Chapter 4

I waited until Michael left for his morning run before reaching for his phone again. The weight of it felt heavier in my palm than it should have, as if laden with all the secrets it contained. My fingers trembled slightly as I navigated to the call history, expecting to find Rebecca's name or at least that telling 'R' that had appeared yesterday.

Nothing.

The entire call log had been wiped clean. No incoming calls, no outgoing calls—not even work-related ones that should have legitimately been there. The text messages were similarly sanitized, showing only conversations with colleagues and a…