She called me on Friday afternoon. Her voice was steady, which scared me more than tears would have.
"I called the number," she said. "A woman answered. She said she was Daniel's girlfriend. She said they've been together for three years. She said he told her he was going to marry a rich girl to get the money and then come back to her."
I sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm sorry."
"He denied it. I confronted him, and he said the woman is crazy, that she's an ex, that she's obsessed. He said the apartment is old, that he only goes there to see the daughter, that the daughter is his." Her voice broke. "His daughter, Mom. He has a four-year-old daughter, and he never told me."
I didn't say anything. I let her breathe.
"I asked him about the deposits. He said it was consulting. I asked h
