{"id":1371,"date":"2026-10-08T10:43:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/?p=1371"},"modified":"2026-10-08T10:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:43:35","slug":"at-our-pool-party-my-best-friend-suddenly-leaned-close-and-whispered-funny-how-her-swimsuit-matches-your-husbands-trunks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/?p=1371","title":{"rendered":"At our pool party, my best friend suddenly leaned close and whispered, \u201cFunny how her swimsuit matches your husband\u2019s trunks.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At our pool party, my best friend suddenly leaned close and whispered, \u201cFunny how her swimsuit matches your husband\u2019s trunks.\u201d I almost laughed\u2014until I looked across the pool and caught my husband giving that woman a quick wink, followed by the kind of private smile that made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For three seconds, nothing around me changed. The music continued drifting from the speakers beneath the covered patio, ice clinked inside glasses, and someone near the shallow end laughed so loudly that two people turned to look. Yet something inside me had gone perfectly still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My best friend, Claire, was standing beside me with a glass of lemonade in her hand. She wasn\u2019t smiling anymore. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s nothing,\u201d she said quietly, although the way she said it told me she didn\u2019t believe that any more than I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the pool, my husband Daniel was talking to a woman named Vanessa Cole. I had met her twice before, both times at company events, and both times she had been introduced as someone from the consulting firm Daniel\u2019s company had recently hired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa was attractive in the polished, deliberate way that made everything about her seem carefully chosen. Her dark hair was pinned loosely behind her shoulders, and the navy-and-white swimsuit she wore looked almost coordinated with Daniel\u2019s navy trunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That alone meant nothing. Hundreds of people owned navy swimwear. I knew that, and for several seconds I repeated it silently, almost embarrassed that Claire\u2019s observation had affected me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Vanessa reached for a towel from the chair beside Daniel, and Daniel moved it toward her before she even asked. It was a tiny gesture, barely noticeable unless you knew someone well enough to recognize the rhythm of familiarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew Daniel that well. We had been married for eleven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are things spouses learn without realizing they are learning them: how the other person reaches for a coffee mug before they are fully awake, which shoulder they roll when they are nervous, what kind of smile they give strangers, and what kind they reserve for people who matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smile Daniel had given Vanessa did not belong to a casual business acquaintance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire watched my face. \u201cMara?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gripping that glass like it insulted you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked down and loosened my fingers. \u201cI said I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire had known me since college, which meant she also knew that whenever I said I was fine in exactly that tone, I was anything but fine. Still, she had enough sense not to press me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, she looked toward Daniel again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa had moved closer to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not scandalously close. Nothing anyone could point at and call inappropriate. She simply stood within the invisible boundary people usually reserve for someone familiar, and Daniel didn\u2019t move away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she said something I couldn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she touched his forearm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt a small, unpleasant twist beneath my ribs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d I murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire looked at me. \u201cDon\u2019t what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at them like that. If there\u2019s something happening, I don\u2019t want them knowing I\u2019ve noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Claire\u2019s expression changed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was one reason she was my best friend. She understood when curiosity needed to become strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d she said brightly, suddenly raising her voice. \u201cThen you desperately need to tell me where you bought those patio cushions because I\u2019m stealing your entire backyard design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I almost smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our house stood behind us, sunlight reflecting from the wide kitchen windows. Daniel and I had bought it six years earlier after years of saving. The backyard renovation had been my project, completed only two months ago, and this party was supposed to celebrate its completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty-seven guests were scattered around the property: neighbors, friends, several of Daniel\u2019s colleagues, my sister and her husband, and a handful of people I barely knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa was one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hadn\u2019t invited her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That realization arrived slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had created the guest list myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel had added five names afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried remembering them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark and Julia Reynolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samuel Beckett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa Cole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And someone named Richard whom I hadn\u2019t met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes moved toward Daniel again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had already turned away from Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That should have reassured me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it made me wonder whether he had realized I was watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes later, he came toward me carrying two drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s my beautiful hostess,\u201d he said, handing me one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His voice sounded completely normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I searched his face for guilt and hated myself slightly for doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving fun?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbsolutely. Everyone loves the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo does Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something flickered in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was gone almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe woman you were talking to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d He glanced casually across the yard. \u201cYeah. She works with Patterson Consulting. I told you about them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took a drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t explain why she was at our house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you invite her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked toward the pool again. \u201cI think so. We were talking about the party at work and I probably mentioned it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel remembered hotel confirmation numbers without checking his email. He remembered the exact score of basketball games from fifteen years ago. He remembered which bottle of wine my father liked after hearing it once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But apparently he couldn\u2019t remember inviting a woman to our home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire appeared beside us with impeccable timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel,\u201d she said cheerfully, \u201cyour grill is smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Daniel spun around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s supposed to smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He muttered something under his breath and hurried toward the patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire waited until he was out of hearing range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI said you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She studied me for a moment. \u201cNeither do you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And suspicion without proof can make ordinary details look sinister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I refused to become the woman who built an entire betrayal out of matching swimwear and a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I did something surprisingly difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went back to hosting my party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I talked to neighbors. I brought out more food. I helped my niece find the inflatable flamingo she had abandoned behind the hedge. I laughed when my brother-in-law dropped a plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For almost twenty minutes, I succeeded in convincing myself I had imagined everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I walked into the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa was standing alone beside the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was holding Daniel\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one second, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought this was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s phone was black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa\u2019s phone, sitting beside her purse on the counter, was white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo easy to mix up,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her smile tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She placed Daniel\u2019s phone down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just checking the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a clock above the stove.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She glanced at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12:47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she looked back at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something subtle passed between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not hostility exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She knew I had noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now she knew I knew she had noticed me noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was almost absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour home is beautiful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel talks about it often.