Daniel’s face tightened as he understood alongside me.
“Claire,” Evelyn said gently, “there may be a simple explanation for some of it.”
I looked at her.
She did not look convinced.
Richard took the document only when I held it out to him. He scanned it once, then again, his expression narrowing with each line.
“This copy has a notary stamp from six weeks ago,” he said.
“Six weeks?” I repeated.
Noah was four weeks old.
Richard looked at Daniel. “Where exactly did you find this?”
“In the entry table,” Daniel said. “Under Whitney’s gloves and a folder with wedding vendor contracts.”
Richard’s eyes lifted. “Wedding contracts?”
Daniel nodded slowly. “The venue deposit was paid yesterday.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Daniel added, “It was a very large deposit.”
The room seemed to tilt.
I tried to sit straighter and gasped as pain shot through my ribs. Melissa, who had been quiet near the doorway, stepped forward immediately.
