Ethan read the messages without answering.
Then he opened Clare’s messages.
The first apologized for not telling him sooner.
The second said Samantha had called her repeatedly.
The third said, Please do not let her make this my fault.
Ethan stared at that sentence.
He called Clare.
She answered immediately.
“Ethan?”
“Hi.”
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
Clare went quiet.
Ethan appreciated that she did not rush to soften the answer.
“I am at the company apartment,” he said.
“Good.”
“Samantha said you blocked her.”
“I did.”
“What happened?”
Clare exhaled slowly.
“She called me eight times after you left.”
“What did she want?”
“At first, she wanted to know exactly what I told you.”
Ethan looked toward the window.
“And then?”
“Then she said I had betrayed her during the worst moment of her life.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Clare continued.
“I told her the worst moment of her life was apparently the moment her husband learned what she had done.”
“That did not go well, did it?”
“No.”
Despite himself, Ethan smiled faintly.
It disappeared quickly.
“Clare, how long did you know?”
There was a pause.
“About Dylan?”
“Yes.”
“I knew they were messaging for about six weeks.”
Ethan gripped the phone more tightly.
“Six weeks.”
“I should have told you.”
“Why did you not?”
Clare took several seconds to answer.
“Because she made it sound harmless at first.”
“What did she say?”
“She said he reached out after his father died.”
“She said they were catching up.”
“She said you knew they had exchanged a few messages.”
“I did not.”
“I know that now.”
Ethan stood and walked into the living room.
“Did you know about the coffee?”
“Yes.”
“The drinks?”
“Yes.”
Ethan stopped near the window.
A bus moved slowly through the intersection below.
“Did you know about the money?”
Clare did not answer.
That silence told him everything.
“How much did you know?” Ethan asked.
“I knew she had helped him financially.”
“How much?”
“She never gave me an exact number.”
“Did she say why?”
“She said he was trying to save a business.”
Ethan’s attention sharpened.
“What business?”
“A training studio.”
“What kind of training studio?”
“Personal training, recovery, some kind of performance thing.”
Ethan remembered Samantha mentioning a wellness studio investment.
The memory returned with unpleasant precision.
She had described it as an idea involving a friend from work.
“Was Samantha investing?” he asked.
Clare hesitated.
“I think she wanted to.”
Ethan felt the pieces move again.
“Did Dylan own the studio?”
“I think so.”
“Did Samantha tell you she was considering investing with him?”