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That caught me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does he say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, Vanessa hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she smiled again. \u201cThat you\u2019ve done an amazing job with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a safe answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stepped toward the refrigerator and opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you like something to drink?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reached for a bottle of sparkling water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind me, Vanessa said, \u201cYou and Daniel have been married a long time, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I closed the refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEleven years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She blinked. \u201cWhy is it impressive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa laughed softly. \u201cI suppose because relationships are difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly certain ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her expression became unreadable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then footsteps approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel entered the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His eyes went first to Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the moment my concern became something colder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recovered quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere you are,\u201d he said to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa picked up her purse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI should get back outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she passed Daniel, their eyes met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It lasted perhaps half a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But half a second can be a very long time when two people are trying not to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel waited until she left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was that about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was what about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou seemed tense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I opened my sparkling water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was caution in his voice now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked directly at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We stood there for a moment, each apparently waiting for the other person to reveal something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, he smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being weird.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sentence irritated me more than it should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAm I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe hosting thirty-seven people makes me weird.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reached for my waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally, I would have leaned toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I moved sideways and pretended I needed a napkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His hand dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw him notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let him wonder too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The afternoon continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 1:30, people started eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 2:10, my sister convinced everyone to take a group photo beside the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 2:45, two neighbors left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 3:00, clouds gathered unexpectedly, giving the backyard a softer gray light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at 3:17, I saw Vanessa disappear down the hallway toward our bedrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I noticed because there was no reason for her to go there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downstairs bathroom was beside the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hallway she entered led only to my office, the guest room, and the staircase to the second floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I waited five seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My heartbeat sounded embarrassingly loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I turned the corner, Vanessa was standing outside my office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She seemed startled to see me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooking for something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the other direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry. Big house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t a big house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I pointed toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She walked past me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I waited until she disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I entered my office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing looked disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My laptop remained closed on the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The filing cabinet was locked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A framed photograph of Daniel and me stood beside the window exactly where I had left it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, something felt wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked around the room slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I noticed the drawer beneath my desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was slightly open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always closed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside were household documents, receipts, insurance paperwork, and a folder containing documents related to the backyard renovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing anyone should care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except one thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the bottom of that drawer was a blue folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I pulled it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My breathing stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The folder had contained copies of financial documents Daniel didn\u2019t know I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three weeks earlier, I had noticed an unfamiliar transfer while preparing our quarterly household budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$18,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel had moved it from one of our joint investment accounts into an account labeled \u201cBRC Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I asked him about it, he told me it was connected to a temporary company investment opportunity and that the money would return within a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had believed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mostly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I had printed the transaction records anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now they were gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat down slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matching swimwear suddenly seemed very unimportant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone knocked lightly against the doorframe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I held up the empty folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her expression changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething I think Vanessa was looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I explained the transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I finished, she closed the office door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think she took financial documents?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you think she came in here intentionally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen this is bigger than flirting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at the folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCall your bank.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire looked frustrated. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause if Daniel is involved in something financial, and Vanessa knows about it, I need to understand what I\u2019m looking at before I tell either of them I\u2019m suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire folded her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat sentence worries me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt worries me too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside, someone shouted Daniel\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything sounded painfully normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I opened the office door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo back outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHosting my party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd watching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next hour, I watched everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel checked his phone six times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa checked hers nine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twice, they disappeared from my line of sight within minutes of each other, although never long enough for me to know whether they had actually met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 4:06, I saw Daniel talking quietly with a man named Richard near the side gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recognized him only because Daniel had introduced us earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard was in his late fifties, silver-haired, reserved, and clearly uncomfortable at a pool party. He had worn long trousers and a linen shirt despite the heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Daniel noticed me looking, he immediately clapped Richard on the shoulder and raised his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ll talk Monday!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he didn\u2019t look at Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the expression on his face made my skin prickle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t guilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was pity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard left five minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found Daniel beside the grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho exactly is Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t look up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRichard Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know his name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why ask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does he do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel turned a steak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in finance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor your company?