“Maybe.”
He studied my face.
Then said something that broke my heart.
“I don’t want him to make you cry anymore.”
I walked over and kissed his forehead.
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to worry about protecting me.”
He nodded.
But I could tell he was still thinking about the watch.
So was I.
Ivy had moved onto our street six months after Nathan left.
For years, she’d asked detailed questions about our lives.
And now she’d somehow ended up with his anniversary watch.
There had to be a connection.
The following morning,
I knocked on her door.
No answer.
I knocked again.
Still nothing.
I called her phone.
She ignored it.
By Sunday morning, a moving truck was parked outside her house.
I watched from my porch in disbelief.
Ivy was carrying boxes toward the truck when I approached.
“Moving already?”
She stiffened.
“Sarah, this really isn’t a good time.”
“Then tell me why you had Nathan’s watch.”
She looked away.
“I bought it secondhand.”
“With my personal engraving on the back?”
Her expression tightened.
I took a breath.
“Were you involved with him?”
Her eyes widened.
“Absolutely not!”
“Then why are you suddenly leaving?”
“I’m not running away!”
“Then tell me the truth.”
For several seconds, she stared at me.
Then her expression hardened.
“Your husband wasn’t worth the trouble he caused.”
Before I could ask what that meant, she disappeared into the house.
I stood on the sidewalk watching the
movers carry furniture outside.
Whatever Ivy knew, she was willing to leave town rather than explain it.
And that frightened me more than I wanted to admit.
That afternoon, my phone received a message from an unfamiliar number.
Unknown: My mother told me what happened. I think we need to talk.
I frowned.
Me: Who is this?
The reply arrived almost immediately.
Unknown: Vanessa. Nathan’s wife.
I read those words three times.
Then I called the number.
A woman answered.
“Hello, Sarah.”
I could barely speak.
“His what?”
She sighed.
“His wife. Although we’re separated now.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ivy’s daughter.”
I sank into a chair.
For five years, I’d wondered whether Nathan had left me for someone else.
Now I finally had an answer.
But I was about to discover that his affair wasn’t even the most disturbing part of the story.
