Three Days of Waiting
The next seventy-two hours passed with a tension that made sleep nearly impossible and conversation with Celeste almost unbearable. Every time she talked about wedding venues or honeymoon plans, the image of Maren shielding the twins from the wind returned to my mind.
On the third evening, Gideon arrived at my office carrying a slim folder that seemed far too small to hold the weight of what it represented.
He sat across from me without ceremony.
“The children were born eight months after your divorce was finalized,” he began, opening the folder to reveal hospital records. “Maren never filed for child support, and she declined assistance from your former in-laws, which suggests she was trying to keep you uninvolved.”
My throat tightened as he continued.
“As for the financial transfers, they were routed through an account opened under her name, but the IP addresses trace back to a device registered to Celeste Wainwright. The hotel photos were taken on a night when Maren’s phone was pinging from a prenatal appointment. And the pendant was purchased at auction by a third party two weeks before it was ‘found’ in your home.”
The room seemed to tilt slightly around me.
“You’re saying none of it was real.”
Gideon met my eyes steadily.
“I’m saying it was constructed. Deliberately.”
