“I guess that depends on what outcome you were hoping for.”
He sighed. “I thought I knew. Now, I’m not so sure. Whatever it is, just tell me.”
“I believe she’s having an affair with him.”
The silence this time was longer. When Ollie spoke again, there was a gruffness to his voice that caught Maude off-guard. “What makes you think that?”
“I did a deep dive into Nyland. Found his Instagram account, which was private, but got him to friend me—not me, Maude, but one of my dummy accounts—and that let me see his content. I found the username EmSells commenting on all of his posts. So I researched that. Her account was private, too, but she accepted another of my dummy accounts, and it was Emily. He was commenting on all of her posts, and some of the comments were borderline explicit.”
Ollie sighed softly in the background.
“I have screenshots and downloads to back this all up but it looks like it started about a year ago.”
“That tracks,” Ollie said quietly.
“Based on the comments that they’ve left for each other and one incriminating photo that I don’t think they realize is online, it’s pretty undeniable evidence that they’re more than co-workers.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Oliver? Are you okay?” She should have done this face to face. She should be there to comfort him.
“Yeah,” came his soft reply. “How could she do this? He’s a kid. He’s probably not much older than Harper.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this. I know it’s not good news.”
“No, you did great. I owe you. Is there anything else I should know?”
She exhaled. “I think Emily might have bought Derek a condo.”
“Seriously?” There was anger in his voice now. He inhaled, deeply. “Okay, that’s actually good news.”
She made a face, shocked by that reaction. “It is?”
“Means she lied in her financial disclosures for the divorce. And according to my attorney, if there’s enough evidence, the property division can be reopened. This could mean…I don’t know what, but something. Can you email all of this stuff to me? Or to my attorney? He might want it directly from you, I don’t know.”
“Sure.” She felt a bit like she’d opened a can of worms, but she’d done what he asked.
“I might at least be able to get Milo back. That’s my dog.”
Nowthatchanged things. “She kept your dog?”
“Made a huge point of it. Said the kids needed him for an emotional support animal. Except he’s always been my dog. I love my kids, but Harper wanted a cat and Nolan wanted a bearded dragon.”
“Golden retriever sounds like a great compromise.”
Ollie snorted. “Listen, I owe you and I mean that. Not just because you found all this stuff but because I know now that I can stop blaming myself for this divorce.”
She smiled. “Good. I’m glad about that.”
“You know, we could go to dinner sooner. Like tomorrow night. Anywhere you want to go. Whatever you want to eat. Lobster, caviar, anything.”
“Sushi?”
“We’ll get the biggest boat they have.”
She laughed. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll text you what my attorney says. And for tomorrow, how about I pick you up around six?”
