Theresa’s expression changed.
“What is that?”
I placed it on the table.
“The reason I came home early.”
Nobody moved.
“The reason I didn’t tell anyone I was coming.”
I opened the folder.
Inside were photographs.
Receipts.
Medical records.
And copies of messages.
Lucy looked confused.
“Nathan… what is this?”
I looked at my wife.
“This is proof.”
Three weeks before I returned, I received an unexpected email.
It was from an old coworker in Canada.
His name was Marcus.
He had known me for years.
He had seen how hard I worked.
He had also noticed something strange.
Every time I spoke about Lucy, my expression changed.
Because even from thousands of miles away, he knew something was wrong.
One night, after seeing one of my video calls with Lucy, he asked:
“Nathan… does your wife always look that tired?”
