Chloe called me that afternoon.
I almost didn't answer.
Her name appeared on the screen.
For a moment, I considered letting it ring.
Then I picked up.
"Hello?"
"Vivienne, it's Chloe."
"I know."
She paused.
"I think we need to talk."
I looked at the kitchen clock.
"About what?"
"About what happened at the gala."
I leaned against the counter.
"You mean when you told me my husband was upstairs with another wife and child?"
She exhaled.
"I didn't mean to upset you."
I closed my eyes.
That was an interesting way to describe what she had done.
"You told me in front of strangers."
"I was trying to explain the situation."
"You were enjoying it."
There was silence.
Then she said:
"That's not fair."
I almost laughed.
"Perhaps you should have thought about fairness before speaking to me that way."
She lowered her voice.
"Dominic told me you knew about the separation."
I went still.
"What separation?"
"He said you were living separately."
I looked toward the living room.
The family photograph was still on the shelf.
"Chloe, I lived in the same house as Dominic. We raised a daughter together. We had dinner together the night before the gala."
She didn't respond.
"Did he tell you we were separated?"
"Yes."
"Did he tell you we were divorced?"
Another pause.
"I don't know."
I understood then that Chloe might have been told a story too.
But that didn't excuse her behavior.
"You had no reason to humiliate my daughter."
"I'm sorry."
Her voice sounded different now.
Less confident.
I didn't know whether she was genuinely ashamed or simply frightened by the investigation.
Perhaps both.
"Why are you calling me?"
She hesitated.
"People at the company are asking questions."
"About what?"
"About the gala. About the woman who attended with Dominic."
I waited.
"They're also asking how much I knew."
I looked at the phone.
"Did you know he was married to me?"
"Yes."
"Did you know he had a daughter?"
"Yes."
"Then you knew enough."
She became quiet.
I heard papers moving in the background.
Finally, she said:
"Dominic told me his marriage was complicated."
I didn't respond.
"He said you had agreed to stay out of his business life."
I felt a tiredness settle over me.
Dominic had apparently built several versions of the same story.
One for me.
One for the woman upstairs.
And one for the people at his company.
"Chloe, I don't know what he told you. But I won't lie to protect him."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
She didn't answer.
I ended the call.
A few minutes later, Victor contacted me.
"The company has requested interviews with several employees."
"Is Chloe included?"
"Her name has come up."
I sat down.
"Don't let anyone pressure her."
"Nobody will."
"She should tell the truth."
"That's all we're asking."
Later that evening, Dominic returned home.
He looked exhausted.
His tie was loose.
His jacket was hanging over one arm.
He didn't greet me.
He walked straight into the living room.
"Did Chloe call you?"
I looked up.
"Yes."
His face tightened.
"What did she say?"
"She apologized."
He shook his head.
"She shouldn't be talking to you."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because this is a company matter."
I gave a small laugh.
"You keep saying that."
He walked toward the window.
"She has no idea what she's doing."
I folded my arms.
"Then perhaps you should have been more careful about what you told her."
He turned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means she believed you were separated from me."
He looked away.
I continued.
"She believed you had explained everything."
"Vivienne, stop."
"No. You stop."
My voice was still quiet.
But I could hear the anger now.
"You let another woman believe she was your wife. You allowed your secretary to treat your actual wife like an unwanted visitor. And now you're angry because people are asking questions?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"You don't understand the pressure I'm under."
I looked at him.
"I understand the pressure Sophia was under when she asked why her father didn't want to see her."
He had no answer.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
A message from the board.
I couldn't read the entire thing, but I saw the words emergency meeting.
He put the phone away.
"They're trying to push me out."
I didn't respond.
He looked at me.
"Your brother is behind this."
"Your company's board is asking questions."
"Because Victor has money."
"Because you accepted financing."
His face hardened.
"You should have told me who you were."
I looked at him for a long time.
Then I answered.
"I wanted you to know me without my family's name."
He shook his head.
"You let me build a company without telling me."
I felt something inside me break.
"No, Dominic. My family helped your company while I stood beside you believing you were building our future."
He looked away.
I walked upstairs.
I didn't want to continue the argument.
In Sophia's bedroom, I found her arranging her stuffed animals.
She looked up.
"Mommy, is Daddy sad?"
I sat beside her.
"He's having a difficult day."
She thought about that.
Then she moved a stuffed rabbit closer to the others.
"Maybe he needs a friend."
I kissed her forehead.
Children were kinder than most adults.
And sometimes that kindness made the truth harder to bear.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: My Second Brother Reviewed the Banking Records and Found a Connection That Dominic Had Never Expected His Wife to Understand
The Little Girl With a Handmade Gift Was About to Discover That Her Father Had Built a Second Family
Part 10 of 20
