“What kind of favor?”
“I need you to stage a robbery.”
The words hung in the air like smoke.
The man stared at Daniel. “What?”
“A robbery,” Daniel repeated. “I need it to look like someone broke in and stole cash from our safe.”
The man laughed—a short, disbelieving sound. “Are you serious right now?”
“Completely serious.”
“Why the hell would you want me to do that?”
Daniel rubbed his face. He looked tired, stressed in a way I’d never seen before.
“Because I need the money,” he said quietly. “And my wife can’t know I took it.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the chest.
The man was shaking his head. “Dude, this is insane. You want me to help you steal from your own wife?”
“It’s not stealing,” Daniel snapped. “It’s our money. I just… I need it. And if she knows I took it, she’ll ask questions I can’t answer.”
“What kind of questions?”
Daniel was quiet for a long moment.
Then he said, almost too softly for the camera to pick up: “I’m in trouble, Marcus. Real trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Another pause.
“There’s someone else,” Daniel said finally. “I’ve been seeing someone.”
My world tilted.
I sat frozen in front of my laptop, the words echoing in my head.
There’s someone else.
I’ve been seeing someone.
On the screen, Marcus was staring at Daniel with the same stunned expression I imagined was on my own face.
“You’re cheating on Laura?” Marcus said. “Jesus Christ, man.”
“I know, I know,” Daniel said, running both hands through his hair. “I know how it sounds. But it just… it happened. I didn’t plan it.”
“How long?”
“About eight months.”
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