GODSFALL

The Morning After

Priya arrived at eight forty-five with two coffees, a paper bag of egg tarts and a look on her face that meant she had seen something online. This look was a sign that she was thinking about whether or not to bring it up.

She had been Lenas assistant for two years now. In these two years, Priya had learned how to manage things that Lena did not see coming. She was really good at it. Priya could read a room without trying. She knew when to be calm and when to be the one who walked up to a problem and dealt with it.

Today was one of those days. Lena knew it soon as she saw the coffees. Priya only brought two coffees when she needed Lena to really listen to her.

"Morning," Lena said. She was sitting in a chair, where she had been since four in the morning. She had given up on sleep. Moved out of the bedroom because lying there felt like being stuck in a question with no answer.

"Morning," Priya said. She put the coffee down. Looked at Lena. "You are still wearing the dress."

"I know, " Lena said.

"Okay," Priya said. She sat on the edge of the sofa, which was not her spot. This was the posture she used when they needed to talk about something. "So before I start, I have one question."

"Priya—"

"One question," Priya said. "Is Ethan here?"

Lena looked at the bedroom door. "No, he is not."

"Alright," Priya said. She picked up her coffee. "The photo of Marcus. I want to talk about that."

"I already know about it," Lena said.

"The photo has been shared sixty-three thousand times as of this morning," Priya said. "It was at eleven thousand shares four hours ago. There is already an article about it on one of the business sites. They are calling it 'the romantic act of female loyalty since—'"

"You can stop there," Lena said.

"Yeah," Priya said. She watched Lena carefully. "Do you want to tell me what really happened?"

Lena looked at the bedroom at the papers on the pillow. "There are divorce papers in there " she said. "On the pillow."

There was a silence.

"Right, " Priya said.

"He was already gone when I got back," Lena said. "He left the papers there with a card." She picked up her coffee, which was still too hot, and drank it anyway. "The card said he heard everything."

"Heard everything," Priya repeated slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It means my phone must have been on when I was at the hospital," Lena said. "He must have been listening to everything."

Priya went quiet, which meant she was thinking. She was really good at processing information. Lena had come to depend on this ability even if she did not say it loud.

"Okay," Priya finally said. "So, he is not answering his phone."

"No," Lena said.

"You have tried all of his numbers," Priya said.

"Yes I have." Lena said. "Every number goes straight to voicemail. He is good at disappearing when he wants to. I have known that about him for three years. I never thought about what it meant."

Priya nodded slowly. Then she said, "Can I say something you might not want to hear?"

"You are going to say it anyways," Lena said.

"The reason I came over this morning before you even called me, before all of this " Priya said. She reached into her bag. Held out her phone. "I found something last night. While everyone was talking about the photo of Marcus I started looking into things. I just like to look you know?"

"I do, " Lena said.

"Some things came up that felt off " Priya said. "Not scary just strange. His company registration does not go back than four years. The company is real. There is no history before that. His name—" She stopped and looked at Lena with a mix of guilt and excitement. "Lena, Ethan Cross is not his name."

It was not a question, a statement.

Lena stared at her. "What?"

"I know, I know, " Priya said. She turned her phone around. "I was up until three in the morning looking into it. What I have is not proof. I have a feeling and some papers that do not quite add up. There are some records that do not line up and—"

"Priya," Lena said.

"Yeah," Priya said.

"Tell me what you found, " Lena said.

Priya took a breath. Then in a tone, she said, "I think your husband has another identity. A real one. I think Ethan Cross is the name he used for the life he built with you and whoever he was before that whatever his real name is it is something entirely." She looked at Lena. "I think there are people out there who know exactly what it is. I just do not think you are one of them."

Lena looked at the papers on the pillow. At the card next to them.

Then she looked back at Priya.

"Show me, " she said.