Daniel walked into the foyer.
“You don’t have to speak with him.”
“I know.”
“Do you want me here?”
“Yes.”
We opened the door but didn’t invite Derek inside.
He held his phone in one hand.
“Claire, I need five minutes.”
“You can speak from there.”
He looked behind me and noticed Daniel.
His mouth tightened.
Then he unlocked his phone.
“Vanessa is gone.”
I said nothing.
“She cleared out the apartment.”
Still nothing.
“She blocked me.”
I folded my arms.
“And?”
He looked down.
“I found messages.”
He turned the screen toward me.
It showed a conversation between Vanessa and a woman named Tasha.
I read only a few lines.
Once the wife is gone, I’ll have access to everything.
Then:
He believes anything I tell him.
And finally:
If this doesn’t work, I already have someone else lined up.
Derek’s voice broke slightly.
“She played me.”
I handed back the phone.
“No.”
His head snapped up.
“What?”
“She lied to you.”
“That’s what I just said.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“She lied. What you did to Sophie was your choice.”
He stared at me.
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“She made me think—”
“I don’t care what she made you think.”
My voice stayed level.
“Your daughter stood in front of you crying, and you decided the woman you were sleeping with deserved more trust than she did.”
Derek looked away.
“I was angry.”
“So was I.”
He looked back at me.
“And somehow I managed not to threaten an eight-year-old.”
Daniel stayed silent.
He didn’t need to say anything.
Derek looked down at the phone.
“There’s something else.”
He opened another recording.
Vanessa’s voice filled the porch.
“You really think I needed that little girl to ruin my dress? I ruined it myself.”
Derek’s voice followed.
“Why?”
“Because I needed you to choose me.”
The recording stopped.
Derek looked at me.
“I recorded it.”
“Good.”
“You can use it.”
“I will.”
He nodded.
For a second, relief crossed his face.
Then he said the wrong thing.
“Maybe once this is over, we can talk.”
I stared at him.
“About what?”
“Us.”