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSort of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does \u2018sort of\u2019 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel finally looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, why are you interrogating me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked one question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been asking strange questions all afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019re giving strange answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he lowered his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan we not do this in front of everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gestured between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I almost laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was already acting like I had accused him of something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRelax,\u201d I said. \u201cGo enjoy your party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked away before he could answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten minutes later, Claire cornered me near the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked toward Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor someone to make a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t have to wait long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 4:42, rain began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not heavy rain, but enough to send guests scrambling toward the covered patio and inside the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People grabbed towels, bags, shoes, phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sudden movement created chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was carrying plates into the kitchen when I heard Vanessa behind me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel, we need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her voice was low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were just outside the mudroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn\u2019t see them from where I stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel answered even more quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe knows something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My entire body went cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep your voice down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe folder wasn\u2019t where you said it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel said nothing for several seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then: \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fingers tightened around the plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou went into her office?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou told me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s voice was sharper now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa went silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Daniel said something so softly I barely heard it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were supposed to leave it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought we needed the copies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll handle Mara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those three words hurt more than anything I had seen that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll handle Mara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not I\u2019ll explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not I\u2019ll tell my wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I was a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I was something standing between them and whatever they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I quietly placed the plates on the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I stepped into the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel and Vanessa were standing less than six feet away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one glorious second, nobody knew what to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel recovered first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reached the living room and joined the other guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hands were trembling, so I tucked them beneath my arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire saw my face from across the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She came immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I leaned close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not just flirting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her expression hardened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I finished, Claire looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCall the police.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, someone searched your office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinancial documents are missing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd your husband is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow are you this calm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not calm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou look calm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because if I let myself feel everything right now, I\u2019m going to confront him before I understand what he\u2019s hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire lowered her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if he\u2019s having an affair?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at Daniel through the glass doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was smiling at a guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI almost hope that\u2019s all it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rain stopped twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guests slowly began leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa was among the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hugged two people goodbye, thanked me for hosting, and avoided looking directly at Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she reached me, she paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeautiful party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry about getting lost earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry. Next time you\u2019ll know exactly where everything is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There it was again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this time something else appeared beneath it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoodbye, Mara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoodbye, Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel watched her leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Claire watched all three of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 6:30, everyone was gone except Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel was gathering empty glasses from the patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCall me tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t confront him alone if you\u2019re uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hugged me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel and I were alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silence felt enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He entered the kitchen carrying a tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuccessful party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He placed the glasses beside the sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire seemed weird.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started loading the dishwasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you going to tell me what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I kept loading plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou already asked me that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I closed the dishwasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid Vanessa enjoy herself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimple question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe seemed to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is going on with you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped outside my office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I opened the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not proof of what he had done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But proof he knew this room mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked to my desk and opened the drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I removed the empty blue folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel stared at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I held it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooking for this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His face lost color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in that instant, I understood something terrifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel wasn\u2019t afraid that I thought he was cheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was afraid I had discovered something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I almost admired the attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why do you look terrified?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then back at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, I think you\u2019re tired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going with that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re tired?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying you\u2019ve been acting strange all afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVanessa was in this office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe said she got lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe opened this drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe documents inside this folder are gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe BRC transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked at me for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then something in him seemed to surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sat down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remained standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is BRC Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMake it simple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, I need you to trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou invited a woman to our house who searched my office for financial records, and now you\u2019re asking me to trust you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wasn\u2019t supposed to search anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut she did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you knew she might.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen explain the conversation I heard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His face went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was when he realized I had heard them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor once tonight, you\u2019re going to answer my questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked exhausted suddenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That confused me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you having an affair with Vanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer came instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you ever?