{"id":6747,"date":"2026-09-02T18:53:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T18:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=6747"},"modified":"2026-09-02T18:53:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T18:53:42","slug":"part-3-i-cried-as-my-husband-left-for-canada-then-i-transferred-720000-and-filed-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=6747","title":{"rendered":"PART 3 \u2013 I cried as my husband left for Canada. Then I transferred $720,000 and filed divorce."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE SECRET OLIVIA WAS HIDING<\/h5>\n

\u201cThe baby might not be mine.\u201d
\nI stared at Daniel through the doorbell camera.
\nFor several seconds, I honestly wondered whether I had heard him correctly.
\nThis was the man who had lied about moving to Canada.
\nThe man who had rented a condo in Miami with his pregnant mistress.
\nThe man who had planned to quietly drain $720,000 from our account while I waited faithfully for him in New York.
\nAnd now he was standing outside our house at three in the morning telling me that the baby he had destroyed our marriage for might belong to someone else.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I should have felt sympathy.
\nI didn\u2019t.
\nI pressed the microphone button on my phone.
\n\u201cGo to a hotel, Daniel.\u201d
\nHis head snapped toward the camera.
\n\u201cEmma?\u201d
\n\u201cYou heard me.\u201d
\n\u201cPlease open the door.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cI need to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve had twenty-three years to talk to me.\u201d
\n\u201cThis is different.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re right. It is. This time I know when you\u2019re lying.\u201d
\nHe dragged both hands over his face.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not lying about this.\u201d
\n\u201cHow unfortunate.\u201d
\n\u201cEmma, please.\u201d
\nI almost turned off the camera.
\nThen he said:
\n\u201cOlivia disappeared.\u201d
\nMy finger froze above the screen.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s gone.\u201d
\nI sat straighter.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean, gone?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen I got back to the condo after dealing with the company, her things were missing.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cShe emptied one of my accounts.\u201d
\nThat almost made me laugh.
\nOf course she had.
\nThe thief had been robbed.
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout ninety thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I leaned back against the headboard.
\n\u201cThat sounds like a personal problem.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s worse than that.\u201d
\n\u201cEverything is always worse with you, Daniel.\u201d
\n\u201cI found something.\u201d
\nHe reached inside his jacket.
\nFor a moment, I tensed.
\nThen he pulled out a folded piece of paper.
\n\u201cShe left this.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cA copy of a prenatal test.\u201d
\nI said nothing.
\nDaniel looked down at it.
\n\u201cThere was a blood type listed.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m O positive.\u201d
\n\u201cSo?\u201d
\n\u201cOlivia is O positive.\u201d
\nHe looked directly into the camera.
\n\u201cThe baby is listed as AB positive.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\nI wasn\u2019t a geneticist, but even I understood why that bothered him.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re certain?\u201d
\n\u201cI called a doctor I know.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd he told you?\u201d
\n\u201cThat two O-positive parents cannot produce an AB-positive child.\u201d
\nHis voice cracked on the final word.
\nFor the first time since this entire nightmare began, Daniel looked genuinely destroyed.
\nAnd somehow, I still couldn\u2019t feel sorry for him.
\n\u201cYou threw away twenty-three years for a woman who may have been lying to you.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou planned to steal my inheritance for a baby that might belong to another man.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou humiliated me.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cStop saying you know.\u201d
\nHis mouth closed.
\nI pressed my lips together.
\n\u201cWhere is Olivia?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about her family?\u201d
\n\u201cShe barely talks to them.\u201d
\n\u201cFriends?\u201d
\n\u201cI called two.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThey haven\u2019t heard from her.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe she went to the baby\u2019s father.\u201d
\nDaniel flinched.
\nI had meant it to hurt.
\nIt did.
\nBut then he said something that changed the entire conversation.
\n\u201cI think I know who the father is.\u201d
\nI went still.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nDaniel looked over his shoulder again.
\nThe street behind him was empty.
\nThen he lowered his voice.
\n\u201cLet me inside.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\n\u201cTell me through the camera.\u201d
\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t something I want recorded.\u201d
\nThat sentence sent a chill down my spine.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if I\u2019m right, this involves someone dangerous.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cDangerous?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re becoming dramatic.\u201d
\n\u201cI wish I were.\u201d
\nHe unfolded the paper in his hand.
