Page 35 of The Liar I Married
“I believe I do.” Alex sat in a chair opposite and everyone turns to stare at him. “When Jessie believed someone was following her and Michael made a big deal out of it rather than doing something, I had my suspicions something was wrong. I’m not sure why but he was just acting strange. I had my portfolio with him and asked it to be moved to another person in the office. If he doesn’t have a gambling problem, I would seriously suggest looking into his clients’ accounts.”
“Embezzlement?” John’s eyebrows rise as he reaches for his phone. “I’ll order an audit immediately.” He walks into the kitchen.
“He wouldn’t inherit your grandmother’s estate if you died, would he?” Detective Marshall was making copious notes in a little book.
I explain. Telling him that Grandma didn’t trust John as Michael had told her he was having an affair with Rebecca Lawson and I should rewrite my will and give the estate to Michael and not John if I died. I rest my gaze on him. “What doesn’t make sense is how he discovered that I’d changed my will to leave everything to him. My lawyer would never disclose anything to him. He’s been our lawyer for as long as I can remember. He even kept the conditions of my inheritance secret from the rest of the family. I was the only one in the room, when the documents were signed.”
“I believe I’m going to need a little talk with your brother.” Detective Marshall stands. He moves his attention from Alex to John. “I’m not going to need to come back here again, am I? Are you two cool?”
They both nod and the detective turns to me. “What about you? Are you returning home with your husband?”
I shrug. Too much has happened for me to just return home. I need a long talk with John. “I haven’t decided yet. I don’t even know if he wants me to go home with him.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to sort that out.” Detective Marshall holds his pen above the notepad. “I need your brother’s details. I’m gonna go and pay him a little visit. Is he at the office at this time of the day?”
“Yes, he is. You’ll find him on the third floor.” John gives him all the details he needs.
As the cops file out, Alex looks from one of us to the other.
“I’ll get back to work and leave you two to talk. I figure you need to sort this out between you. However if you have a problem, Jessie, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you like. I have plenty of spare rooms.” He looked at John. “There’s nothing going on with us. Jessie is like my little sister. I don’t intend to come between you.”
I smile at him. “Thanks, Alex, you’re a good friend to me.” I turn to John. “Okay, I want to know everything.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
“I know the first few years of our marriage were rough.” John pushes a hand through his immaculate hair. “What happened at the party that night was a terrible mistake. I was an idiot and I should have known better but I’ve never been unfaithful to you, Jessie, never.”
I roll my eyes, looking up to the ceiling for divine intervention and then I level my gaze on him. “That’s not the entire truth, is it? Is Renee your child or not? How about we have the truth this time?”
“Yes, she’s my child but it’s not what you think. Daphne was desperate to have a baby and Brad was infertile. She asked me to be their donor and I agreed. I didn’t know Brad would flip out and leave her.”
I stare at him, astonished. “So you ran around to her house for breakfast with sex on the side?”
“No! I didn’t have sex with Daphne. I was a sperm donor. We had an agreement. I made Daphne sign a legal document, to say that she would never pursue me for maintenance and my name wouldn’t appear on the birth certificate. However, she did give me the honor of naming our daughter.”
Dumbfounded, I look at him. I can’t grasp what he’s saying. All this time, all these years he’s kept a secret. My girls have a sister they’ll never know. I can’t believe my ears. “A sperm donor? I guess you expect me to believe that? Did you go to a fertility clinic with her? Do you have proof?”
“You know darn well she was attending a fertility clinic and yes, you can come with me to speak to the doctor if you don’t believe me.” John wipes a hand down his face. “I knew you’d never understand, that’s why we didn’t tell you.”
Suddenly it was “we” and I push down the need to get up and walk away from him. I swallow hard trying to control the anger ready to explode. “So it’s ‘we’ is it? You conspired with my once-best friend to have a baby. No wonder Brad left her. I guess seeing you turning up for breakfast every morning would ruin most people’s marriages.” I draw in a breath. “Why you? Fertility clinics usually have a variety of sperm donors she could have used.”
“She didn’t want a stranger’s baby and we were close friends. In truth, I felt sorry for her.” He shrugs and opens his arms wide. “So I made a mistake. I can’t change it now.”
I shake my head. “Sorry for her? That’s not an excuse for not discussing it with me first.”
“Would you have agreed?” John clears his throat. “I’m guessing the answer is no.”
I shake my head. “Then you’d be right. You’re my husband and the father of my children. If I’d wanted to share, I’d have joined a wife-swapping club or whatever they call them. I’m appalled you’d even consider doing something like that behind my back. What else aren’t you telling me?”
“I supported her after her marriage breakup and until a year after Renee was born. I was the father, after all, and wanted to make sure my child wants for nothing. I set up a trust fund so she can go to college.” He stares at the space between his handsat the swirls on the carpet. “I figured that was the right thing to do.”
I shut my open mouth with a snap. “A trust fund? Do the twins have one too?”
“Of course they do and it’s five times bigger than Renee’s.” John frowns. “Hers is more than enough though to put her through college and then some.”
This is a nightmare, it’s like he has a whole separate life. Just like my dad. Seems to me Grandma smelled a rat about both of them. “Do you keep in touch with her?”
“Yeah, she sends me photographs and videos of Renee. I keep them in the office.” John shrugs. “I realize now, I should have told you but I’m not sorry. She’s a beautiful child.”