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you kissed her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you met her secretly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut not for what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel walked to the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainwater still clung to the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause Vanessa isn\u2019t really working with Patterson Consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was placed there temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlaced there by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy federal investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For several seconds, I genuinely thought I had misheard him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lowered his voice even though we were alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy company is under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinancial fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re involved?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why are our funds being transferred?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I was trying to trace where the money was going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed again, but there was no humor in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou transferred eighteen thousand dollars of our money to trace something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was supposed to be temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, Daniel. It doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reached toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stepped back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His hand dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are people inside the company moving money through shell entities,\u201d he said. \u201cI found discrepancies months ago. Richard found them too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRichard from the party?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn internal auditor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remembered Richard\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or perhaps concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere does Vanessa fit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s working with investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd why does she know where I keep documents?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wasn\u2019t supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen how did she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I told her you had printed the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My anger returned immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou discussed me with her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, you chose to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been listening all day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel lowered his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people behind this don\u2019t know how much I\u2019ve discovered. At least, I don\u2019t think they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you thought bringing an investigator to our house was smart?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe asked to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo see Richard outside the office without creating a record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo our pool party was a meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I was what? Decoration?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe convenient wife serving drinks while everyone conducted some secret investigation in my backyard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His face tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t protect someone by making them ignorant inside their own home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. You clearly don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I asked the question that had been bothering me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy was Vanessa looking for the documents?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s expression darkened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That answer frightened me more than everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou just said she\u2019s working with investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why are you worried?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause she wasn\u2019t supposed to touch anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room went quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked toward the empty folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose copies were evidence you created independently. Nobody knew they existed except you, me, Richard\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd Vanessa,\u201d I finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new possibility entered the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One neither of us wanted to say aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if Vanessa isn\u2019t who you think she is?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His phone rang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of us jumped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel answered immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Daniel looked directly at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he ended the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s voice was barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomeone accessed Richard\u2019s office during the party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My skin went cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was taken?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was on it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at the empty blue folder in my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly the pool party looked entirely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The matching swimwear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The private smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe Claire and I had been looking at the wrong story from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe the obvious story had been designed specifically to make us look away from the real one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel sat at my desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI need to call Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause if she took my documents and someone took Richard\u2019s drive at exactly the same time, calling her tells her we know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time that day, I saw respect replace panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you suggesting?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I placed the empty folder on the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat we stop reacting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd do what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFigure out who came here today knowing exactly what they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he said something that made every hair on my arms rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, Vanessa wasn\u2019t the only person at this party connected to the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked toward the backyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe person who brought her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel swallowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he said a name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And suddenly, everything I thought I understood about that afternoon collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the name wasn\u2019t Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t one of Daniel\u2019s colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t even someone I had met through Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My best friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I actually laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not joking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re telling me Claire is involved in this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe contacted me six weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe said she had information about BRC Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought so too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire works in marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, that\u2019s what you thought?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer brother used to work for one of BRC\u2019s subsidiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I searched my memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire had a younger brother named Nathan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had met him perhaps five times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He moved frequently, changed jobs constantly, and rarely attended family events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does Nathan have to do with this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApparently, a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thoughts raced backward through the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire noticing Vanessa\u2019s swimsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire directing my attention toward Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire warning me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire following me into my office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire knowing immediately that the missing folder mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A horrible possibility formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if Claire wanted me watching you and Vanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s expression told me he had reached the same conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remembered Claire\u2019s first words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funny how her swimsuit matches your husband\u2019s trunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a small observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such an effective distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the moment she said it, I had watched Daniel and Vanessa almost continuously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I hadn\u2019t watched Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You okay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three ordinary words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel moved beside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another message appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call me when he tells you the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, the message contained a photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It showed the blue folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My blue folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting on a wooden table I didn\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beneath the photograph was one sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask Daniel why he really transferred the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I turned toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel had gone pale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does she mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was still another lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou told me the transfer was part of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t the whole truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My chest tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen tell me the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe money didn\u2019t come from our investment account originally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was deposited there two days before I moved it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEighteen thousand dollars appeared in our account and you didn\u2019t tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was trying to find out where it came from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you moved it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo BRC?