\n\u201cThere was something written on the back.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA phone number.\u201d
\nDaniel hesitated.
\n\u201cAnd initials.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat initials?\u201d
\nHe looked directly into the camera.
\n\u201cR.M.\u201d
\nThe letters meant nothing to me.
\nApparently my expression showed it.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t recognize them?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDaniel swallowed.
\n\u201cRobert Mercer.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nI knew that name.
\nEveryone connected to Daniel\u2019s company knew that name.
\nRobert Mercer was the company\u2019s chief executive officer.
\nDaniel\u2019s boss.
\nThe man who had promoted Daniel twice.
\nThe man whose photograph appeared every year in the company\u2019s annual report.
\nAnd the man who had personally attended our twentieth-anniversary party.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re telling me Olivia was sleeping with your boss?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou just said\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI said I think.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the number on the paper belongs to him.\u201d
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve had his personal number for fifteen years.\u201d
\nThe bedroom suddenly felt colder.
\n\u201cMaybe it has nothing to do with the pregnancy.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d
\nDaniel raised another sheet of paper.
\n\u201cUntil I found this.\u201d
\nHe held it closer to the camera.
\nI couldn\u2019t read it.
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cA hotel receipt.\u201d
\n\u201cDaniel, you\u2019ve shown me enough hotel receipts for one lifetime.\u201d
\n\u201cThis one isn\u2019t mine.\u201d
\nI stopped.
\n\u201cWhose is it?\u201d
\n\u201cOlivia\u2019s.\u201d
\n\u201cWith Robert?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. But the room was booked the same weekend Robert told the board he was in Chicago.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere was the hotel?\u201d
\n\u201cBoston.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cWhat does that prove?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing by itself.\u201d
\n\u201cExactly.\u201d
\n\u201cBut Emma\u2026\u201d
\nHis voice became quieter.
\n\u201cThat weekend is approximately when Olivia would have conceived.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nThis was becoming absurd.
\nDaniel had betrayed me with Olivia.
\nOlivia may have betrayed Daniel with Robert.
\nAnd somewhere inside this triangle of lies was an unborn child nobody seemed certain belonged to anyone.
\n\u201cGo to a hotel,\u201d I repeated.
\n\u201cEmma, I need your help.\u201d
\nThat made my eyes open.
\n\u201cYou need what?\u201d
\n\u201cYour help.\u201d
\nI laughed.
\nActually laughed.
\nDaniel\u2019s face tightened.
\n\u201cI know how that sounds.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think you do.\u201d
\n\u201cThe company is investigating me.\u201d
\n\u201cAs they should.\u201d
\n\u201cThey froze my corporate accounts.\u201d
\n\u201cGood.\u201d
\n\u201cMy personal investment account is under review.\u201d
\n\u201cEven better.\u201d
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you want me to say?\u201d
\n\u201cI could lose everything.\u201d
\nI stared at the screen.
\n\u201cYou already lost everything.\u201d
\nHis eyes dropped.
\nThat landed exactly where I wanted it to.
\n\u201cMy attorney told me not to speak to you about finances,\u201d I continued.
\n\u201cRebecca is trying to destroy me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, Daniel. You did that yourself.\u201d
\n\u201cI made mistakes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou created a spreadsheet planning my financial destruction.\u201d
\n\u201cI never intended to leave you with nothing.\u201d
\nI actually sat forward.
\n\u201cYou budgeted my inheritance for your mistress\u2019s SUV.\u201d
\nHe winced.
\n\u201cI was confused.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. You were organized.\u201d
\nHe had no answer.
\nFor several seconds, the only sound was the faint rustle of wind through the camera microphone.
\nThen Daniel whispered:
\n\u201cRobert knew.\u201d
\n\u201cKnew what?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout us.\u201d
\n\u201cYour affair?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cI told him.\u201d
\nI rubbed my forehead.
\n\u201cWhy would you tell your CEO that you were sleeping with an employee?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Olivia worked directly with his office before she transferred to my division.\u201d
\nThat was new.
