She nodded.
“If I’d known, I never would’ve tried to throw it out. It’s beautiful, really.”
I gave her a short nod, and she smiled before heading upstairs. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as I thought.
Or maybe she was just better at hiding it.
For weeks, I watched the safe. The numbers kept dropping, a hundred here, two hundred there.
Meanwhile, Lena kept buying baby things: a crib, a rocking chair, clothes still with tags.
I never saw her take the money, but I couldn’t shake the thought that she was behind it.
Daniel started working late, claiming new projects. My frustration grew, not just with Lena’s spending, but with the way she smiled while my son worked himself to exhaustion.
One morning, I opened the safe and froze. Five thousand dollars were gone.
Not a few bills, a whole envelope. That was it. I’d had enough.
That afternoon, with Daniel at work and Lena at her mother’s, I went out and bought two hidden cameras, one facing the safe, the other in the hallway.
I needed the truth.
For days, nothing changed. Each night I checked the footage, same quiet house, same ordinary routines. I started to wonder if I was losing my mind.
Then, one Thursday morning, Daniel asked if I could drive Lena to her doctor’s appointment.
“I’ll be stuck at work all day,” he said. “Please, Dad, I’d really appreciate it.”
I didn’t want to, but she was carrying my grandchild. “Fine,” I said.
“Be ready at ten.”
On the way to the hospital, Lena stared out the window for most of the drive, until she finally said, “Harold, do you think Daniel still loves me?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“You and Maggie had real love. I could see it.”
I didn’t know what to say. “Do you love him?” I asked finally.
“Of course I do,” she said without hesitation.
“It’s just… lately, he barely looks at me. He stays late; he’s always tired. He doesn’t touch me anymore, not even a hug.” She paused, then quickly added, “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear that.”
“Daniel’s just trying to save money for the house.
He wants you and the baby to have everything you need.”
“Maybe you’re right. I just need to stop worrying.”
When we got back, she thanked me and went upstairs to rest. I went straight to my office.
I hadn’t checked the recordings in two days, and something told me to.
The first video showed Lena entering the room that morning. My pulse quickened as she approached the safe, but instead of opening it, she just wiped the dust off and left.
I exhaled and switched to the next clip, from when we were at the hospital. The hallway was empty at first.
Then Daniel appeared, though he was supposed to be at work, and a woman followed him in. I froze as he turned toward her and kissed her.
The office camera caught the rest. Daniel opened the safe, took a stack of cash, then left with her and went into his and Lena’s room.
I stared at the screen, my hands trembling. My own son, stealing from me and betraying his pregnant wife under my roof.
That evening, when Daniel came home, I was waiting in the living room. “We need to talk,” I said.
“Sure, Dad.
What’s wrong?”
“In my office,” I said.
Once the door closed behind him, I turned to face him. “I know you’ve been taking money from the safe.”
Daniel blinked. “That’s not true.”
I took a step closer.
“Then tell me, are you saving it for the house, or are you buying gifts for your girlfriend?”
“How did you find out?”
I ignored him. “How are you planning to tell Lena?”
“Dad, please—”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. I didn’t raise you to be a liar or a thief.”
“You can’t tell her.
Please. She’s pregnant, it’ll destroy her.”
Just then, the door opened. Lena stood in the doorway, her hand on her belly.
“Tell me what?”
Daniel turned pale. “Nothing, honey, it’s nothing—”
I exhaled. “It’s time you saw something,” I said, gesturing toward the desk.
“Come here.”
Lena walked closer, confused. I clicked play. The video filled the screen, and Lena’s hands flew to her mouth.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, then screamed, “I knew it! I knew you were cheating on me!”
Daniel reached toward her. “Lena, listen, I didn’t mean—”
“You didn’t mean?!” she cried.
“You said I stopped attracting you, didn’t you? Because I gained weight? Because I’m pregnant with your child?”
Daniel’s voice cracked.
“I’m a man, Lena. I have needs—”
“The only need you’ve got,” I cut in, “is to stop being such an idiot.”
Lena’s sobs turned into rage. “Get out!
Get out of this house!”
“This is my father’s house.”
I pointed to the door. “You’ve got five minutes to be gone.”
He looked at me, stunned, but I didn’t flinch. Within minutes, the front door slammed, and the house went silent again.
Lena sank into a chair, her shoulders shaking.
“What do I do now?”
I sat beside her. “You don’t worry. I’ll help you.
You and the baby.”
“But you wanted to travel, to honor Maggie’s memory.”
I smiled faintly. “There’s nothing more important than family. And Maggie would’ve killed me if I’d done otherwise.
If she’d seen what Daniel did… well, we’d be calling an ambulance for him.”
Lena let out a short, tearful laugh. “Thank you, Harold.” She leaned forward and hugged me. I froze for a second, then slowly wrapped my arms around her.
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