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause that was where the instructions said to send it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt suddenly dizzy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn anonymous email.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every answer created another question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy would someone send money to us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think they were testing me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo see whether I would follow instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you did?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was working with Richard by then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI should have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat sentence is becoming very popular tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My phone rang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We stared at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It rang until it stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then immediately started again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnswer it,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou just told me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was before she sent the photo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her voice was calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs Daniel beside you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPut me on speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou finally told her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire laughed softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My patience snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth of you stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am finished being the only person in my own life who doesn\u2019t know what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire spoke first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t apologize. Explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she said, \u201cYour husband is telling the truth about the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked relieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut,\u201d Claire continued, \u201che doesn\u2019t know who started it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel\u2019s relief vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe investigation didn\u2019t begin because you reported irregularities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, it did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire\u2019s voice changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe investigation began four months earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel stared at the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt began after an anonymous package was delivered to a regulatory office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat package?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTransaction records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecords involving BRC Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you know who sent them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was another pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy brother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause he worked for BRC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel whispered something I couldn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNathan realized the company was being used to move money through fake consulting agreements. He copied records before leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere is he now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt means I\u2019m not telling anyone where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fair enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why come to my party?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause Nathan recognized your name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe saw it in an internal file.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat file?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire inhaled slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA beneficiary document.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat beneficiary document?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I was trying to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shook his head immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know anything about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, your name appears on paperwork connected to BRC Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My knees weakened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt says that if a specific BRC account is closed, the remaining assets transfer to a trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat trust?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel grabbed the edge of the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Claire said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know the current amount.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much originally?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire went silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara, this is why I didn\u2019t want to tell you over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust over three million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number was so absurd that for a second I felt nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I laughed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three million dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was a freelance interior designer who still compared grocery prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no secret three-million-dollar trust in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen someone used my identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Nathan believes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel began pacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho created the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something about that number bothered me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven years ago, Daniel and I had been living in our old apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven years ago, I had just started my design business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven years ago\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father had died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat month?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApril.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father died in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One month earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat down again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I barely heard myself speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe worked in corporate accounting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had rarely talked about my father\u2019s work because, as a child, I had found it painfully boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had worked for several companies over thirty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last one had been a private investment firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never remembered its name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But suddenly I remembered a logo on his old business cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three blue letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My stomach turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel crouched beside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMara?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father worked there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That silence confirmed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou knew and you came here without telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI needed to be certain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you used me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou pointed me toward Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI needed to know whether she was watching Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou made me think my husband was cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told you their clothes matched.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou knew exactly what that would do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire went quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She couldn\u2019t deny it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anger burned through me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou searched my office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou took the folder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I saw Vanessa heading toward your office first. I thought she was looking for the transfer documents. When she left without them, I checked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd took them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou had no right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou keep saying that like it fixes something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two people I trusted most had spent weeks deciding what I was allowed to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suddenly felt more betrayed by their protection than I would have by an ugly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At our pool party, my best friend suddenly leaned close and whispered, \u201cFunny how her swimsuit matches your husband\u2019s trunks.\u201d I almost laughed\u2014until I looked […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-model","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1374,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1371\/revisions\/1374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingworlds.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}