Chapter 5: The Man Behind the Mask
I read Marcus’s message three times.
Not because I didn’t understand the words.
Because I understood them too well.
*Nia, you need to come home. I found out who has been trying to destroy us.*
Us.
That word almost made me laugh.
Us had disappeared the moment I saw my husband standing in a grocery store with another woman and a child who called him Daddy.
Us had disappeared years ago.
Maybe it had never existed at all.
I locked my phone and placed it face down on the table.
Victoria watched me carefully.
“What did he say?””
I looked at her.
“He wants me to come home.””
She gave a small, humorless smile.
“Of course he does.””
“Why?””
“Because Marcus always needs to control the ending.””
I hated how familiar that sounded.
Because I had spent seven years believing Marcus was calm.
Patient.
Understanding.
Now I wondered if all of those things were just tools.
Ways to make people trust him.
“What does he think I know?”” I asked.
Victoria looked at the document between us.
“He probably knows you found the records.””
“How?””
“Because he always knows when someone gets close.””
The restaurant suddenly felt too quiet.
I looked around.
People were eating.
Laughing.
Living normal lives.
And I wondered how many people were sitting across from someone who had secrets they couldn’t imagine.
“Tell me everything,” I said.
Victoria took a slow breath.
“Are you sure?””
“No.””
My answer surprised her.
Then I continued.
“But I need to know.””
She nodded.
“Okay.””
She folded her hands on the table.
“Marcus wasn’t always like this.””
I almost interrupted.
But I stopped.
Because that sentence was exactly what everyone said about people they loved.
He wasn’t always like this.
He used to be different.
He used to care.
“He was charming,” Victoria continued.
“That was the first thing I noticed.””
I looked down.
“Same.””
She nodded.
“He knew how to make people feel chosen.””
The word stayed in my mind.
Chosen.
That was exactly how Marcus made me feel.
When we met, he made me believe I was different.
Special.
Like nobody had ever understood him the way I did.
But maybe he made everyone feel that way.
“After we married, I started noticing small things,” Victoria said.
“What things?””
“He always had an explanation.””
My chest tightened.
“A reason for everything.””
She looked at me.
“You know what I mean.””
I did.
The late nights.
The missed calls.
The excuses.
The endless reasons.
“He made me feel guilty for questioning him,” Victoria said.
I looked away.
Because I remembered doing the same thing.
A year into my marriage, I once asked Marcus why he hid his phone.
He looked hurt.
Not angry.
Hurt.
“Do you really think I’m that kind of person?”” he asked.
And I apologized.
I apologized for asking.
I apologized for making him feel accused.
That memory suddenly felt disgusting.
After leaving the restaurant, I drove back to the hotel.
I still hadn’t answered Marcus.
I needed space.
I needed to think.
But before I could even reach my room, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then I remembered.
Every important truth in the last two days had come from people I didn’t expect.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice responded.
“Is this Nia?””
My body stiffened.
“Yes.””
“My name is Daniel.””
I frowned.
“I don’t know you.””
“I know.””
A pause.
“But I knew Marcus.””
The way he said it made my stomach tighten.
“Knew?””
“Yes.””
“Who are you?””
Another pause.
Then:
“I was his business partner.””
I sat down on the hotel bed.
“Was?””
“He ruined that relationship too.””
I closed my eyes.
“How many people has he hurt?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
That was enough.
“What happened?””
“He used me.””
The words came out flat.
Like Daniel had repeated them so many times they had lost emotion.
“He convinced me to invest in a company.””
“Like Victoria?””
“Yes.””
My stomach dropped.
“Was it the same company?””
“Yes.””
I looked at the papers Victoria gave me.
The same pattern.
The same method.
The same man.
“What did he do?””
Daniel sighed.
“Marcus created a company that looked successful from the outside.””
“Wasn’t it?””
“For a while.””
“And then?””
“He started moving money around.””
I felt cold.
“How?””
“He used other people’s names.””
My hand tightened around the phone.
“Why?””
“Because he knew nobody would suspect him.””
I stood up and started pacing.
“Why are you telling me this now?””
“Because I saw the news.””
“What news?””
“The court records.””
My heart raced.
“What court records?””
“The ones showing you’re married to him.””
I froze.
“Those records are public?””
“No.””
Silence.
Then:
“Someone leaked them.””
I felt a chill.
“Who?””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.””
That night, I didn’t sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus.
Not the man from my memories.
The man from the grocery store.
The man who stood frozen while two women discovered his lies.
The man who had no explanation.
Around three in the morning, I opened my laptop.
I searched Marcus’s name.
At first, nothing appeared.
Then I changed the search.
I added the company name from Victoria’s documents.
And suddenly, pages appeared.
Old articles.
Court filings.
Business complaints.
Stories I had never seen.
I clicked through them.
My hands went cold.
There were accusations.
Financial disputes.
Former partners.
People claiming Marcus had manipulated them.
But the strangest part wasn’t what I found.
It was what I didn’t find.
No one mentioned his personal life.
No one mentioned wives.
No one mentioned children.
Marcus had built a wall around himself.
A perfect image.
A successful businessman.
A loving husband.
A hardworking man.
A lie repeated enough times became believable.
Until someone found the cracks.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Marcus.
*I know you’re looking into things. Please stop before you hurt yourself.*
I stared at the screen.
My anger rose.
Not because he knew.
Because he still made it about me.
Not:
I’m sorry.
Not:
I hurt you.
Not:
You deserve answers.
Just:
You’re going to hurt yourself.
I typed a response.
Then deleted it.
Typed another.
Deleted that too.
Finally, I sent one sentence.
*What are you afraid I’ll find?*
The reply came almost immediately.
Too quickly.
Like he had been waiting.
*The truth is more complicated than you think.*
I stared at those words.
The truth.
Everyone kept using that phrase.
But nobody wanted to say it.
I called him.
He answered after one ring.
“Nia.””
His voice sounded tired.
Good.
I wanted him uncomfortable.
“Tell me the truth.””
“I’m trying.””
“No.””
I closed my eyes.
“You’re trying to protect yourself.””
Silence.
Then:
“Where are you?””
“That doesn’t matter.””
“It does.””
“Why?””
“Because someone is lying to you.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Victoria. Elena. Claire. Daniel.””
Hearing all those names from him made my skin crawl.
“You know about Daniel too?””
Another silence.
That was enough.
“You’ve been watching everyone.””
“Nia—”
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You don’t get to explain your way out anymore.””
I heard him breathe heavily.
Then he said:
“There’s something you don’t know.””
I laughed softly.
“That sentence should be on your wedding vows.””
“Nia.””
“What?””
“The woman who contacted you today…”
“Victoria?””
“No.””
My heart started racing.
“Then who?””
Marcus hesitated.
And that hesitation terrified me.
“There’s another person involved.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who?””
“I don’t know how much she told you.””
“Who, Marcus?””
His voice dropped.
“Your sister.””
I froze.
My sister.
A person who had nothing to do with Marcus’s other lives.
A person I trusted.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“That’s impossible.””
“I wish it was.””
My breathing became shallow.
“What does my sister have to do with this?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
“Marcus.””
Finally, he whispered:
“She knew about me before you did.””
The room went silent.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t think.
Because there was one question burning through my mind.
If my sister knew Marcus’s secrets…
Why did she let me marry him?
My phone buzzed.
A new message appeared.
Not from Marcus.
Not from Victoria.
Not from Claire.
From my sister.
One sentence.
*“Nia, please don’t believe everything Marcus tells you. He’s trying to turn us against each other.””*
I stared at the message.
May you like
And for the first time since this nightmare began…
I didn’t know who to believe.
