{"id":5413,"date":"2026-08-31T10:55:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5413"},"modified":"2026-08-31T10:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:55:53","slug":"part-3-my-husband-cheated-while-i-was-pregnant-i-invited-his-mistress-to-my-baby-shower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5413","title":{"rendered":"PART 3 \u2013 My husband cheated while I was pregnant. I invited his mistress to my baby shower."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE ACCOUNT WITH MY NAME ON IT<\/h5>\n

\u201cHow much money?\u201d
\nMy voice barely came out.
\nLauren was silent for two seconds.
\nThen she said:
\n\u201cTwo hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars.\u201d
\nI sat completely still.
\nI actually looked around the bedroom like someone else might have heard her and could explain what she had just said.
\n\u201cTwo hundred and eighty-seven thousand?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve identified so far.\u201d
\nSo far.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Those two words frightened me more than the number.
\nI pulled the blanket away and swung my swollen legs over the side of the bed.
\n\u201cLauren, I don\u2019t understand. Adrian and I don\u2019t have that kind of money.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cBecause some of the transfers appear connected to client payments.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cOur compliance department noticed irregularities after I submitted the messages you sent me. The affair itself triggered an internal review because several of their trips had been billed to company accounts.\u201d
\nI pressed my palm against my forehead.
\n\u201cAnd then?\u201d
\n\u201cWe found reimbursement requests Adrian submitted under projects that didn\u2019t exist.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLauren\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d
\nOf course there was.
\nThere was always more now.
\nSix months ago, I thought my biggest problem was whether we had enough closet space for a crib.
\nYesterday morning, I thought my biggest problem was my husband cheating.
\nNow I was sitting on the edge of my bed wondering whether the father of my unborn daughter had committed financial fraud using my identity.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does my name have to do with it?\u201d
\nLauren lowered her voice.
\n\u201cSeveral payments were routed through a consulting company.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat consulting company?\u201d
\n\u201cCML Consulting Group.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of it.\u201d
\n\u201cWe checked the registration.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat sped up.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s registered to you.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cNo. I have never owned a consulting company.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why I called.\u201d
\nI stood too quickly and immediately had to grab the dresser because the room tilted.
\nLucy kicked.
\nHard.
\n\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Lauren asked.
\n\u201cI\u2019m seven months pregnant and apparently I own a secret company laundering my husband\u2019s money. Define okay.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d
\n\u201cSend me everything.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t send company records directly until legal approves it.\u201d
\n\u201cThen tell me what you can.\u201d
\nShe sighed.
\n\u201cThe company was incorporated eight months ago.\u201d
\nEight months.
\nI started counting backward.
\nEight months ago, Adrian and I had been trying for a baby.
\nEight months ago, he brought me flowers every Friday.
\nEight months ago, he surprised me with dinner reservations because he said we needed \u201cmore romance before parenthood made us boring.\u201d
\nEight months ago, he had apparently created a company in my name.
\n\u201cWhat address is listed?\u201d
\nLauren read it.
\nI knew the address.
\nMy blood turned cold.
\nIt was my mother-in-law\u2019s old apartment.
\nThe one Teresa had rented out after moving into her condo.
\n\u201cLauren.\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cThat property belongs to Adrian\u2019s mother.\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s useful information.\u201d
\nUseful.
\nI almost laughed.
\nMy entire marriage was turning into evidence.
\n\u201cDo you think Teresa knows?\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t speculate.\u201d
\nBut I could.
\nAnd suddenly the apology Teresa whispered at the baby shower felt different.
\nI\u2019m sorry.
\nHad she meant she was sorry about Rachel?
\nOr something else?
\nI ended the call and immediately dialed Mariana.
\nShe answered on the second ring.
\n\u201cIf the baby is coming, I\u2019m not emotionally prepared because I\u2019m still hungover from revenge cupcakes.\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian opened a company in my name.\u201d
\nShe went silent.
\n\u201cSay that again.\u201d
\nI explained everything.
