“Marcus, don't involve the police.”
My chest tightened.
“Why not?”
“Because this is a family matter.”
I stared at her.
“You hit my son and falsely accused him of stealing money.”
Her lips trembled.
“And now I've found cash connected to my company.”
She looked away.
I took a breath.
“This isn't something we solve by pretending it didn't happen.”
Vanessa began crying.
“Please.”
I felt no satisfaction.
I had loved this woman.
Married her.
Trusted her with my home.
Trusted her around my child.
And now I was discovering how badly that trust might have been misplaced.
I turned toward Malik.
“Son, go get your things.”
His eyes widened.
“Am I leaving?”
I shook my head.
“No. We're going to stay with Grandma tonight.”
He looked frightened.
“Did I do something wrong?”
My chest broke.
“No, baby.”
I knelt beside him.
“You did nothing wrong.”
He nodded slowly.
I touched his shoulder.
“I want us somewhere peaceful while I sort this out.”
He looked relieved.
“Okay.”
I watched him go upstairs.
Then I turned toward Vanessa.
She was still crying.
“Marcus, please don't destroy our marriage.”
I stared at her.
“Why did you hurt him?”
She looked down.
I repeated the question.
“Why?”
Her voice cracked.
“Because he was going to tell you something.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
She shook her head.
“I can't.”
I stared at her.
“You're still protecting a secret?”
She began crying harder.
“Marcus, if I tell you, everything falls apart.”
I took a breath.
“Everything has already fallen apart.”
She covered her face.
I wanted to demand more.
But I knew yelling wouldn't help.
And I didn't want Malik hearing another confrontation.
I called my older sister, Angela.
She lived fifteen minutes away.
When she answered, I told her what happened.
She was furious.
But she immediately focused on Malik.
“Bring him here.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
Then I called our family attorney, Patricia Howard.
She had handled business matters for me for years.
I explained the situation.
She listened carefully.
Then she said, “Marcus, don't confront anyone connected to the company about possible financial misconduct until we review the records.”
I nodded.
“Understood.”
“Preserve the money and documents without altering them. We also need to address Malik's safety.”
I looked toward the staircase.
“He's upstairs packing.”
“Good.”
Patricia continued.
“Because he's a minor and there has been physical violence, you should consider reporting the incident and obtaining medical documentation.”
I nodded.
“I will.”
After the call, Malik came downstairs carrying a small bag.
He wore the same charcoal hoodie.
His cheek was still red.
When he saw Vanessa, he stopped.
She immediately stepped toward him.
“Malik, sweetheart—”
He backed away.
My heart tightened.
I moved beside him.
“Don't approach him.”
Vanessa stared at me.
“I'm his stepmother.”
I looked at her.
“Then you should have protected him.”
Her face crumpled.
I placed my hand on Malik's shoulder.
“Come on, son.”
We walked toward the front door.
Vanessa called after me.
“Marcus!”
I stopped.
She stood near the table.
Her eyes were wet.
“If you leave, don't expect me to wait forever.”
I stared at her.
“You're worried about whether I'm coming back?”
She looked away.
I continued.
“You should be worried about what you did to my child.”
Then I opened the door.
Malik stepped outside.
I followed.
We drove to Angela's house in silence.
At first, Malik stared through the window.
Then he whispered, “Dad?”
I glanced toward him.
“Yes?”
“Are you mad at me?”
My chest tightened.
“No.”
He swallowed.
“Even if I have more to tell you?”
I gripped the steering wheel.
“Especially then.”
He looked down.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he whispered, “Vanessa isn't the only one.”
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?”
Malik's voice trembled.
“Mr. Raymond knows.”
I stared at the road.
My financial manager.
The man I trusted with payroll.
The man who told me the Ellis project's missing money was a clerical error.
I took a slow breath.
“What does Raymond know?”
Malik began crying.
“He knows where the money went.”
I felt cold.
Then my son whispered something that made my heart pound.
“And Dad…”
I glanced toward him.
“What?”
“Vanessa told him to make it look like I stole it.”
For a moment, I could barely breathe.
Because the betrayal had just grown from one person to two.
And both of them had been standing close enough to destroy everything I loved.
Angela opened her front door before I could knock.
The moment she saw Malik's face, her expression changed.
“Oh, baby.”
My son stood beside me, clutching his bag.
Angela dropped to her knees.
“Who hurt you?”
Malik looked at me.
I nodded gently.
“You can tell her.”
His voice trembled.
“Vanessa slapped me.”
Angela closed her eyes.
Then she pulled him into a hug.
For a moment, Malik stood stiffly.
Then he began crying.
I watched my sixteen-year-old son cling to his aunt like a frightened little boy.
And something inside me broke.
Angela looked over his shoulder.
“Marcus.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Get him inside.”
We sat in her living room.
Malik curled up on the couch.
Angela brought him water and an ice pack wrapped in a towel.
He held it carefully against his cheek.
I sat beside him.
“Son, I'm going to ask you some questions.”
He nodded.
“But you don't have to tell me everything tonight.”
His eyes filled.
“Okay.”
I squeezed his shoulder.
“Whatever you say, I'm listening.”
He stared at his hands.
Then whispered, “Mr. Raymond came to the house last week.”
My stomach tightened.
“What day?”
“Thursday.”
I remembered that day.
I had been at a construction site until almost nine.
“What happened?”
Malik swallowed.
“Vanessa thought I was at basketball practice.”
I nodded.
“But practice got canceled.”
He looked down.
“I came home early.”
I leaned closer.
“Then what?”
“I heard them arguing in your office.”
My heart pounded.
“About what?”
“Money.”
He looked at me.
“Vanessa said the account was going to be checked.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Which account?”
“I don't know.”
He shook his head.
“Then Raymond said they needed someone else to blame.”
I closed my eyes.
Malik continued.
“I heard my name.”
My blood ran cold.
“What did they say?”
His voice cracked.
“Raymond said teenagers steal all the time.”
Angela covered her mouth.
Malik began crying.
“And Vanessa said you'd believe her because you always do.”
I felt tears burning my eyes.
My son looked at me.
“Dad, I wanted to tell you.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
“But then she came out of the office.”
His hands began shaking.
“She saw me.”
I swallowed.
“What did she do?”
“She grabbed my phone.”
My chest tightened.
“Why?”
“She thought I recorded them.”
I looked at him.
“Did you?”
Malik hesitated.
Then nodded.
I stared at him.
“You recorded their conversation?”
He reached into his backpack.
For several seconds, he searched through the pockets.
Then he pulled out a small black flash drive.
My heart pounded.
“What is that?”
He looked frightened.
“I saved the recording.”
I stared at him.
“How?”
“Vanessa deleted it from my phone.”
He swallowed.
“But I'd already uploaded it to my laptop.”
I felt a strange mixture of relief and fear.
Malik continued.
“I copied it before she took the laptop too.”