She turned to the final section of the folder and showed me a document connected to a property purchase. My name appeared beside Marcus’s, and the date was only a few days earlier. According to Vivian, the property was intended to become part of a business arrangement that would have placed additional financial obligations under my name. The signatures appeared to have been submitted without my consent. I looked at Marcus, whose face had lost every trace of color. “You were going to put more debt in my name?” I asked. He rubbed his forehead. “I was trying to fix everything. I had investments that didn’t work out. I thought I could make the money back.” Vivian calmly explained that investigators believed the proposed transaction could have created further problems for me. The engagement ring, the expensive dinner, and the romantic proposal suddenly seemed even more disturbing. Marcus had planned to make a public promise to another woman while still legally married to me and while documents bearing my name were being used in questionable financial arrangements. I finally understood that the evening wasn’t simply about betrayal. It was about how close I had come to losing far more than my marriage.

The officers then informed Marcus that he needed to accompany them for further questioning. He turned toward me, desperation replacing his anger. “Natalie, please. Don’t let them take me. We can talk about this at home.” I looked at him for a long moment. “Home?” I repeated. “You mean the place where you lied to me every day?” He stepped closer, but the officer stopped him. The blonde woman remained beside the booth, crying quietly. She removed the ring box from the table and pushed it away from herself. “You told me you were going to give me a new life,” she said. “You didn’t even tell me the truth about the one you already had.” Marcus tried to respond, but she turned away. As the officers escorted him toward the entrance, the restaurant remained silent. Nobody clapped, nobody whispered loudly, and nobody seemed interested in their food anymore. I sat motionless, staring at the untouched sea bass in front of me. Five years of marriage had ended in a single evening, but the truth was that the marriage had been falling apart long before I walked into that restaurant.