\nThe transfers.
\nThe amount.
\nThe address.
\nThe fake consulting company.
\nWhen I finished, Mariana\u2019s tone changed completely.
\nThe sarcastic cousin disappeared.
\nThe attorney arrived.
\n\u201cDo not call Adrian.\u201d
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d
\n\u201cDo not call Teresa.\u201d
\nThat one hurt.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if she\u2019s involved, we don\u2019t want to warn her.\u201d
\nI stared at the wall.
\n\u201cMariana, she hugged me yesterday.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe cried.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe told Adrian to sleep on her couch.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cWhat if she knew?\u201d
\n\u201cThen we find out.\u201d
\nTwenty minutes later, Mariana was at my mother\u2019s house with two coffees, a laptop, and the expression of a woman who smelled blood in the water.
\nMy mother hovered near us.
\n\u201cWhat company?\u201d
\n\u201cMom, please.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, don\u2019t \u2018Mom, please\u2019 me. I watched that man marry you. I paid for half that wedding. If he stole your identity, I want addresses.\u201d
\nMariana looked impressed.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always liked your mother.\u201d
\nMy mom pointed toward the kitchen.
\n\u201cThere are knives.\u201d
\n\u201cMom!\u201d
\n\u201cFor vegetables, Camila. Relax.\u201d
\nMariana opened her laptop.
\n\u201cFirst, credit report.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cI check my credit.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe six months ago?\u201d
\nShe gave me a look.
\n\u201cToday.\u201d
\nWe logged in.
\nAnd there it was.
\nA business credit inquiry from five months earlier.
\nThen another.
\nThen a line of credit.
\n$95,000.
\nMy name.
\nMy Social Security number.
\nMy address.
\nMy stomach turned.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t open that.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nAnother account appeared.
\nBusiness credit card.
\nLimit: $40,000.
\nBalance: $31,782.
\nI felt sick.
\nMy mother sat down beside me.
\n\u201cOh, sweetheart.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t spend this money.\u201d
\nMariana started taking screenshots.
\n\u201cKeep saying that.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThat you didn\u2019t authorize anything. Every account we discover, say it out loud. Do not let your brain start rationalizing what Adrian might have done.\u201d
\nShe clicked again.
\nThen froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cMariana.\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a second authorized user.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nShe turned the laptop toward me.
\nTERESA VEGA.
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI stared at my mother-in-law\u2019s name.
\nAuthorized user.
\nThere was no misunderstanding.
\nNo coincidence.
\nNo clever explanation.
\nTeresa was connected.
\nMy hands began shaking.
\nYesterday, she had cried.
\nYesterday, she had looked horrified when I exposed Adrian.
\nYesterday, she had called him disgraceful.
\nAnd apparently, months earlier, she had been added to a business account opened fraudulently in my name.
\nMy phone rang.
\nTERESA.
\nAll three of us stared at it.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t answer,\u201d Mariana said.
\nI let it ring.
\nIt stopped.
\nThen came a text.
\nCAMILA, WE NEED TO TALK BEFORE ADRIAN TELLS YOU SOMETHING THAT ISN\u2019T TRUE.
\nMy heartbeat hammered.
\nAnother message.
\nPLEASE. THERE ARE THINGS ABOUT THE MONEY YOU DON\u2019T UNDERSTAND.
\nI looked at Mariana.
\n\u201cShe knows.\u201d
\nMariana\u2019s face hardened.
\n\u201cScreenshot that.\u201d
\nMy mother leaned over my shoulder.
\n\u201cWhat money?\u201d
\nAnother message arrived.
\nI WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY.
\nI laughed.
\nI couldn\u2019t help it.
\nProtect my family.
\nApparently fraud had become an act of love.
\nThen Teresa called again.
\nMariana held out her hand.
