A group dinner.
Adrian beside her.
Four months earlier:
Vanessa photographed at an Evermere charity gala.
Caption:
Some places feel like the beginning of something.
I stared at it.
Maybe coincidence.
Maybe not.
I refused to let imagination become evidence.
So I did something I never thought I would do.
I called an attorney.
Not a divorce attorney at first.
A friend of one of my clients.
Her name was Monica Reed.
I had met her twice.
She practiced family and financial law.
I told her only this:
“I think my husband is lying about a trip, and I found a property consultation reservation with another woman.”
Monica became very quiet.
Then asked:
“Do you share assets?”
“Yes.”
“Any trusts?”
“One for Lily.”
“Business interests?”
“My studio. His company stock. Retirement.”
“Do you have copies of current statements?”
“Yes.”
“Download them today.”
“Why?”
“Because if there’s a property consultation, I don’t want you focusing only on the affair.”
That sentence frightened me.
“What should I focus on?”
“Money.”
I DROPPED LILY AT SCHOOL AND WENT HOME
For three hours, I downloaded everything.
Bank statements.
Mortgage information.
Tax returns.
Investment accounts.
Lily’s education fund.
My studio accounts.
Adrian’s retirement statements.
Credit cards.
At first, nothing looked dramatic.
Then I noticed a transfer.
$9,800.
From our general investment account.
Five months earlier.
Memo:
Strategic consulting.
Another.
$12,400.
Three months later.
Capital advisory.
Then $7,500.
A month ago.
I had approved none of them.
But Adrian managed most of our investments.
We had always agreed he could move money between accounts if he told me afterward.
Had he told me?
Maybe.
I searched emails.
Nothing.
Then Lily’s education account.
The balance seemed slightly lower than I remembered.
Not catastrophically.
Enough that I would have missed it.
There had been three withdrawals.
$4,900.
$4,950.
$4,850.
All deliberately below $5,000.
My stomach tightened.
Our bank required additional confirmation for education-fund withdrawals above five thousand.
Anything below could be initiated through our shared financial login.
Adrian knew that.
I called Monica again.
She said:
“Do not accuse him yet.”
“He’s taking money from Lily.”
“We don’t know that.”
“It’s gone.”
“We need to know where.”
“I’m going to the airport.”
Silence.
“Claire.”
