It all came together in her mind in an instant. The ruby necklace in the car must have been for this woman and not for her. The weekends and late nights at work were nights he spent with her. The size of this house and its staff were for her comfort. He must have brought her here today because the wife and staff were all away. All of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together for her and she was appalled at her predicament.
She remembered his hesitation when they first met. She also remembered how a shadow sometimes passed over his face when they advanced to a deeper stage of their relationship. Aliyah thought about how most of their nights of passion happened in her tiny apartment when he had this grand house and how he spent more time with her in hotels and the cabin than in his own bed. Once she thought of it, she realized that they still had never slept together in his bed. They had made love in a guest bedroom on the third floor. The only explanation that made sense was that the woman in the pictures was his wife.
