Chapter 2 - The Anonymous Messages
Mark had not invented his suspicion that morning.
For the last six weeks, he had been receiving anonymous messages.
The first claimed Emily had been seen having lunch with another man.
The second mentioned a hotel near her office.
The third included a blurred photograph of Emily standing beside a dark-haired stranger outside a medical building.
Mark never showed the messages to Emily.
He did not ask for an explanation.
Instead, he watched her.
He checked when she left work.
He searched her laptop while she slept.
He compared Lily’s ultrasound features to photographs of himself as a baby.
Every innocent detail became proof because someone had already told him what to believe.
The man in the photograph was Dr. Alan Pierce, a specialist Emily had hired to consult on a healthcare contract.
The hotel was where the client conference took place.
The lunches were business meetings listed openly on Emily’s calendar.
Mark could have learned all of that by asking.
He preferred suspicion.
Carol knew because she had sent the messages.
She created a disposable email address and used photographs taken from Emily’s public business page. She expected Mark to confront Emily before the birth, create enough conflict to weaken the marriage, and pressure her into giving him greater access to her company accounts.
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Carol never expected him to accuse Emily while she still wore a hospital identification bracelet.
And she never expected Emily to call an attorney before shedding a single tear.
