Perhaps he had not been the perfect husband.
But he had never stopped caring about Clara.
He had worked hard because he believed he was building a secure future for them.
And he had expected that she would tell him if something was wrong.
He arrived home just before noon.
Clara was sitting in the living room.
She looked up immediately.
"Where were you?"
"Meeting Ryan."
Her expression changed.
"You spoke to him?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Daniel placed his keys on the table.
"He admitted that he received a commission for bringing people into the investment."
Clara stared at him.
"What?"
"He was paid to introduce investors."
She shook her head.
"He never told me that."
"Apparently, he didn't think you needed to know."
Clara looked genuinely shocked.
Daniel studied her face.
"Did he tell you the investment was guaranteed?"
"He said it was very safe."
"Did he promise you would recover your money?"
"Yes."
Daniel sat down.
"Then he may have misled you."
Clara covered her mouth.
"I can't believe this."
Daniel looked at her.
"Neither can I."
She began crying.
"I thought he was helping me."
"Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. I don't know yet."
Clara shook her head.
"I feel so stupid."
Daniel did not respond.
She moved closer.
"Daniel, I know I've hurt you. I know I have no right to ask you to forgive me. But I want you to understand that I never intended to destroy our marriage."
He looked at her.
"Then why did you continue?"
She lowered her eyes.
"I don't know."
"Did Ryan tell you that he loved you?"
Clara nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And did you believe him?"
"I wanted to."
Daniel looked away.
"That's the problem, Clara. You wanted to believe him more than you wanted to be honest with me."
She began sobbing.
He stood up.
"I need the documents."
"I'll get them."
"All of them."
"Yes."
"And I want you to stop deleting messages. Don't hide anything else."
Clara nodded.
Daniel walked toward the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
"To the study."
"Daniel?"
He stopped.
She looked at him with desperate eyes.
"Do you still love me?"
He remained silent for several seconds.
Then he answered.
"I don't know what to do with the love I still have for you."
He continued upstairs.
Clara sat alone.
For the first time, she understood that an apology could not automatically restore what she had destroyed.
***
That afternoon, Daniel received an email from Ryan.
It contained several attachments.
The first was a document describing the investment opportunity.
The second was a spreadsheet listing transactions.
The third contained screenshots of messages between Ryan and Clara.
Daniel opened the documents one by one.
At first, the information seemed ordinary.
There were references to investment amounts, projected returns, and expected payment dates.
But the more he read, the more uncomfortable he became.
Several payments had been made to accounts that did not appear to belong to the investment company.
There were also references to a person named Marcus.
Daniel searched the messages.
One conversation caught his attention.
Ryan had written:
Marcus says we need more investors before the end of the month. If we reach the target, everyone gets paid.
Clara had responded:
What if it doesn't work?
Ryan:
It will. Don't worry.
Another message appeared several days later.
Clara:
I can't put any more money into this. Daniel will notice.
Ryan:
Just give me time. I can arrange something.
Daniel read the exchange twice.
Then he noticed a message sent by Clara.
What about the money I already gave you?
Ryan had replied:
Don't panic. I'll make sure you don't lose anything.
Daniel leaned back.
Something was wrong.
He opened the spreadsheet again and began comparing the dates with the transactions from their joint account.
A payment had been made to an account under a different company name.
Another had gone to an individual.
And one transfer appeared to have been made to Ryan himself.
Daniel's breathing became shallow.
He picked up his phone and called his wife.
"Clara, I need you to come to the study."
A few moments later, she entered.
"What is it?"
He turned the laptop toward her.
"Did you send this money to Ryan?"
Clara looked at the screen.
Her face went pale.
"I..."
"Answer me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He said he needed to make a payment to secure our investment."
Daniel pointed to another transaction.
"And this one?"
She looked closer.
"I don't remember."
"Clara, this is your account."
"I know."
"Did you transfer the money yourself?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel closed the spreadsheet.
"How much did you actually give him?"
Clara began crying.
"I don't know exactly."
He stared at her.
"How can you not know?"
"I wasn't keeping track of everything."
Daniel stood up.
"You're telling me you transferred money to another man's account without knowing how much?"
"He said he was handling the investment."
Daniel walked toward the window.
He needed to control his breathing.
After a few seconds, he turned around.
"There's another person involved."
Clara looked confused.
"Who?"
"Marcus."
Her expression changed.
"Marcus?"
"Who is he?"
She hesitated.
"I've never met him."
"Then how do you know his name?"
"Ryan mentioned him."
"Who is he?"
"I don't know."