Chapter 5: The Lies Beneath

The rest of the afternoon passed in silence.

Patricia and Alison remained parked several blocks away, watching Alex's car disappear into Nakuru traffic.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Both were trying to make sense of what they had witnessed.

The affair was real.

That much was no longer in doubt.

But the scene at the café had raised even more questions.

Why would Fiona kiss another man in front of Alex?

Who was the wealthy stranger in the Range Rover?

And what was inside the brown envelope?

Patricia leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

The old Patricia would have been crying.

The new Patricia was thinking.

"You're frightening me."

Patricia opened her eyes.

Alison was watching her.

"What?"

"You've been quiet for ten minutes."

Patricia managed a faint smile.

"I'm learning."

"Learning what?"

"How to stop loving someone blindly."

Alison reached over and squeezed her hand.

The gesture almost brought tears to Patricia's eyes.

Almost.

But she refused to cry.

Not today.

Not anymore.

That evening, Alex returned home unusually cheerful.

The transformation was almost shocking.

Only the previous night, he had seemed frustrated and withdrawn.

Now he walked through the door whistling.

Actually whistling.

Patricia watched him carefully as she stirred vegetables in the kitchen.

The children immediately noticed the difference.

"Daddy is happy today," Faith whispered.

Patricia forced a smile.

"Maybe."

Alex entered the kitchen moments later.

"Something smells good."

Patricia nearly laughed.

For weeks, he had ignored her cooking.

Today, he was suddenly interested.

"What happened?" she asked.

Alex froze briefly.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem happy."

His smile widened.

"I had a good day."

Patricia nodded.

"A job interview?"

"Exactly."

The lie came effortlessly.

Too effortlessly.

For the first time, Patricia realized just how much practice he must have had.

"What company?"

Alex reached for a glass of water.

"Just a small consulting firm."

"Name?"

He hesitated.

Only for a second.

But Patricia caught it.

"Why are you suddenly interested?"

"I was just asking."

Alex shrugged.

"Nothing serious yet."

Another lie.

Patricia already knew he hadn't attended any interview.

Yet hearing him lie directly to her face felt strangely liberating.

Because now she understood something important.

The problem wasn't her.

It never had been.

The problem was Alex.

Later that night, after the children had fallen asleep, Patricia sat alone on the veranda.

The cool Nakuru air brushed against her skin.

The distant lights of the city sparkled beneath the darkness.

She used to dream here.

Dream about buying a home.

Dream about traveling.

Dream about growing old beside Alex.

Now those dreams felt like stories belonging to someone else.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Alison.

I found something.

Patricia sat upright immediately.

What?

The response arrived seconds later.

Meet me tomorrow morning. It's important.

Patricia's pulse quickened.

Tell me now.

A long pause followed.

Then:

Alex didn't just empty your account.

Patricia stared at the screen.

Her heartbeat accelerated.

What do you mean?

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Then appeared again.

Finally, Alison sent the message.

There are three other accounts linked to his name.

Patricia felt the blood drain from her face.

Three accounts?

What accounts?

They barely had enough money to survive.

Where would additional accounts come from?

Another message arrived.

And one of them received nearly two million shillings last month.

Patricia nearly dropped the phone.

Two million?

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Unless...

A terrible thought entered her mind.

The business loan.

The missing funds.

The betting venture Alex had been talking about.

The secret meetings.

The brown envelope.

Suddenly, pieces began falling into place.

But the picture they formed was horrifying.

The next morning arrived far too slowly.

Patricia hardly slept.

By eight o'clock, she was seated inside Alison's law office in Nakuru CBD.

Stacks of files covered the desk.

Certificates decorated the walls.

The smell of fresh coffee filled the room.

Alison closed the office door behind her.

Then she placed a folder on the desk.

Patricia stared at it.

"What is that?"

"Evidence."

Her stomach tightened.

Alison opened the folder.

Several documents appeared.

Bank statements.

Transaction records.

Property inquiries.

Patricia's hands trembled as she examined them.

The figures seemed unreal.

Large deposits.

Large withdrawals.

Frequent transfers.

Thousands.

Hundreds of thousands.

Millions.

Her breathing became shallow.

"How long?"

Alison sighed.

"Almost eleven months."

Patricia closed her eyes.

Eleven months.

While she struggled to buy food.

While electricity bills accumulated.

While school fees became a nightmare.

Alex had access to money.

A lot of money.

The betrayal felt deeper than the affair.

Far deeper.

Because this wasn't about love.

This was about deception.

Deliberate deception.

"There's more."

Patricia looked up.

Alison's expression had become grave.

Very grave.

The kind lawyers wore before delivering bad news.

"What?"

Alison slid another document across the desk.

Patricia picked it up.

At first, she didn't understand what she was seeing.

Then her eyes landed on a specific line.

And everything stopped.

The document was a property purchase agreement.

The buyer's name:

Alex Midila.

The property location:

Milimani Estate, Nakuru.

Purchase price:

KSh 18.5 Million.

Patricia stared in disbelief.

"No."

Alison nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"No."

"He bought a house."

Patricia's world tilted.

The room seemed smaller.

Colder.

Impossible.

Eighteen million?

Alex couldn't even pay rent.

Or so she thought.

Then her gaze drifted lower.

Toward the intended co-owner section.

The space where a spouse's name should have appeared.

Instead, another name had been entered.

A name Patricia now hated.

Fiona Lawama.

For several seconds, silence filled the office.

Then Patricia laughed.

A soft laugh.

Broken.

Disbelieving.

Dangerous.

Alison immediately recognized it.

"What are you thinking?"

Patricia slowly placed the document on the desk.

When she looked up again, something had changed in her eyes.

The hurt was still there.

But it was no longer alone.

Now it shared space with determination.

Cold determination.

"He wants a new life."

Alison nodded.

"It appears so."

Patricia stood.

Then walked toward the window overlooking Nakuru town.

Vehicles moved below.

People hurried through their daily lives.

Completely unaware that her marriage was ending.

"Fine," she said quietly.

Alison frowned.

"Fine?"

Patricia turned.

A calm smile appeared on her face.

The kind that frightened lawyers.

The kind that frightened enemies.

The kind born from finally having nothing left to lose.

"If Alex wants a new life..."

She paused.

"...then I'll make sure he pays for the old one."

At that exact moment, neither sister noticed the black SUV parked across the street.

Inside it sat Fiona Lawama.

Watching the office.

Watching Patricia.

Smiling.

Because Patricia had just stepped onto a battlefield she didn't even know existed.