Chapter 19 - The Envelope Opens
Vanessa asked Claire:
“May I see it?”
Claire extended the envelope.
Michael stepped forward.
“Don’t.”
Vanessa took it.
The officiant moved away from the arch.
Claire’s father stood close enough to support her.
Vanessa broke the seal.
She removed the marriage certificate first.
Michael’s name.
Claire’s name.
A date seven years earlier.
Then came photographs.
Michael entering the apartment.
Michael meeting Vanessa.
Michael leaving Claire’s home the same morning.
Vanessa’s hands began trembling.
The final pages documented the hidden account.
Thomas read over her shoulder.
Michael spoke rapidly.
“They’re incomplete. She’s manipulating you.”
Vanessa lifted the certified marriage record.
“Did you divorce her?”
May you like
Michael remained silent.
No complicated explanation could survive that question.
