Chapter 8 - Secrets From The Past Unfold
Back at the house, Dean pulled open Maren’s old desk drawer, searching for any legal or personal documents from their separation period. His fingers brushed against a leather-bound journal hidden beneath a stack of old utility bills.
He flipped open the cover, recognizing Maren’s neat cursive handwriting detailing the darkest months of their marriage. Entries from two years ago described the emotional distance, the trial separation, and the loneliness that nearly broke her spirit.
Then he turned to the page dated November fourteenth, the exact time frame corresponding to Theo’s conception timeline. The entry mentioned a man named Aaron Reed, a former college acquaintance who had worked at the local bookstore downtown.
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“Aaron,” Dean muttered the name like a curse, reading how Aaron had comforted Maren during their temporary split. There were no declarations of undying love, just mutual vulnerability that resulted in a single night of catastrophic mistake.
Dean slammed the journal shut, his chest heaving as he realized Maren had tried to bury the secret forever. He grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter, determined to find out everything about this dead man who had invaded his life.
