Chapter 1 - The Closet Door OpenedLaura Bennett had spent eight months learning exactly how long it took her husband to get home.
On weekdays, Daniel rarely walked through the front door before six-thirty. On Thursdays, his meetings usually ran later. When he took their seven-year-old daughter Sophie to an appointment, he always stopped for lunch afterward.
That was why Laura had believed they had time.
She sat on the edge of the pale-covered bed in the master bedroom, the cream silk of her nightgown catching the warm daylight filtering through the curtains.
Mark Cole sat beside her.
His dark-blue shirt was slightly wrinkled. One arm rested around Laura's waist, but there was frustration in his face rather than tenderness.
"When are you finally divorcing him?"
Laura's fingers moved slowly across his chest.
"Soon."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
"Laura, I've been hearing 'soon' for months."
She smiled.
"Just give me a little more time."
Mark stared at her.
"How much more?"
Laura was about to answer when the bedroom doorknob turned.
Her smile vanished.
For one frozen second, neither of them moved.
Then Laura shot to her feet.
"My husband."
"What?"
"Daniel's home."
Mark stood so quickly that his knee struck the bed frame.
Laura grabbed his arm.
"Closet. Now."
"Laura—"
"Go!"
She dragged him toward the large wardrobe.
Mark squeezed himself between hanging jackets and dresses while Laura pushed his shoulder deeper inside.
Footsteps approached from the hallway.
And another voice.
A child's voice.
Sophie.
Laura's panic sharpened.
She pulled the wardrobe doors closed.
She never noticed that a small strip of Mark's dark-blue shirt remained trapped between them.
The bedroom door opened.
Daniel walked in wearing the same light shirt and dark trousers he'd left in that morning.
Sophie came beside him, swinging a small paper bag from the pharmacy.
Laura immediately smoothed her hair.
The frightened woman vanished.
In her place appeared Daniel's wife.
Warm.
Relaxed.
Perfectly ordinary.
"Hey, honey. You're home."
Daniel smiled.
"We got back early."
"Oh."
For less than a second, Laura's eyes widened.
Then she smiled again.
"How was the appointment?"
"Easy. Apparently somebody was very brave."
Sophie grinned.
"I didn't even cry."
"You absolutely didn't."
Daniel kissed the top of his daughter's head.
Laura laughed softly, but her attention kept drifting toward the wardrobe.
Daniel noticed nothing.
Sophie did.
She stopped swinging the paper bag.
A piece of blue fabric was sticking out between the wardrobe doors.
She tilted her head.
Laura followed her gaze.
Her stomach dropped.
"Sophie."
The girl stepped toward the wardrobe.
"What is that?"
"Sophie, don't—"
Too late.
Sophie grabbed the exposed fabric.
She pulled.
The wardrobe door swung open.
Mark stumbled forward from between Laura's clothes.
His shoulder struck the door.
A hanger fell to the floor.
Then came silence.
Daniel's expression disappeared.
Laura went completely pale.
Mark straightened slowly.
Sophie looked up at him.
Instead of screaming, she smiled in recognition.
"Uncle Mark?"
Daniel's eyes moved toward his friend.
Mark lowered his gaze.
Sophie looked from Mark to her mother and then back again.
"Why were you hiding in Mommy's closet?"
No one answered.
The child's innocent voice somehow made the silence worse.
Daniel looked at Laura.
Then Mark.
Then the bed.
Two small depressions remained on the pale bedding where Laura and Mark had been sitting.
Understanding moved across Daniel's face one piece at a time.
Laura took a step toward him.
"Daniel—"
He raised one hand.
She stopped.
Mark swallowed.
"Dan, I can—"
"Don't."
Daniel's voice was so quiet that Mark immediately fell silent.
Sophie looked confused.
"Daddy?"
Daniel forced himself to look at his daughter instead of the man he'd known for fifteen years.
"It's okay, sweetheart."
"But why was Uncle Mark hiding?"
Daniel couldn't answer that.
Not yet.
Laura stepped forward.
"Sophie, why don't you go downstairs and—"
"No."
Daniel's eyes remained on Laura.
His voice was still controlled.
"Don't tell her what to do right now."
Laura froze.
Sophie hugged the paper bag against her chest.
Daniel crouched beside her.
"Hey, Soph. Can you go to your room for a few minutes?"
"Am I in trouble?"
The question broke something inside him.
"No."
"Because I opened the closet?"
"You did nothing wrong."
"Mommy said don't."
Daniel glanced at Laura.
"You did absolutely nothing wrong."
Sophie nodded uncertainly.
Then she started toward the hallway.
At the doorway, she stopped.
She looked back at Mark.
"Oh."
Everyone turned toward her.
Sophie smiled innocently.
"I forgot."
Daniel's chest tightened.
"Forgot what?"
"Uncle Mark doesn't have to hide anymore, right?"
Laura's face changed.
Mark closed his eyes.
Daniel slowly stood.
"What do you mean anymore?"
Sophie seemed surprised by the question.
"Because Mommy said we weren't supposed to tell you when Uncle Mark came over."
Nobody moved.
Daniel stared at his daughter.
"He's been here before?"
Sophie nodded.
"Lots of times."
Laura whispered, "Sophie—"
Daniel turned toward his wife.
This time, there was something in his eyes that made her stop breathing.
The closet hadn't exposed one terrible afternoon.
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It had exposed a life Daniel hadn't known he was living.
And suddenly he needed to know exactly how long everyone in that room had been lying to him.
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