\n\u201cPut it on speaker.\u201d
\nI answered.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\n\u201cCamila.\u201d
\nTeresa sounded breathless.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cI need to see you.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat money, Teresa?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWhat money?\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re upset.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m pregnant, cheated on, and apparently the owner of a company I\u2019ve never heard of. Yes, Teresa. I\u2019m upset.\u201d
\nMy mother covered her mouth.
\nMariana was typing notes.
\nTeresa lowered her voice.
\n\u201cAdrian made mistakes.\u201d
\n\u201cThat sentence is becoming very popular.\u201d
\n\u201cBut he did not steal from you.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why is your name attached to a credit card opened under mine?\u201d
\nNothing.
\nI looked at Mariana.
\nHer eyebrows lifted.
\nGot her.
\nFinally Teresa said:
\n\u201cHe told me you knew.\u201d
\nI felt something inside me break.
\nNot dramatically.
\nQuietly.
\nLike glass cracking under pressure.
\n\u201cKnew what?\u201d
\n\u201cThe company.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cI swear to you, Camila, he told me it was part of your financial planning.\u201d
\n\u201cMy financial planning?\u201d
\n\u201cHe said you were building business credit because you wanted to buy investment property after the baby.\u201d
\nI almost admired the lie.
\nIt was detailed.
\nSpecific.
\nBelievable.
\nAdrian knew exactly how to make fiction sound like something I would do.
\n\u201cThen why were you an authorized user?\u201d
\nTeresa hesitated.
\n\u201cHe asked me to help with purchases.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat purchases?\u201d
\n\u201cFurniture. Electronics. Office equipment.\u201d
\n\u201cFor what office?\u201d
\nNo answer.
\n\u201cTeresa.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou spent money from an account in my name and you don\u2019t know where it went?\u201d
\n\u201cI trusted my son.\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nThe family disease.
\nTrust Adrian.
\nBelieve Adrian.
\nProtect Adrian.
\nUntil everyone else paid the bill.
\n\u201cHow much did you spend?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t remember exactly.\u201d
\n\u201cTry.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe fifteen thousand.\u201d
\nMariana scribbled something.
\n\u201cOn what?\u201d
\n\u201cA laptop. Two phones. Some furniture.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd where is it?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\n\u201cTeresa, how do you spend fifteen thousand dollars on things and not know where they are?\u201d
\nHer voice cracked.
\n\u201cBecause Adrian picked everything up.\u201d
\nOf course.
\nI suddenly remembered something.
\nThree months ago, Adrian had brought home a new laptop.
\nHe told me his company replaced his old one.
\nA week later, he had a new phone.
\nThen he told me Rachel had helped him \u201cupgrade the office equipment.\u201d
\nRachel.
\nI opened my eyes.
\n\u201cWas Rachel ever with him when he used the card?\u201d
\nTeresa went quiet.
\nThat silence answered me.
\n\u201cWas she?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy entire body went cold.
\n\u201cWhat did they buy?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cTeresa!\u201d
\n\u201cA television.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA large television.\u201d
\n\u201cFor where?\u201d
\n\u201cI thought his office.\u201d
\nI turned to Mariana.
\nShe shook her head slowly.
\n\u201cAnything else?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cA sofa.\u201d
\nA television.
\nA sofa.
\nPhones.
\nLaptop.
\nFurniture.
\nI thought of the Hamptons.
\nThe mysterious work trips.
\nThe late nights.
\nThen I remembered one message I had skimmed past because I had been too focused on the affair.
\nRachel had written:
\nI love our little place.
\nAt the time, I assumed she meant a restaurant.
\nA hotel.
\nSome secret corner of Manhattan.
\nOur little place.
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cTeresa, does Adrian rent an apartment?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cAnswer me.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d
\n\u201cYou hesitated.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know everything he does.\u201d
\nI hung up.
\nMy mother stared at me.
\n\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d
\nI pulled out my phone.
\nI still had every screenshot.
\nI searched the messages.
\nThere.
\nRachel:
\nI wish you were here tonight.
\nAdrian:
\nSoon, queen.
\nRachel:
\nThe neighbors are loud again.
