Daniel became the unwilling messenger between his parents.
Some days he was furious with Michael.
Other days, he defended him.
Sometimes he blamed Karen for not seeing the warning signs.
Whenever that happened, I reminded him that trusting your spouse wasn’t a crime.
He didn’t always appreciate the reminder.
Meanwhile, Karen started making changes.
She cut her hair.
She donated clothes she had kept for years because Michael once told her they looked good on her.
She enrolled in a small-business course at the community college.
And she began visiting commercial properties with her sister.
I knew about these things because she occasionally texted me.
At first, our messages were harmless.
Daniel says you still can’t cook rice without burning it.
Daniel is a known unreliable witness.
I have photographic evidence.
Then one Thursday evening, she sent me a picture of a small storefront with tall windows and a faded red door.
