I walked straight to Daniel’s office.
The safe sat hidden behind a framed landscape painting.
I knew the combination.
That had always been something I was proud of.
We shared everything.
Or at least… I thought we did.
My hands trembled as I entered the numbers.
The safe clicked open.
Inside were neatly organized documents. Insurance papers. Old photographs.
I sifted through them until one image stopped me cold.
A woman.
Holding a baby.
Her dark hair was tied in a messy bun, and she was smiling down at the infant in her arms.
I turned the photo over.
In Daniel’s familiar handwriting, it read:
“Donna and baby Adam.”
I sank into the chair.
The baby couldn’t have been more than a few months old.
Fifteen years ago.
“How could you?” I whispered.
My mind filled in the blanks with brutal clarity.
An old flame.
A secret.
A child.
