After I Saw My Husband Kiss His Mistress

Synopsis

I found it by accident. Or maybe some part of me had been searching all along. Michael's phone pinged while he was in the shower. A casual glance at the screen turned into something else entirely when I noticed a notification from a photo app I'd never seen him use. He'd always been protective of his phone lately—a new habit I'd quietly cataloged along with the late nights at the office and the sudden work emergencies that pulled him away on weekends. The bathroom door was closed, steam curling beneath it. The shower still running. My fingers moved before my mind could catch up. The first few photos were innocuous—downtown Portland skylines, a coffee shop I didn't recognize, a sunset over the Willamette. Then I swiped again and my breath caught in my throat. A woman. Young—mid-twenties maybe. Honey-blonde hair falling in loose waves around a heart-shaped face. Her smile was radiant, confident. She was looking up at the camera with an intimacy that made my stomach clench. Her hand was stretched toward the photographer—toward Michael—fingers just visible at the edge of the frame. I clicked on the photo information. Rebecca Thompson. Taken three weeks ago. Rebecca. I'd never heard Michael mention that