Chapter 3

I sat in my car outside the recovery center, hands trembling on the steering wheel. Aria's words echoed in my mind: 'I'm carrying his child.' Three months pregnant. Which meant Charles had been seeing her before I even gave birth. The pendant around her neck—my family heirloom—felt like a final, cruel twist of the knife.

I couldn't go back to our apartment. Not yet. Instead, I drove aimlessly through the city, tears blurring my vision until I finally pulled over in an empty parking lot. My body ached from childbirth, but the pain in my chest was worse—a crushing weight that made it hard to breathe.

'A real man takes responsibility,' Charles had said, as if his betrayal were somehow noble.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the number Margaret had given me 'just in case.' David Chen, Private Investigator. My finger hovered over the call button. Was I really going to do this? Investigate my own husband?

Yes. Yes, I was.

'Mr. Chen? My name is Eliza Spencer. I need your help.'

---

David Chen's office was sparse but professional, located in a converted industrial building downtown. The man himself was middle-aged with watchful eyes that missed nothing.

'I need to know everything,' I told him, sliding a folder across his desk. 'His schedule, his finances, where he goes, who he sees.'

Chen opened the folder, scanning the documents I'd compiled: Charles's bank statements, his supposed work schedule, photos of him and Aria, and a list of inconsistencies I'd noticed.

'The woman's name is Aria Wilson,' I continued. 'She claims to be pregnant with my husband's child. I need to know how deep this goes.'

Chen nodded, his expression neutral. 'And what are you hoping to find, Mrs. Spencer?'

'The truth,' I said simply. 'Whatever it is.'

As I left Chen's office, I made another call—this one to Rebecca Martinez, a lawyer recommended by a college friend. I needed to understand my options, to prepare for whatever Chen might uncover.

'Adultery alone isn't grounds for much these days,' Rebecca explained when we met the following morning in her downtown office. 'But if there's financial misconduct or anything more serious, that changes things.'

'Like bigamy?' I asked, the word tasting bitter on my tongue.

Rebecca's eyebrows shot up. 'That would certainly qualify as serious. Do you have reason to believe...?'

'Just a feeling,' I said. 'But I'm having it investigated.'

---

David Chen called me exactly one week later.

'Mrs. Spencer, I have information you need to see in person.'

His tone sent ice through my veins. I arranged for Margaret to watch the baby and drove straight to his office.

Chen had a projector set up, the white wall serving as a screen. Without preamble, he dimmed the lights and clicked through a series of photos: Charles and Aria entering a government building. Charles at a counter, filling out paperwork. Aria in a simple white dress. Charles slipping a ring onto her finger.

'These were taken two weeks after you gave birth,' Chen said quietly.

I stared at the images, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing. 'Is that...?'

'City Hall. Marriage license division.' Chen handed me a folder. 'I obtained a copy of the certificate. They were legally married on May 12th.'

Married. The word echoed in my head like a gunshot. Charles had married another woman while I was home with our newborn daughter.

'There's more,' Chen continued, clicking to another set of images. 'They've leased an apartment together in Riverside Heights. They've opened joint bank accounts. He's been transferring company funds—your company funds—into these accounts.'

I flipped through the documents, each page revealing a new layer of betrayal. Bank statements. Property records. A copy of their marriage license with both signatures clearly visible.

'Bigamy is a criminal offense,' Chen said, his voice gentle now. 'You have enough evidence here to take legal action.'

I closed the folder, a strange calm settling over me. The shock was giving way to something else—something cold and clear and focused.

'Thank you, Mr. Chen,' I said, standing up. 'You've been very thorough.'

'What will you do now?'

I tucked the folder under my arm, my decision already made.

'Now,' I said, 'I make them pay.'