\n\u201cYou never mentioned that.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t think it mattered.\u201d
\n\u201cApparently nothing matters until it explodes.\u201d
\nDaniel ignored that.
\n\u201cShe was Robert\u2019s executive assistant for eighteen months.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd then?\u201d
\n\u201cShe requested a transfer.\u201d
\n\u201cTo you?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cThree years ago.\u201d
\nThree years.
\nThe same length of time Daniel had been secretly paying Olivia\u2019s rent.
\nA strange feeling settled in my stomach.
\n\u201cDaniel.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cDid your affair begin before or after she transferred?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\nThat told me everything.
\n\u201cBefore.\u201d
\nHis eyes closed.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHow long before?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe four months.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cSo Olivia was sleeping with you while she was still Robert Mercer\u2019s assistant.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd Robert knew.\u201d
\n\u201cEventually.\u201d
\n\u201cHow did he react?\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s face changed.
\nSubtly.
\nBut enough.
\n\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cHe told me to be careful.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s all?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI didn\u2019t believe him.
\nAnd apparently Daniel realized it.
\n\u201cHe also told me Olivia had caused problems before.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat kind of problems?\u201d
\n\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d
\nA pulse began beating behind my temples.
\n\u201cDid you ask?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cHe told me to keep personal matters away from the company.\u201d
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cThat advice worked well.\u201d
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. Keep going.\u201d
\nDaniel rubbed the back of his neck.
\n\u201cA few months later, Olivia told me Robert was harassing her.\u201d
\nMy expression hardened.
\n\u201cIn what way?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said he kept contacting her privately. Calling late. Asking her to meet.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you believed her?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you ever see the messages?\u201d
\n\u201cShe deleted most of them.\u201d
\n\u201cConvenient.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought she was scared.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe she was.\u201d
\nDaniel looked down at the paper in his hand.
\n\u201cOr maybe they were having an affair.\u201d
\nI didn\u2019t answer.
\nBecause suddenly something Rebecca had said earlier came back to me.
\nDaniel\u2019s company had already suspected irregularities before our inquiry.
\nWhich meant someone had been watching.
\nSomeone had noticed money disappearing.
\nSomeone knew something.
\n\u201cDaniel.\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen did the company begin questioning your expenses?\u201d
\nHe hesitated.
\n\u201cAbout six months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when did Olivia tell you she was pregnant?\u201d
\nHis eyes widened.
\n\u201cFour months ago.\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nA timeline.
\nNot proof.
\nBut enough to make me uncomfortable.
\n\u201cDid she know you were being audited?\u201d
\n\u201cI mentioned finance was asking questions.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe five months ago.\u201d
\nOne month before she announced the pregnancy.
\nI stood and walked toward the bedroom window.
\nOutside, Daniel remained beneath the porch light.
\n\u201cEmma?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m thinking.\u201d
\n\u201cAbout what?\u201d
\n\u201cAbout whether Olivia\u2019s pregnancy had anything to do with keeping you distracted.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression changed.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cShe tells you she\u2019s pregnant right after your company starts questioning your expenses.\u201d
\n\u201cYou think she planned that?\u201d
\n\u201cI think your judgment where Olivia is concerned has already cost you a marriage and possibly your career.\u201d
\nHe looked away.
\n\u201cFair.\u201d
\nThat one word surprised me.
\nFor once, he didn\u2019t argue.
\nThen headlights appeared at the far end of the street.
\nA dark sedan moved slowly toward the house.
\nDaniel immediately turned.
\nThe car slowed.
\nThen stopped two houses away.
\n\u201cWho is that?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nDaniel picked up his suitcase.
\nThe sedan remained still.
\nIts headlights switched off.
\nEvery instinct inside me changed.
\n\u201cDaniel.\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cGet off my porch.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cNow.\u201d
\nHe looked toward the sedan.
\n\u201cYou think\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what I think. Go somewhere public.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t drive. I came by taxi.\u201d
\n\u201cThen call another one.\u201d
\nThe driver\u2019s door of the sedan opened.
\nA man stepped out.
\nThe camera couldn\u2019t capture his face clearly.
\nHe was tall.
\nDark coat.
\nHands in his pockets.
\nDaniel stopped moving.
\n\u201cDo you know him?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe man began walking toward the house.
