Chapter 3 - My Fiancé Had Another Secret
I had slept beside Caleb West for three years.
I knew how he took his coffee.
I knew he hated cilantro.
I knew he checked every door twice before bed and pretended not to cry during movies involving dogs.
I knew the tiny scar beneath his chin came from falling off a bicycle when he was nine.
I thought knowing someone meant accumulating details until they formed a complete person.
That night I learned details could also form camouflage.
Dominic’s men moved quickly after the photograph arrived.
No shouting.
No chaos.
That frightened me more.
Marco stepped into the hallway while another guard began speaking quietly into an earpiece.
Dominic remained beside me.
“You’re staying here until we know who took that photo.”
“I’m going home.”
“No.”
“Winston is there.”
“So is someone who wants you to believe Caleb is there.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And neither do you.”
I grabbed my coat.
Dominic caught my wrist.
Not hard.
Just enough to stop me.
Our eyes met.
“Don’t.”
Something in his expression made me stop fighting.
Not authority.
Concern.
Real concern.
He released me immediately.
Marco returned.
“Team’s on the way to her apartment.”
“My cat.”
Marco nodded seriously.
“Cat too.”
“Thank you.”
Dominic looked faintly offended that Marco received gratitude while he did not.
I ignored him.
Ten unbearable minutes passed.
Then Marco’s phone rang.
He listened.
His face changed.
“Apartment is empty.”
“Caleb?” Dominic asked.
“No.”
“Chloe?”
“No.”
My voice came out thin.
“Winston?”
Marco glanced at me.
“The cat attempted to murder Angelo.”
Despite everything, a laugh escaped me.
“That means he’s okay.”
“He’s fine.”
Dominic leaned against the table.
“Anything else?”
Marco listened again.
Then looked toward me.
“They found a laptop beneath the bedroom floorboard.”
I stared.
“We don’t have a floorboard compartment.”
“Apparently you do.”
Dominic’s gaze stayed on my face.
“Did Caleb ever replace flooring in your bedroom?”
My memories rearranged themselves.
“Last winter.”
“Why?”
“He said there was water damage.”
Dominic exchanged a look with Marco.
My stomach dropped.
“What’s on the laptop?”
“Encrypted.”
I looked away.
Caleb had spent two weekends fixing that floor.
I had brought him sandwiches.
I had kissed him and thanked him for being so handy.
How many times had I unknowingly stood over whatever secret he had hidden beneath us?
My phone buzzed again.
A call this time.
Caleb.
Dominic looked at the screen.
“Answer.”
I swiped.
“Caleb?”
“Harper.”
His voice was breathless.
Familiar.
For one weak second hearing him made me want to cry.
“Where are you?”
“I’m trying to find you.”
“You said you were home.”
Silence.
Then:
“I panicked.”
“You sent me a photograph from our apartment.”
“What photograph?”
My skin prickled.
“Don’t do that.”
“Harper, listen to me. Whatever those people are telling you—”
“Those people?”
Another pause.
He knew.
Dominic noticed too.
I forced my voice steady.
“Where am I, Caleb?”
“What?”
“You said whatever ‘those people’ are telling me. Who are those people?”
His breathing changed.
“Harper, please.”
“Say his name.”
Dominic watched me.
“Whose?”
“The man you think I’m with.”
Silence.
That silence contained three years of lies.
“Dominic Vale,” Caleb finally said.
My stomach dropped.
I closed my eyes.
Dominic’s face became unreadable.
“You know him.”
“Everybody knows him.”
“No. You know him.”
Caleb lowered his voice.
“You need to get away from him.”
“Why?”
“He is dangerous.”
“And you aren’t?”
“I made mistakes.”
“You kissed Chloe.”
“That isn’t what I’m talking about.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“What are you talking about?”
“Harper, there are things I never told you because I was protecting you.”
Dominic shook his head once.
I understood the message.
Don’t believe convenient explanations.
I swallowed.
“Like working for Vale Logistics?”
Caleb went silent.
“How do you know that?”
“You lied about your entire employment history.”
“It was eleven months.”
“You told me you worked in Milwaukee.”
