May looked up at her immediately. Then she smiled and pointed.

“Mommy,” she said loudly, “that’s the lady who bites.”

I laughed automatically because the sentence made absolutely no sense.

But Richard stopped walking.

Slowly, he turned around and looked directly at May.

“What do you mean by that, sweetheart?” he asked.

I laughed nervously.

“She’s four. She invents things.”

But Richard kept staring at her.

“The lady who bites?” he repeated. “May, tell me why you call her that.”

Every instinct in me wanted to shut the conversation down. But May smiled proudly and answered.

“She bites her ring when she takes Daddy’s phone,” May said.

The entire patio went silent.

Daniel’s smile disappeared. I turned toward him slowly.

“What phone?” I asked quietly.

May looked confused, as though all the adults were being slow.

“Daddy’s shiny phone. The one he keeps in his sock drawer. The pretty lady comes to our house when you take me to ballet. She sits on the couch and bites her ring and says, ‘Don’t worry, he’ll never know.’”

Cold spread through my entire body.

Vanessa stood completely still. Richard looked at his wife, then at Daniel.

Daniel opened his mouth, but no words came out. I crouched beside May, forcing my voice to stay calm.

“Sweetheart,” I said, “when did you see Vanessa at our house?”

May shrugged.