\nNot quickly.
\nNot slowly.
\nJust deliberately.
\nI reached for my other phone.
\n\u201cI\u2019m calling the police.\u201d
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nThe man stopped near the end of my driveway.
\nThen he called out:
\n\u201cDaniel Foster?\u201d
\nDaniel didn\u2019t answer.
\nThe stranger stepped closer.
\n\u201cI need to speak with you.\u201d
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d
\nThe man reached inside his coat.
\nMy heart slammed against my ribs.
\nThen he removed a wallet.
\nHe opened it.
\n\u201cI\u2019m Special Agent Marcus Hale.\u201d
\nEverything stopped.
\nDaniel\u2019s face went white.
\nThe man continued walking toward the porch.
\n\u201cFederal Bureau of Investigation.\u201d
\nI almost dropped my phone.
\nDaniel stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat is this about?\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked toward the camera.
\nHe clearly knew I was watching.
\n\u201cI believe your wife should hear this too.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\nDaniel glanced at the camera.
\n\u201cEmma?\u201d
\nI pressed the microphone.
\n\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d
\nAgent Hale stepped beneath the porch light.
\nHe appeared to be in his forties, calm and almost unsettlingly composed.
\n\u201cMrs. Foster?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Marcus Hale. I\u2019m sorry for arriving at this hour.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m investigating financial activity connected to Mr. Foster\u2019s company.\u201d
\nDaniel immediately said, \u201cI have an attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not here to interrogate you.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked directly at him.
\n\u201cBecause Olivia Grant is missing.\u201d
\nDaniel froze.
\nI gripped my phone harder.
\n\u201cMissing?\u201d I repeated.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cShe left the condo.\u201d
\n\u201cWe know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou know?\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to locate her since yesterday afternoon.\u201d
\nDaniel stared.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nAgent Hale didn\u2019t answer immediately.
\nInstead, he asked:
\n\u201cWhen was the last time either of you spoke with Ms. Grant?\u201d
\nDaniel answered first.
\n\u201cYesterday.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat time?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t remember exactly.\u201d
\n\u201cYou should.\u201d
\n\u201cI said I don\u2019t.\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked toward the doorbell camera.
\n\u201cMrs. Foster?\u201d
\n\u201cI spoke with her briefly on a call yesterday.\u201d
\n\u201cWith your husband present?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\n\u201cNot much.\u201d
\n\u201cDid she seem frightened?\u201d
\nI replayed the conversation in my mind.
\nHer confusion about Daniel\u2019s money.
\nHer surprise about the company account.
\nHer voice when I mentioned Robert.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThen I stopped.
\nActually\u2026
\nThere had been something.
\nWhen I said \u201ccompany expense account,\u201d Olivia had gone unusually quiet.
\nNot confused.
\nQuiet.
\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d
\nAgent Hale\u2019s expression sharpened.
\n\u201cWhat changed?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen I mentioned Daniel\u2019s company finances.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the camera.
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\nI ignored him.
\n\u201cShe seemed different.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cI assumed she was shocked.\u201d
\n\u201cCould she have been afraid?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nAgent Hale nodded slowly.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s consistent.\u201d
\n\u201cWith what?\u201d
\nHe looked at Daniel.
\n\u201cSomeone accessed Ms. Grant\u2019s apartment approximately ninety minutes after your phone call.\u201d
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cI was there.\u201d
\n\u201cNot the Miami condo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat apartment?\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked toward the camera again.
\n\u201cHer other apartment.\u201d
\nDaniel and I spoke almost simultaneously.
\n\u201cHer what?\u201d
\nAgent Hale pulled a small notebook from his coat.
\n\u201cMs. Grant maintained another residence in Queens.\u201d
\nDaniel looked stunned.
\n\u201cShe lived in Miami.\u201d
\n\u201cShe also maintained an apartment in New York under her maiden name.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know that.\u201d
\n\u201cI believe you.\u201d
\nThe FBI agent saying that made it worse.
\n\u201cWhy would she have another apartment?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cThat is something we\u2019re trying to determine.\u201d
\nDaniel shook his head.
\n\u201cI paid her rent.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cIn Miami.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd before that?\u201d
\n\u201cShe had an apartment near the office.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you know which one?\u201d
\nDaniel gave an address.
