.”
“What happened?”
I looked directly at Andrew.
“My husband has been having an affair.”
Andrew closed his eyes.
“And I believe he may have planned to obtain my signature on documents involving my house.”
Nora’s voice changed immediately.
“Do not sign anything.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Do you still have the original postnup?”
“It is in front of me.”
“Good.”
May you like
Then she asked a question that made Andrew stand completely still.
“Claire, has Andrew had access to copies of your signature?”
