Frank had opened it several years earlier, after yet another search at the company. Nina had access to it. She’d never gone there even once. She hadn’t cared.
But now…
Nina glanced at the clock. The bank was still open. If Frank was hiding something, what were the chances it’d be there?This was her only clear shot.
She couldn’t get into his office safe. And he could’ve had a dozen hiding places. But the safe deposit box… If she were in his place, that’s exactly where she’d stashsomething deeply incriminating.
Her heart thudded heavily in her chest as she grabbed her purse and keys. She drove fast, barely caring about the traffic laws. One thought kept spinning in her head.
"This is just paranoia, Nina. You won’t find anything. Frank’s just an ordinary guy who went out with his friends, got drunk, lied to his wife, and that’s all."
Then why was she so terrified?
At the bank, she went up to the counter and gave the number of the box. A routine procedure. After verifying her authorization, no one asked any questions.
“By the way,” the teller added with a polite smile,“your authorization expires in a week. Your husband hasn’t renewed it.”
Nina’s pulse spiked.
“He hasn’t?” she asked, forcing herself to stay calm.
“No,” the girl nodded.“So if you’d like to keep access, you’ll need to discuss it with him.”
Nina made herself smile.
“I will,” she said, slipping her ID back into her purse.
She was led into a small private room with a heavy door and left alone.
A metal box was set in front of her.
She hesitated for a second.
It wasn’t too late to turn back. What she was doing was low. Digging for dirt on a husband who hadn’t given her a single reason for distrust in twenty years. She should’ve been grateful to him. For his patience. For how well he treated her. For marrying her at all. He’d taken on a damaged, broken girl, shielding her — and the family — from disgrace.
But something inside her wouldn’t let go.
Nina inserted the key, turned it, slid the box out, and froze.
Everything looked… normal.
Stacks of cash lay on top, bound with bank bands. Under them were folders with documents. She even let out a small breath of relief. Just the usual things people kept in safe deposit boxes. Nothing criminal.
She kept sifting through the papers. And then she found the one thing she least expected to see.
A birth certificate.
Not their daughter’s.
Nina went completely still, as if she’d been struck. Slowly, like in a dream, she took the document into her hands.
Name of child: Ethan Osborne.
The air punched out of her lungs.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her heart began to hammer wildly, a sharp ringing filled her ears. She scanned further.
Mother: Vivian Hayes.