\nAdrian:
\nI\u2019ll deal with it this weekend.
\nRachel:
\nBring groceries. There\u2019s nothing here.
\nMy heart pounded.
\nI hadn\u2019t noticed those messages before.
\nNot really.
\nWhen you first discover an affair, every sentence feels like a knife.
\nYou don\u2019t stop to analyze the shape of the blade.
\nNow I did.
\n\u201cThey have an apartment.\u201d
\nMariana leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe has another home.\u201d
\nI scrolled faster.
\nThen I found a photo Rachel had sent.
\nShe was standing in front of a mirror wearing a red dress.
\nBehind her was a living room.
\nGray sofa.
\nLarge television.
\nGlass coffee table.
\nI zoomed in.
\nOn the coffee table was a little decorative bowl.
\nBright blue.
\nCeramic.
\nI knew that bowl.
\nBecause Teresa had bought two identical ones in Portugal.
\nOne sat in her condo.
\nThe other had disappeared from her old apartment.
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI showed Mariana.
\n\u201cThat bowl came from Teresa\u2019s place.\u201d
\nMariana took the phone.
\n\u201cSo maybe the apartment is\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cThe old apartment.\u201d
\nThe address registered to my fake company.
\nWe all stared at each other.
\nAdrian wasn\u2019t just using Teresa\u2019s address for paperwork.
\nHe and Rachel were living there.
\nIn a property connected to the company opened under my identity.
\nMy mother stood.
\n\u201cGive me my keys.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going.\u201d
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\n\u201cYou think I\u2019m sitting here?\u201d
\nMariana shut the laptop.
\n\u201cActually, nobody is going anywhere yet.\u201d
\nMy mother glared at her.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if that apartment contains evidence, we don\u2019t touch it.\u201d
\n\u201cEvidence of what?\u201d
\n\u201cFraud, potentially.\u201d
\nThe word hung in the room.
\nFraud.
\nNot adultery.
\nNot betrayal.
\nFraud.
\nMariana called someone from her firm.
\nThen another person.
\nWithin an hour, I had spoken with an identity theft specialist, frozen my credit, flagged the accounts, and started documenting every financial record connected to the fake company.
\nThen my phone buzzed.
\nADRIAN.
\nI didn\u2019t answer.
\nAnother call.
\nThen another.
\nFinally, a message:
\nDO NOT BELIEVE WHAT MY MOTHER TELLS YOU. SHE\u2019S THE ONE WHO SET EVERYTHING UP.
\nI stared at it.
\nThen another:
\nCAMILA, CALL ME BEFORE SHE DESTROYS BOTH OF US.
\nI showed Mariana.
\n\u201cWell,\u201d she said, \u201cthe rats have started eating each other.\u201d
\nMy phone rang again.
\nThis time I answered.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cCamila, thank God.\u201d
\nAdrian sounded frantic.
\n\u201cWhat did my mother tell you?\u201d
\n\u201cThat she used a credit card in my name because you told her I approved it.\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s lying.\u201d
\n\u201cShe admitted using it.\u201d
\n\u201cShe knew what the company was for.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd what was it for, Adrian?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cWhat was CML Consulting for?\u201d
\n\u201cIt was supposed to be temporary.\u201d
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\n\u201cI was moving money.\u201d
\nI gripped the phone.
\n\u201cWhose money?\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d
\n\u201cTry me.\u201d
\n\u201cI had debts.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat debts?\u201d
\n\u201cInvestments.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat investments?\u201d
\n\u201cCrypto. Sports. Other things.\u201d
\nSports.
\nI closed my eyes.
\n\u201cGambling?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThat pause sounded expensive.\u201d
\n\u201cI made bad decisions.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cHow much, Adrian?\u201d
\n\u201cBefore I started moving things around?\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAbout one hundred and eighty.\u201d
\n\u201cThousand?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy mother sat down hard.
\nHe had lost $180,000.