\nAgent Hale shook his head.
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the Queens property.\u201d
\nDaniel looked like somebody had struck him.
\nAnother secret.
\nAnother lie.
\nI almost wanted to ask him whether betrayal felt different from the other side.
\nBut this was becoming too serious.
\n\u201cWhat was inside the apartment?\u201d I asked.
\nAgent Hale paused.
\n\u201cFinancial records.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cWhat kind?\u201d
\n\u201cCopies of internal corporate documents.\u201d
\nDaniel stepped closer.
\n\u201cWhat documents?\u201d
\n\u201cExpense reports.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s face drained of color.
\n\u201cBank records.\u201d
\nHe said nothing.
\n\u201cEmails.\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\n\u201cAnd photographs.\u201d
\n\u201cOf what?\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked directly at him.
\n\u201cYou.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s mouth opened.
\n\u201cAnd Robert Mercer.\u201d
\nThe porch became silent.
\nI felt goosebumps crawl across my arms.
\n\u201cWhat kind of photographs?\u201d
\n\u201cMeetings. Restaurants. Hotels. Vehicles.\u201d
\nDaniel shook his head.
\n\u201cShe was documenting us?\u201d
\n\u201cIt appears so.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to establish.\u201d
\nI thought about Olivia suddenly vanishing.
\nThe second apartment.
\nThe hidden records.
\nThe mysterious pregnancy.
\nThe money Daniel believed she stole.
\nAnd the initials R.M.
\n\u201cAgent Hale.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, Mrs. Foster?\u201d
\n\u201cDaniel found something tonight.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the camera sharply.
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\nI continued.
\n\u201cA prenatal document.\u201d
\nAgent Hale became completely still.
\n\u201cWhat document?\u201d
\nDaniel closed his eyes.
\n\u201cEmma, don\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cYou wanted my help.\u201d
\nAgent Hale looked at him.
\n\u201cMr. Foster?\u201d
\nDaniel slowly removed the folded page from his jacket.
\nAgent Hale stepped forward.
\nDaniel handed it to him.
\nThe agent read it.
\nHis expression changed immediately.
\nNot surprise.
\nRecognition.
\nThat frightened me.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve seen this before,\u201d I said.
\nAgent Hale looked toward the camera.
\n\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d
\n\u201cOlivia left it at the condo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cI found it tonight.\u201d
\nAgent Hale turned the paper over.
\nHis eyes stopped on the handwritten number.
\nThen the initials.
\nR.M.
\nHe slipped the paper into a clear evidence sleeve from inside his coat.
\nDaniel stared at him.
\n\u201cYou know something.\u201d
\nAgent Hale didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cYou know what those initials mean.\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\n\u201cIs Robert the father?\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t discuss details of an active investigation.\u201d
\nDaniel laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\nThen Agent Hale said something unexpected.
\n\u201cBut I can tell you one thing.\u201d
\nWe both waited.
\n\u201cRobert Mercer isn\u2019t in Chicago.\u201d
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cI know. That was months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m talking about now.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHis family reported him missing yesterday morning.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nDaniel stared at him.
\n\u201cRobert is missing too?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cHis wife woke up yesterday and he was gone.\u201d
\n\u201cCar?\u201d
\n\u201cStill at home.\u201d
\n\u201cPhone?\u201d
\n\u201cTurned off.\u201d
\n\u201cPassport?\u201d
\nAgent Hale paused.
\n\u201cMissing.\u201d
\nThe night suddenly felt much darker.
\nTwo people missing.
\nOlivia Grant.
\nRobert Mercer.
\nBoth connected to Daniel.
\nBoth connected to suspicious money.
\nPossibly connected by a baby.
\nAnd somewhere inside it all was a second apartment filled with records.
\n\u201cDo you think they left together?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re considering several possibilities.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat possibilities?\u201d
\nBefore Agent Hale could answer, another vehicle appeared.
\nThis time it moved quickly.
\nToo quickly.
\nIt came around the corner and headed straight toward our house.
\nAgent Hale immediately turned.
\n\u201cInside.\u201d
\nDaniel looked confused.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cGet inside the house.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\nAgent Hale glanced at the door.