“I couldn’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because Vale would have used you against me.”
Dominic’s lips tightened.
I stared straight at him while speaking to Caleb.
“Funny. Right now I’m wondering whether you used me against him.”
“Harper—”
“Did you put the key card in my purse?”
The line went quiet.
My eyes filled.
“Caleb?”
His answer was nearly a whisper.
“I can explain.”
Every remaining illusion shattered.
I covered my mouth.
Dominic moved toward me, but I lifted one hand.
I needed to stand by myself.
“Why?”
“It was supposed to be harmless.”
“You planted stolen access credentials on me.”
“You were never supposed to get caught.”
A cold anger replaced my heartbreak.
“What exactly was supposed to happen?”
“You would enter the VIP corridor.”
“How did you know I’d go there?”
“I knew you’d see me with Chloe.”
The words hit harder than the kiss.
Even Dominic looked surprised.
I whispered, “You wanted me to see you.”
“I needed you upset.”
My knees almost gave way.
“You kissed my best friend to make me run?”
“It wasn’t—”
“Stop saying it wasn’t what I think!”
My voice cracked across the room.
Caleb breathed into the phone.
“I needed a distraction.”
For the first time that night, my heartbreak became rage.
“I was your distraction?”
“Harper, please listen.”
“No.”
“I was trying to keep you out of something much worse.”
“By sending me into it?”
“You weren’t supposed to open that particular door.”
Dominic stepped closer.
His eyes sharpened.
“Ask which door.”
I repeated it.
“Which door was I supposed to open?”
Caleb didn’t answer.
“Caleb.”
“The records office.”
Dominic’s face went cold.
Marco whispered something I couldn’t hear.
“What was in the records office?” I asked.
“Something I needed.”
“What?”
“Evidence.”
“Against Dominic?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Dominic almost smiled.
It contained no humor.
“Ask him about Halcyon.”
I did.
Caleb immediately said, “Don’t.”
That single word told me everything.
“What about Halcyon?”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
“You work there.”
“Harper, stop asking questions.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”
His tone changed.
Not angry.
Afraid.
“Check your wedding account.”
My stomach clenched.
“What?”
“The account we opened for vendor payments.”
“What about it?”
“Check it.”
“Why?”
“Because once Vale finds out what’s there, he’s never letting you leave.”
The call ended.
I stood staring at the phone.
Dominic looked at Marco.
“Get her a laptop.”
Minutes later, I logged into the wedding account.
Balance: $18,442.
Exactly what I expected.
Dominic leaned closer.
“Transaction history.”
I clicked.
Nothing unusual appeared.
Venue deposit.
Catering.
Florist.
Photographer.
Then Marco said, “Show archived transfers.”
I didn’t know archived transfers existed.
We found the option.
I clicked.
My entire body went numb.
Seventeen wire transfers appeared.
More than four million dollars.
Sent through an account bearing my name.
My address.
My Social Security information.
And at the bottom of every authorization was my electronic signature.
Dominic looked at me.
I could barely breathe.
“I never made those transfers.”
“I believe you.”
“Why?”
“Because anyone laundering four million dollars wouldn’t look this horrified about it.”
I stared at the screen.
The latest transfer had occurred that afternoon.
Recipient:
VALE LOGISTICS — INTERNAL CLEARING.
I turned toward Dominic.
“You received the money.”
“No.”
“Your company did.”
His expression darkened.
“Someone wants it to look that way.”
Marco swore quietly.
Then the laptop displayed a notification.
NEW DOCUMENT UPLOADED.
A PDF opened automatically.
My engagement photograph filled the screen.
Across it, someone had typed:
HARPER KNOWS TOO MUCH.
Underneath was a countdown clock.
05:59:43.
05:59:42.
05:59:41.
I stared at Dominic.
“What happens when that reaches zero?”
He looked at Marco.
Marco’s expression told me he had no idea.
Dominic closed the laptop.
“We find Caleb before we learn the answer.”
But as his men moved around us, I realized something worse.
Caleb hadn’t merely cheated on me.
He had built a crime around my identity.
May you like
And somebody had just started a six-hour clock with my name attached to it.
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