My husband went on vacation with his mother and sister and left me with the kids to harvest sweet corn on my parents’ property. Before leaving, he laughed and said, “A little work might be good for you too.” I didn’t argue. I simply froze my cards. The next day, he called me in a pan!c because they couldn’t cover the $4,200 hotel bill… but he still had no idea what I had uncovered.

A long silence followed.

Then Brandon’s tone changed.

The desperation v@nished.

“So you’ve been going through my things.”

Rachel almost admired the nerve.

“Going through your things?”

“You accessed information that wasn’t yours.”

“The mortgage application has my name on it.”

Brandon remained silent.

“The loan application contains my income.”

Still nothing.

“And a signature that’s supposed to be mine.”

“Rachel—”

“Did you put my signature there?”

“Don’t phrase it like that.”

“How would you prefer I phrase it?”

“There are details you don’t understand.”

“Then explain them.”

“I can’t right now.”

“Why?”

Rachel heard voices behind him.

Brenda.

Paige.

Then a man.

Not someone who sounded like hotel staff.

The man said something too muffled for Rachel to understand.

Her attention immediately sharpened.

“Who’s there with you?”

“No one.”

“That was a man.”

“Rachel, stop.”