\n\u201cMrs. Foster, unlock it.\u201d
\nEvery part of me resisted.
\nBut the vehicle was accelerating.
\nI rushed downstairs.
\nBy the time I reached the front hall, someone was pounding on the door.
\n\u201cEmma!\u201d
\nDaniel.
\nI disarmed the lock.
\nThe moment I opened the door, Daniel stumbled inside.
\nAgent Hale followed and slammed the door behind him.
\n\u201cStay away from the windows.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d
\nThe approaching vehicle screeched to a stop outside.
\nAgent Hale reached under his jacket.
\nDaniel pulled me toward the hallway.
\nI yanked my arm away.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\u201d
\n\u201cEmma, now is really not\u2014\u201d
\nSomeone got out of the car.
\nThen another person.
\nAgent Hale peered through the side window.
\nHis body suddenly relaxed.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I whispered.
\nHe opened the door.
\nTwo people stood in the driveway.
\nA man and a woman.
\nThe woman wore a long coat over what looked like pajamas.
\nShe was crying.
\nThe man beside her appeared to be a driver.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer?\u201d Agent Hale said.
\nMy stomach twisted.
\nRobert Mercer\u2019s wife.
\nI recognized her immediately.
\nCharlotte Mercer.
\nI had met her at company dinners.
\nElegant.
\nReserved.
\nAlways perfectly composed.
\nTonight she looked completely broken.
\nHer eyes moved past Agent Hale.
\nThey landed on Daniel.
\nThen on me.
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\nI stepped forward.
\n\u201cCharlotte?\u201d
\nShe hurried toward me.
\n\u201cThank God.\u201d
\nShe grabbed both my hands.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know where else to go.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nHer eyes moved to Daniel.
\nAnd something inside her expression changed.
\nHatred.
\nPure hatred.
\n\u201cYou.\u201d
\nDaniel recoiled.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nCharlotte slapped him.
\nHard.
\nThe sound echoed through my foyer.
\n\u201cCharlotte!\u201d
\n\u201cYou bastard.\u201d
\nDaniel touched his cheek.
\n\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew.\u201d
\n\u201cKnew what?\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew what they were doing.\u201d
\n\u201cI have no idea what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d
\nCharlotte reached into her bag.
\nHer hands shook violently.
\nShe pulled out an envelope.
\n\u201cI found this in Robert\u2019s safe tonight.\u201d
\nAgent Hale immediately stepped forward.
\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d
\nCharlotte looked at me instead.
\n\u201cHe left a letter.\u201d
\n\u201cA letter?\u201d
\n\u201cFor me.\u201d
\nHer eyes filled again.
\n\u201cAnd a copy for Emma.\u201d
\nMy breath stopped.
\n\u201cFor me?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nDaniel looked confused.
\n\u201cWhy would Robert leave Emma anything?\u201d
\nCharlotte handed me the envelope.
\nMy name was written across the front.
\nEMMA FOSTER.
\nThe handwriting belonged to Robert.
\nI had seen it on Christmas cards.
\nCompany gifts.
\nAnniversary notes.
\nMy fingers shook as I opened it.
\nInside was a single sheet of paper.
\nEmma,
\nIf you are reading this, Daniel\u2019s plan has already started falling apart.
\nI stopped breathing.
\nDaniel moved closer.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI pulled the letter away from him.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d he demanded.
\nI kept reading.
\nYou deserve to know that Daniel\u2019s affair with Olivia is only a small part of what has been happening.
\nI looked up.
\nDaniel\u2019s face had changed.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI read silently.
\nOlivia approached Daniel intentionally.
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nI continued.
\nShe was never transferred into his division by accident.
\n\u201cEmma?\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s voice sounded distant.
\nI kept reading.
\nFor almost three years, Olivia has been collecting information about financial misconduct inside the company.
\nDaniel whispered:
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI reached the next sentence.
\nSome of that misconduct involves Daniel.
\nMy hand tightened around the page.
\nBut the person she was truly investigating was me.
\nI stopped.
\nRobert?
\nCharlotte was crying beside me.
\nAgent Hale watched silently.
\nI continued.
\nThere are things Daniel does not know. Things Olivia discovered. Things I should have admitted years ago.