\nMoney I had never even known existed.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cI thought I could recover it.\u201d
\n\u201cSo you opened a company in my name?\u201d
\n\u201cMy credit was destroyed.\u201d
\nMine wasn\u2019t.
\nThat was what he meant.
\nHe had used me because I was still financially useful.
\n\u201cYou stole my identity.\u201d
\n\u201cI was going to pay everything back.\u201d
\n\u201cYou used my Social Security number.\u201d
\n\u201cI had access because we\u2019re married.\u201d
\n\u201cThat is not permission.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, Adrian. You clearly don\u2019t.\u201d
\nHe started crying.
\nActual crying.
\nFor years, hearing my husband cry would have destroyed me.
\nNow it only made me listen harder.
\n\u201cI panicked, Camila.\u201d
\n\u201cYou forged my signature.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t forge\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cThen how did I open a business?\u201d
\nHe went silent.
\nThere it was.
\nAnother confession hidden inside silence.
\n\u201cWho helped you?\u201d
\n\u201cNo one.\u201d
\n\u201cWrong answer.\u201d
\n\u201cCamila.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Rachel know?\u201d
\nPause.
\nMy heart sank.
\n\u201cDid she?\u201d
\n\u201cNot at first.\u201d
\nNot at first.
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cWhen did she find out?\u201d
\n\u201cA few months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd she stayed?\u201d
\n\u201cShe thought I was fixing it.\u201d
\n\u201cWas the apartment paid for with money from those accounts?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cAdrian.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI pressed my fist against my mouth.
\nMy money.
\nMy credit.
\nMy name.
\nHis mistress\u2019s apartment.
\nThere are betrayals so outrageous they stop hurting for a moment because your brain simply refuses to process them.
\n\u201cYou financed your affair with debt in my name.\u201d
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like that.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat exactly was it like?\u201d
\n\u201cI was planning to sell some investments.\u201d
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t have investments. You had losses.\u201d
\n\u201cI could recover.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when you told Rachel you were going to \u2018fix everything,\u2019 what did that mean?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cWere you planning to leave me?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe answer came too fast.
\n\u201cAdrian.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was doing.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew enough to create a company.\u201d
\n\u201cI was trapped.\u201d
\n\u201cBy whom?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen he said something I didn\u2019t expect.
\n\u201cMy mother.\u201d
\nI stared at the phone.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cShe knew everything.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s not what she said.\u201d
\n\u201cOf course not. She\u2019s protecting herself.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she know?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything.\u201d
\nI looked at Mariana.
\nShe moved closer.
\n\u201cSpeaker,\u201d she mouthed.
\nI pressed the button.
\nAdrian continued:
\n\u201cShe found out about the debt before you got pregnant.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nBefore.
\nBefore Lucy.
\nBefore the affair, supposedly.
\nBefore the fake company.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cShe offered to help me.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cShe had money from selling Dad\u2019s old property.\u201d
\nMy father-in-law had died four years earlier.
\nTeresa had sold land he owned outside the city.
\nI remembered Adrian telling me she had put the money into retirement.
\n\u201cShe loaned you money?\u201d
\n\u201cAt first.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cEighty thousand.\u201d
\nMy mother whispered something under her breath.
\n\u201cAnd you lost that too?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy disgust must have traveled through the phone because Adrian rushed on.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s when she came up with the company.\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cShe came up with it?\u201d
\n\u201cShe knew your credit was good.\u201d
\nMariana\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cAnd she knew you wouldn\u2019t check because you were focused on getting pregnant.\u201d
\nMy hand moved instinctively over my belly.
\nThere it was.
\nThe part I couldn\u2019t forgive.
\nThey hadn\u2019t merely taken advantage of me.
\nThey had calculated my distraction.
\nMy hope.
\nMy pregnancy.
\nThey had looked at the happiest thing in my life and decided it made me easier to deceive.
\n\u201cShe said we could move enough money through the business to refinance everything later.\u201d
\n\u201cUsing my name.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the client payments?\u201d
\nAdrian stopped.
