Page 8 of The Liar's Wife

“Thank you. I’m going to be opening my own business soon,” I said. I don’t know why I told him. Perhaps to gain further praise. Perhaps to show I didn’t need him.

“Well, if you need investors…” He pulled a card from his pocket.

“Th-thank you, Mr. Anderson.” I suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed for my outburst.

“Don’t back down, Ms. Lewis. It’s that fighter spirit I’m betting on. Don’t lose it.” With that, he walked past me, phone already out, and he was gone.

From her office, Dannika stood, thumbs up, a question on her expression. I looked down, noticing the dark patches on my blazer. I didn’t have time to talk. I hurried to my own office and grabbed my bags, then walked back to hers. I passed by Mr. Cumberland’s office, staring through the glass walls. His office was double the size of the rest of the offices, but unlike ours, his was empty. Impersonal. Plain. He had no family or friends to boast about on his walls. He barely looked up from his phone call, waving at me as I walked past.

“I’m heading out,” I told her. Her eyes traveled to the stains when I moved my arm from in front of my chest.

“Oh, my God. Do you need a jacket?”

“Do you have one?” I asked.

She jumped up, pulling hers from the back of her chair and wrapping it around me. “There you go. What happened?”

“We got the deal, but it took longer than expected,” I said. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow, okay? I just need to get to the car.”

“Pump while you drive, if you need to. I had to do it plenty of times.”

“Will you let Cumberland know I’m leaving early?”

“Honey, you just secured the biggest client of the year. Cumberland should be kissing your feet.” She giggled, tossing her braids over her shoulder. “Get home and snuggle that baby for me, okay?”

I nodded and darted from the office, planning to do just that.

Thirty-five minutes later, I parallel parked in front of the apartment building and pulled the bags of milk from my pump, careful not to spill any. I placed them carefully into the cooler, shoving my breasts back into my bra and stepping from the car. I crossed the quiet street and hurried up the stairs, twisting my key in the knob.

The apartment was eerily quiet.

“Ben?” I called in a whisper, setting my bags down on the sofa. I crossed through the living room and kitchen and down the hall, heading into the bedroom. “Are you guys napping?” I pushed open the bedroom door, my blood running cold.“Ben?”

The room was empty. I stepped back into the hall, pushing open the bathroom door. It was empty, too. Where were they?

The nursery was silent, no signs of life anywhere.

“Ben?” I called louder. Where could they be?

I walked back into the kitchen, opening the fridge. Gray’s milk was still in the fridge, only two bags missing.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and clicked on his name in my recent calls. My hands were shaking as I lifted the phone to my ear, ice-cold fear shooting through my body. The nagging feeling that something definitely was not right was back, rearing its ugly head with the memory of the suspicious phone call.

“Hey, it’s Ben. Sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now…”

I hung up, a lump in my throat.

Where is my baby?

Chapter Five

Idialed his number again, this time walking back toward the door. I was prepared to head to the police station, dial 911, something. Anything. Everything felt like simultaneously an overreaction and an underreaction.

It rang once before I heard his voice. This time, it wasn’t a recording.

“Hello?”

His voice sent shockwaves through me.“Ben?”