The Husband Who Lied to Me novel · Chapter 13 of 24

Chapter 13: Everything in the Box

I went down the loft stairs in my grandfather's flannel shirt.

Russ was already on his feet by the door, with his jeans on and no shirt.

"Stay inside," he said.

"No."

I flipped on the porch light and went out across the gravel.

Kristen stood at the gate with the box held against her stomach.

Her eyes were swollen, and she had on the cream cardigan from the brunch.

It was the first time I had seen her since the warehouse, and I wanted very much to hit her.

"Put it on the gatepost," I said.

"Ruby, please."

"On the post. Then step back."

She set the box down and stepped back.

"You get nothing from me tonight," I said. "Not a promise, not a hug, not my forgiveness."

"I know."

"Here is what you get. A lawyer on Monday, mine, who will talk to your lawyer. If you tell the truth to both of them, I will not use your baby as a weapon against you."

"And Nolan?"

"I can't tell a court what to do about Nolan. I can tell you he will not use that child as a leash while I have a say."

She nodded and kept nodding.

"Where are you sleeping?" Russ asked.

"There's a motel in town."

"Go there."

She went back to the red car.

She did not look up at the house again.

Russ carried the box in and set it on the kitchen table.

I lifted the lid.

It held a laptop with a yellow sticky note on it that said PASSWORD IS RUBY'S BIRTHDAY, and I laughed out loud, one ugly note.

Under the laptop were folders.

One was bank records from Spokane, with a column of withdrawals and a name that was not Nolan's.

One was printed emails with the Seattle group, each one signed by Nolan as my agent, the earliest dated four months before I signed anything.

One was a thumb drive labeled MARLENE.

"She recorded his mother," Russ said.

"She recorded everybody."

"Insurance."

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