\nLauren\u2019s warning came back.
\nClient payments.
\nCompany money.
\n\u201cAdrian.\u201d
\nHis breathing changed.
\n\u201cWhat did you do with client money?\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t steal it.\u201d
\n\u201cThen explain.\u201d
\n\u201cI redirected some payments temporarily.\u201d
\n\u201cThat sounds exactly like stealing.\u201d
\n\u201cI was putting it back.\u201d
\n\u201cWere you?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cHow much is missing?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou know.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know the final number.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much, Adrian?\u201d
\nHis voice broke.
\n\u201cMaybe four hundred.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\nMy mother grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cFour hundred thousand?\u201d
\n\u201cSome of it was replaced.\u201d
\n\u201cHOW MUCH IS STILL MISSING?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d
\nLucy kicked sharply.
\nPain shot through my lower abdomen.
\nI doubled over.
\n\u201cCamila?\u201d
\nMariana grabbed the phone.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re done.\u201d
\nShe disconnected.
\nI breathed slowly.
\nMy mother knelt in front of me.
\n\u201cAre you having contractions?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nAnother cramp tightened across my belly.
\nThen released.
\nProbably stress.
\nPlease let it be stress.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to the hospital,\u201d my mother said.
\n\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d
\n\u201cYou are not fine.\u201d
\nTwenty-five minutes later, I was in maternity triage with monitors strapped around my stomach.
\nLucy\u2019s heartbeat filled the room.
\nStrong.
\nFast.
\nBeautiful.
\nI started crying.
\nNot because anything was wrong.
\nBecause after twenty-four hours of lies, fraud, mistresses and secret apartments, that heartbeat was the only thing I trusted.
\nThe doctor examined me.
\n\u201cYour baby looks good.\u201d
\nI exhaled.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re having some uterine irritability, likely worsened by stress and dehydration. We\u2019re going to monitor you for a while.\u201d
\nMy mother sat beside the bed holding my hand.
\nMariana had stepped outside to make calls.
\nFor the first time all day, I allowed myself to close my eyes.
\nThen someone knocked.
\nI opened them.
\nRachel stood in the doorway.
\nI stared at her.
\nShe looked nothing like the woman who had entered my baby shower.
\nNo perfect blowout.
\nNo pink dress.
\nNo confidence.
\nHer hair was pulled into a messy ponytail.
\nHer face was bare.
\nHer eyes were swollen.
\n\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d
\nShe held up both hands.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not here to fight.\u201d
\nMy mother stood.
\n\u201cThen you chose the wrong hospital room.\u201d
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nRachel swallowed.
\n\u201cI heard Adrian tell Lauren you\u2019d gone to the hospital.\u201d
\n\u201cHow did you hear Adrian talking to Lauren?\u201d
\n\u201cHe came to the office.\u201d
\nOf course he did.
\nHe had probably gone there trying to save his job.
\n\u201cI need five minutes,\u201d Rachel said.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve had six months.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nThe answer surprised me.
\nShe looked down.
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nSomething about her voice made me look at her differently.
\nNot kindly.
\nBut carefully.
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
\nShe reached into her purse.
\n\u201cI brought you something.\u201d
\nMy mother moved closer to the bed.
\nRachel pulled out a flash drive.
\nSmall.
\nBlack.
\nOrdinary.
\nShe placed it on the tray beside me.
\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything Adrian kept at the apartment.\u201d
\nMy heartbeat changed.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean everything?\u201d
\n\u201cBank statements. Spreadsheets. Copies of transfers. Screenshots. Emails.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhy do you have them?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause three months ago, I realized he was lying to me too.\u201d
\nMy jaw tightened.
\n\u201cCongratulations.\u201d
\n\u201cI deserve that.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, you do.\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\n\u201cBut I stayed because I thought if I left, I\u2019d never find out what he was doing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy should I believe you?\u201d
\n\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t.\u201d
\nThat answer stopped me.
\nRachel looked directly at me.
