Chapter 1: The Woman in the Folder
Vanessa was backing away before Michael Bennett had even finished opening the folder.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not Tyler's pale face. Not the way his mouth had fallen open. Not even the sudden silence surrounding us as passengers slowed down to watch the confrontation.
Vanessa was afraid.
And for the first time since I'd arrived at PortMiami, I wondered whether I was the only person who had been lied to.
Michael stopped a few feet from Tyler.
"Don't move, Vanessa," he said.
Vanessa tightened her grip on the suitcase.
"I don't know what you're talking about.""
The woman beside Michael, a sharply dressed attorney with silver-framed glasses, removed a document from the folder.
"Mrs. Carter," she said calmly, "we need to establish your identity before we proceed.""
Tyler turned toward Vanessa.
"Why did she call you Mrs. Carter?""
Vanessa didn't answer.
He laughed nervously.
"Okay. What's going on? Michael, this is ridiculous.
Vanessa is a guest relations consultant. She's been working with me on the ship.""
Michael looked at him.
"Vanessa has never worked for Ocean Majesty.""
Tyler's expression changed.
"What?""
"She was never employed by our company. She was never contracted as a consultant. She was never authorized to access restricted staff areas.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"Michael, this is a misunderstanding.""
The attorney opened another page.
"Then perhaps you can explain why you used three different identities during the last five months.""
Tyler looked from the attorney to Vanessa.
"Three identities?""
I stood there holding Piper and Poppy, feeling the weight of their little bodies against my chest.
Piper had awakened. Her tiny fingers were curled around the collar of my dress.
Poppy was beginning to fuss.
I wanted to be somewhere else.
I wanted to be home, sitting on the nursery floor, surrounded by their toys and blankets, where the worst thing I had to worry about was whether I'd remembered to sterilize their bottles.
Instead, I was watching my marriage disintegrate in an airport-sized terminal.
"Michael," I said quietly, "what is happening?""
He turned toward me.
His expression softened.
"Emily, I owe you an explanation. But I need you to understand that this situation is much bigger than Tyler's relationship with Vanessa.""
Tyler immediately stepped forward.
"Don't talk to my wife like she's involved in company business.""
Michael's eyebrows lifted.
"Your wife?""
Tyler looked irritated.
"Yes. My wife. The mother of my children.""
I almost laughed.
Five minutes earlier, he had told me he couldn't remain faithful for five months because men got lonely.
Now he was suddenly concerned about my marital status.
Michael glanced at the twins.
"Emily, congratulations on your daughters. I'm genuinely sorry we weren't able to get someone to you sooner.""
"Someone?""
The attorney stepped forward.
"My name is Rebecca Collins. I'm outside counsel for Ocean Majesty's parent company. We have been investigating a series of financial irregularities connected to the vessel's hospitality department.""
Tyler's jaw tightened.
"That's confidential.""
"Correct," Rebecca replied.
"Which makes it particularly interesting that you're discussing it in a public terminal.""
Vanessa reached for Tyler's arm.
"Baby, we should leave.""
Michael's voice became firm.
"You're not leaving.""
She jerked her hand away.
"Excuse me?""
Rebecca held up a photograph.
It showed Vanessa entering a private staff corridor aboard the Ocean Majesty.
Another photograph showed her leaving an office carrying a laptop.
A third showed her standing beside a man I didn't recognize.
"These photographs were taken during an internal investigation," Rebecca explained.
"The woman traveling under the name Vanessa Reed has been accessing employee accounts and confidential passenger information.""
Tyler stared at the photographs.
"That's impossible.""
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Those pictures prove nothing.""
Rebecca turned a page.
"They also don't explain the $184,000 transferred from a restricted hospitality account into a private business registered in your name.""
Tyler went completely still.
"My name?""
"Yes, Mr. Carter. Tyler Carter.""
The sound of Poppy crying broke through the silence.
I adjusted her blanket and gently rocked her.
Tyler didn't even look at her.
Instead, he pointed at Vanessa.
"You told me you owned a consulting company.""
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
"I do.""
"You said the money was from your investors.""
"It is.""
"Then why is my name on the account?""
Rebecca answered before Vanessa could.
"Because the company was established using your employee identification, your tax information, and a digital authorization that appears to have been generated from your workstation.""
Tyler looked as though someone had pulled the floor out from beneath him.
