Chapter 2

Noah turned and headed into the bathroom. Soon enough, the shower started up with the sound of water splashing inside.

The living room fell silent. I turned my head and stared at his phone, lying face down on the coffee table.

I wondered if I should check it.

What if I was just overthinking it?

But all those little oddities were like puzzle pieces slowly coming together in my mind, pointing to a possibility I didn't even want to imagine.

After a few seconds of struggling with myself, I reached out with a trembling hand and picked up his phone.

I took a deep breath and opened his WhatsApp.

Scrolling through his contacts, I quickly found my mother-in-law's profile, saved as "Mom."

But right below that, there was a "Mommy."

It felt like my blood froze on the spot. I tapped on the "Mommy."

The profile picture wasn't my mother-in-law. Instead, it was a woman with a smoking hot body. She had a confident smile, and the background looked like a gym.

My fingers moved on their own, scrolling up through their chat history.

It hadn't been going on for long, just the past month. But the more I read, my heart just kept sinking.

There was a selfie of her in skimpy pajamas, striking a flirty pose for the camera.

Scrolling up even more, I felt like I'd just been hit by a bolt of lightning.

The chat said: [Just trust me, okay? Cut down on the Coke and spend more time at the gym. That stuff's no good for men, and definitely not for you.]

So that was where he got that line from!

I kept scrolling and found another message: [How do those new undies I bought you feel?]

Noah messaged back: [They're awesome. Way more comfortable than the ones my wife gets me.]

There was even a chat about that romance drama. It turned out Noah had only been watching it so he'd have something to talk about with her.

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold onto the phone.

Just as I was about to scroll further, the sound of the shower stopped.

I quickly exited the chat, locked the screen, and put the phone back on the coffee table exactly as it was. Then I sat back down on the couch and started channel surfing, trying to look casual.

Noah walked out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair. Seeing me still watching TV, he casually asked, "Not going to bed yet?"

"Soon," I replied.

"I'm heading to bed then." He yawned and walked into the bedroom.

I didn't call him out right away. I didn't have enough proof yet, or maybe I just wanted to see how long he'd keep pretending right under my nose.

From that day forward, I kept a close eye on him, playing it cool the whole time.

Noah began going to the gym more frequently. He used to go maybe once a week, but now it was almost every day. Even when he got home late from work, he'd still change into his workout gear and head out for an hour before coming back.

The next day, I stopped to fill up my car and absentmindedly opened the glove compartment, looking for a tissue to wipe my hands.

Instead, my fingers closed around a tube of lip tint. I had no clue what brand it was, and the color was a bold orange-red. I had never used this shade.

Clutching the lip tint in my palm, I quickly texted Erin, my friend who works the desk at the police station.

I asked: [Erin, can you do me a favor?]

She replied almost instantly: [What's up?]

[Can you look up this ID number and see if Noah Decker has checked into any hotels in the past month?] I sent Noah's ID number over.

There was a brief pause, and then Erin sent me a screenshot. Every entry was Noah, just with different dates and hotels.

Staring at that screenshot, any last shred of hope I had left just crumbled. Every clue fit together, and all the questions I'd been asking finally had answers.

I didn't cry. I just calmly saved the screenshot and deleted the chat with Erin.

Strangely enough, now that the truth was laid bare, all that was left inside me was emptiness.

That evening, Noah changed into his workout clothes as usual, getting ready to head out.

"Going to the gym again?" I leaned against the doorframe, keeping my tone light.

"Yeah, just working off dinner," he said while lacing up his sneakers. "If you're bored, just flip on the TV."

"Sure." I smiled. "Drive safe."

As soon as his car disappeared around the corner, I hurried back inside, changed into something low-key, pulled on a hat and mask, grabbed my keys, and slipped out after him.

He didn't head to the gym near our place. The one he used to visit once in a while. Instead, he drove clear across town and parked outside a place called "Powerhouse Fitness."

I parked my car at a spot farther away and watched as he got out and waited by the entrance.

Not even two minutes later, a woman in a gray workout tank stepped out of another car, slipped her arm through Noah's, and together they walked inside.