\n\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t believe anything I say without proof.\u201d
\nShe pointed to the drive.
\n\u201cSo I brought proof.\u201d
\nI looked at it.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s on there?\u201d
\nHer face changed.
\nFear.
\nReal fear.
\n\u201cAdrian wasn\u2019t working alone.\u201d
\n\u201cI know. His mother helped him.\u201d
\nRachel shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cThen who?\u201d
\nShe took a breath.
\n\u201cTeresa helped with the accounts.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what I said.\u201d
\n\u201cBut she wasn\u2019t the person directing the transfers.\u201d
\nThe room seemed to shrink.
\n\u201cWho was?\u201d
\nRachel looked toward the hallway before answering.
\n\u201cSomeone from his company.\u201d
\nLauren.
\nThe thought came instantly.
\nNo.
\nI pushed it away.
\nLauren had helped me.
\nLauren had exposed him.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nRachel hesitated.
\nThen she said:
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know their real name.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian never used it around me.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what did he call them?\u201d
\nRachel looked at the monitor beside my bed.
\nThen back at me.
\n\u201cHe called them North.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cNorth?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWho is North?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do they do?\u201d
\n\u201cI only heard pieces. Adrian would take calls outside. Sometimes late at night. Whenever North called, Adrian panicked.\u201d
\nI looked at the flash drive again.
\n\u201cIs North on there?\u201d
\nRachel nodded.
\n\u201cEmails.\u201d
\n\u201cCan they identify this person?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you take this to the police?\u201d
\nRachel\u2019s eyes filled.
\n\u201cBecause I\u2019m implicated too.\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nFinally.
\nThe truth behind the sudden conscience.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cThe apartment.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about it?\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is on the lease paperwork.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought it belonged to Teresa.\u201d
\n\u201cThe building does.\u201d
\nI blinked.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRachel lowered her voice.
\n\u201cTeresa never sold that apartment.\u201d
\nMy mother and I exchanged a look.
\n\u201cAdrian told me she rented it to us privately. I paid him part of the rent every month.\u201d
\n\u201cWith what?\u201d
\n\u201cMy own money.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd where did your payments go?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nAnother hidden stream.
\nAnother account.
\nAnother lie.
\nRachel wiped her cheek.
\n\u201cAnd I used one of the business cards.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cYou knew it was in my name?\u201d
\n\u201cNo. Adrian told me it belonged to him.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d
\n\u201cFour days ago.\u201d
\nBefore the shower.
\nMy voice hardened.
\n\u201cYou knew before you came.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you still came to my baby shower.\u201d
\nTears spilled down her face.
\n\u201cI thought you already knew.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian told me you invited me because you wanted to talk privately after the party.\u201d
\nI laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cHe told you that?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you believed him?\u201d
\n\u201cI believed a lot of things.\u201d
\n\u201cSo did I.\u201d
\nFor the first time, neither of us had anything to say.
\nTwo women.
\nSame man.
\nDifferent lies.
\nMy mother looked at the flash drive.
\n\u201cWhat exactly frightened you enough to bring this here?\u201d
\nRachel\u2019s face went pale.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s an email from North dated three weeks ago.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cIt mentions you.\u201d
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cWhat about me?\u201d
\nRachel hesitated.
\nThen she said:
\n\u201cIt says, \u2018Once the baby arrives, Camila becomes the liability.\u2019\u201d
\nEvery sound in the room disappeared.
\nEven Lucy\u2019s heartbeat seemed far away.
\nMy mother stood.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nRachel\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cBut there\u2019s another message underneath.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhat message?\u201d
\nShe swallowed.
\n\u201cAdrian replied.\u201d
\nMy fingers went numb.
\n\u201cWhat did my husband say?\u201d
\nRachel started crying.
\n\u201cHe wrote, \u2018I know. I\u2019ll handle her.\u2019\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 4\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ PART 4 \u2013 My husband cheated while I was pregnant. I invited his mistress to my baby shower.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n