\nThen came the sentence that made me look directly at my husband.
\nDaniel was never supposed to steal $720,000 from you.
\nI reread it.
\nOnce.
\nTwice.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Daniel whispered.
\nI kept going.
\nHe was supposed to believe he could.
\nThe room seemed to tilt.
\nOlivia was instructed to convince him to move the money.
\nDaniel grabbed the edge of the entry table.
\n\u201cBy who?\u201d
\nMy eyes moved to the next line.
\nBy me.
\nNobody spoke.
\nRobert Mercer had orchestrated it?
\nWhy?
\nI continued.
\nI needed proof Daniel would participate in financial fraud because I knew he had already been stealing from the company.
\nDaniel shouted:
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a lie!\u201d
\nAgent Hale immediately stepped between us.
\n\u201cKeep reading,\u201d Charlotte whispered.
\nI did.
\nBut Olivia changed the plan.
\nShe became emotionally involved with Daniel.
\nThen she became pregnant.
\nI stopped.
\nDaniel looked at me desperately.
\n\u201cWhat does it say about the baby?\u201d
\nI continued.
\nI do not know who the father is.
\nDaniel closed his eyes.
\nNeither Olivia nor I was willing to trust the other enough to test it.
\nMy throat went dry.
\nThat meant\u2026
\nRobert admitted there was a possibility.
\nCharlotte covered her mouth.
\nClearly, she hadn\u2019t known that part.
\nI looked at her.
\nHer face collapsed.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cCharlotte\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cHe told me the affair ended.\u201d
\nAgent Hale stepped closer.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer?\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cNo. No.\u201d
\nDaniel stared at the letter.
\n\u201cSo Robert was sleeping with Olivia too.\u201d
\nCharlotte slapped him again.
\nThis time Agent Hale caught her wrist before she could do it a third time.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer.\u201d
\n\u201cLet go of me.\u201d
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nShe pulled away.
\nI kept reading because I needed this nightmare to make sense.
\nThen I reached the final paragraph.
\nEmma, if Olivia disappears, do not believe Daniel when he tells you she ran away.
\nMy skin went cold.
\nDaniel stopped moving.
\nAgent Hale stepped toward me.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nI read aloud:
\n\u201cIf Olivia disappears, she is in danger.\u201d
\nCharlotte made a broken sound beside me.
\nI forced myself to continue.
\n\u201cAnd if I disappear too, the person responsible is someone both Daniel and I trusted.\u201d
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nThere was one final line.
\nOne name.
\nI stared at it.
\nMy heart began pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
\nAgent Hale noticed.
\n\u201cMrs. Foster?\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t speak.
\nDaniel stepped toward me.
\n\u201cEmma, whose name is it?\u201d
\nI raised my eyes.
\nBecause the person Robert Mercer had named wasn\u2019t a stranger.
\nIt wasn\u2019t Olivia.
\nIt wasn\u2019t Daniel.
\nAnd it wasn\u2019t anyone from his company that I had expected.
\nIt was someone I had personally invited into my home dozens of times.
\nSomeone who knew about my inheritance.
\nSomeone who knew about Daniel\u2019s affair before I did.
\nSomeone who had hugged me after my father died.
\nSomeone I trusted so completely that I had given her a spare key to my house.
\nDaniel stared at me.
\n\u201cEmma.\u201d
\nMy hand began trembling.
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\nI looked down at Robert\u2019s final sentence.
\nIf anything happens to Olivia or me, find Rebecca Sloan.
\nMy entire body went numb.
\nDaniel whispered:
\n\u201cRebecca?\u201d
\nAgent Hale immediately turned toward me.
\n\u201cYour attorney?\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t answer.
\nBecause at that exact moment\u2026
\nMy phone started ringing.
\nThe name glowing on the screen was:
\nREBECCA SLOAN\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n

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

CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ PART 4 \u2013 I cried as my husband left for Canada. Then I transferred $720,000 and filed divorce.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 3 \u2014 THE SECRET OLIVIA WAS HIDING \u201cThe baby might not be mine.\u201d I stared at Daniel through the doorbell camera. For several seconds, I honestly wondered whether I … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6752,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6747\/revisions\/6752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}