BENEATH THE BROKEN SURFACE SERIES
Chapter Two
Daniel didn’t answer her right away. He stared at the photo in his hand, the name “David” burning into his mind like an ember. Slowly, he set the picture down, his fingers trembling slightly—barely noticeable, but there.
Lily was still at the top of the stairs, unmoving. The silence between them stretched thin, taut like a wire ready to snap.
“You didn’t say where you were,” he said finally, his voice quieter than before. Lily tilted her head, her expression carefully composed. “I told you—I had things to take care of.”
He nodded, not believing her. “Is David one of those things?”
The color drained slightly from her face,
but she recovered quickly. “Daniel…” she began, but the words faltered. “That was years ago.” Years ago.
The phrase struck him harder than any admission. It confirmed everything he’d suspected, feared, but hadn’t dared articulate. She wasn’t denying it. Not really. He walked past the stairs without looking at her and into the living room, dropping into the worn leather armchair they’d picked out together during better days. He stared into the darkened window, his reflection hollow.
Lily slowly descended the stairs and stood at the threshold of the room. “It was before we were married,” she said, quietly. “You were… you were still seeing other people too.”
“And yet his name’s scribbled across the back of a photo you kept,” Daniel replied,
turning to face her now. “Hidden under mail. Not thrown away. Not forgotten.” She didn’t respond.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you seeing him now?” Her silence said more than words ever could.