"That's not possible. I never authorized anything.""
Michael crossed his arms.
"Then you should have no difficulty explaining why your login credentials were used.""
Tyler's face reddened.
"I was managing the hospitality department. Do you know how many people had access to my office?""
"Three," Michael replied.
"And we have already interviewed the other two.""
Vanessa suddenly grabbed the suitcase handle.
"Tyler, we're leaving.""
He stepped away from her.
"Not until you explain this.""
She stared at him.
"You're really going to do this now?""
"Do what?""
"Act like you don't know anything.""
I looked at Tyler.
Something in his expression told me that he was beginning to understand.
He had thought he was having an affair with a beautiful woman who admired his position, listened to his complaints, and made him feel important.
Now he was discovering that the woman might have been using him for something else.
And judging by the way she was looking at him, she wasn't particularly interested in protecting him anymore.
Michael lowered his voice.
"Tyler, your access to company systems was suspended yesterday.""
Tyler swallowed.
"Why?""
"Because we found evidence that confidential personnel records were downloaded from your account.""
"I didn't do that.""
"Then someone used your credentials.""
"Exactly!""
Michael nodded.
"That's what we're trying to determine.""
Rebecca closed the folder.
"We'd like you to come with us for a formal interview. You're not under arrest, but you are required to cooperate with the investigation.""
Tyler looked toward the terminal exit.
Then he looked at me.
"Emily, tell them I didn't do anything.""
I stared at him.
"Why would I know?""
"Because you're my wife!""
I shifted Poppy into my left arm.
"And what exactly have you told me about your life for the last five months, Tyler?""
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"Did you tell me about Vanessa?""
"No.""
"Did you tell me about the money?""
"Emily, that's different.""
"Did you tell me you were spending your nights with other women while I was recovering from surgery after giving birth to our daughters?""
His face tightened.
"Can we not do this here?""
I looked directly at him.
"You brought another woman home in front of your children. You don't get to decide where this conversation happens.""
Vanessa gave an impatient sigh.
"Oh, for God's sake. This is exhausting.""
She turned toward me.
"Look, Emily. I understand you're upset, but you need to stop acting like Tyler was some perfect husband before I came along.""
I felt Piper's warm cheek against my shoulder.
"What does that mean?""
Vanessa smiled without warmth.
"Ask him what he told me about your marriage.""
Tyler immediately snapped.
"Vanessa, shut up.""
Her smile widened.
"Why? Afraid she'll finally hear the truth?""
"Stop.""
"He told me you were already separated. He said you were staying together because of the pregnancy.""
My fingers tightened around Poppy's blanket.
I looked at Tyler.
"Is that true?""
"No.""
Vanessa laughed.
"Really? Then why did you tell me Emily had agreed to a divorce?""
Tyler stepped toward her.
"I said shut up!""
Michael moved between them.
"That's enough.""
Rebecca glanced at her watch.
"We need to proceed.""
Tyler barely seemed to hear her.
He was looking at me now.
"Emily, listen. I can explain.""
I nodded slowly.
"Then explain.""
He looked toward Vanessa.
Then toward Michael.
Then back at me.
"Not here.""
I waited.
He lowered his voice.
"I made mistakes. But I never intended to abandon you or the girls.""
I glanced at the woman whose lipstick was still faintly visible at the corner of his mouth.
"You had five months to think about that.""
He reached for my arm.
I stepped away.
"Don't touch me.""
For a moment, he looked genuinely surprised.
Perhaps he had expected me to cry.
Perhaps he had expected me to scream, slap him, or beg him to come home.
Instead, I turned toward Michael.
"Can someone help me get the babies to my car?""
Michael immediately nodded.
"Of course.""
Tyler's voice followed me.
"Emily!""
I kept walking.
"Emily, wait!""
Then Vanessa said something that made me stop.
"Tyler, you should probably tell your wife about the money you sent me from her savings account.""
I slowly turned around.
"What money?""
Tyler's face went white.
And Michael, who had seemed prepared for almost everything that afternoon, suddenly looked at Rebecca.
"How much?"" he asked.
Rebecca checked a page.
"Approximately sixty-two thousand dollars.""
I felt the terminal tilt around me.
Because I knew exactly which account she was talking about.
It was the account my father had left me.
May you like
The money I had been saving for my daughters.
And Tyler had never been supposed to have access to it.
