Chapter 3
The villa was eerily quiet.
At exactly eight o'clock, my phone rang. It was Madeline.
Madeline said, "Babe, I have to entertain an important client tonight, so I won't be coming home. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
The background sounded pretty busy.
I could hear the clinking of glasses and soft music in the background.
Just then, I heard Noah's voice on the other end of the line.
"Babe, your skin is unbelievably soft." His tone was low and teasing.
He said it in flawless Vallorian.
He was so close to the phone that his voice sounded almost intimate in my ear.
Madeline's breath caught for a moment, then she whispered back in Vallorian, "Knock it off, I'm talking to my husband."
Noah didn't back off. Instead, he laughed even louder. "Isn't it more exciting if he hears us?"
My stomach twisted with nausea. I gripped my phone, trying to sound puzzled. "Madeline, what's going on? Who's that talking in the background?"
Madeline blurted out something in Vallorian, her voice quick and teasing. "I'm messing around behind your back, you little fool."
Then she took a deep breath and, in a sweet voice, switched back to English. "Nothing, just work stuff. Noah's just drunk and talking nonsense next to me. I can't talk now; the client's calling."
She hung up in a hurry.
She was really in a rush.
She couldn't even be bothered to make up a fresh lie.
Late at night, my phone buzzed with a video from an unknown number.
Madeline was in the silk pajamas I designed, her shoulder slipping out, looking effortlessly seductive.
Noah was behind her, giving the camera the finger.
There was a message in Vallorian: [Your wife is in my bed, screaming louder than she ever did with you. She says she misses you just to make it hotter.]
I played the video, leaving the sound on.
Listening to their obscene jokes, I felt strangely calm inside.
I saved the video.
It was probably pointless, but it was a little bonus for the big surprise I had in store for them.
On the afternoon of our fifth anniversary, I found myself at the swankiest designer boutique downtown.
Olivia stood next to me, holding two custom suits. Her face was ghostly pale, and she looked like she was struggling to say something.
Olivia had been Madeline's college roommate, and now she was her executive assistant.
For five years, Olivia had seen firsthand how I bent over backwards for Madeline.
"Alex," Olivia bit her lip, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you really going to wear this to the gala tonight?"
I looked up and closed the catalog. "What's wrong? Is the silver-gray suit not fitting right?"
"No, it's not that," Olivia said.
Olivia was clutching the edge of the suit so tightly her knuckles were white, barely holding it together.
She knew exactly what was coming tonight.
Madeline had already been showing off in her girlfriends' group chat.
Tonight, I wasn't the main event. The spotlight was on that Vallorian guy, Noah.
I was just the clown who got dragged in after they had their fun; the joke everyone laughed at once the real party was over.
Olivia looked like she was fighting an internal battle.
She kept looking like she was about to spill the truth.
But every time, she bit her tongue and kept quiet.
If she dared say a word, she'd lose her cushy job, and Madeline would come after her with a vengeance.
"Alex, maybe you shouldn't go tonight," Olivia finally said.
Olivia hesitated for a long moment, then gathered up her courage and forced the words out, her face pale and tense.
She said, "Your stomach's been acting up lately, and there's bound to be a lot of drinking at the gala. It's really not good for you."
It was such a lame, sad excuse. It almost made me feel sorry for her.
I stood up and took the silver-gray suit from her. "It's our fifth anniversary. Madeline even planned a special surprise for me. There's no way I'd miss it."
When I said surprise, Olivia was on the verge of tears, barely holding it together.
She turned her head, avoiding my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Alex," she whispered, her voice trembling.
I patted her shoulder. "Don't apologize. Just wait for me outside. I'll get changed."
I stepped into the changing room and pulled the curtain shut.
I took off my old clothes and slipped into the crisp suit.
The fit was flawless.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
Five years really aged me. There were fine lines at the corners of my eyes, and the tired look from years of late-night sketching was written all over my face.
But after tonight, it would all be over.
I took out my phone and checked on the program running quietly in the background.
The countdown had already started.
Four hours left.
The secure link to the main control room was up, and every video and file was lined up, ready to go.
I let out a cold, bitter laugh.
When I walked out in the suit, Olivia was stunned for a moment, just staring at me.
"Alex, you look amazing in that suit," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I straightened my cuffs. "Let's go. It's time for the gala. After all, I'm the star of the show tonight."
On the way, Olivia excused herself to use the restroom and slipped off to a quiet corner of the mall.
I stood behind a pillar, catching every word as she called Madeline. "Madeline, are you really going to be this cold? Alex is still hoping for tonight's anniversary. He's bent over backwards for you these past five years"
Madeline's voice came through, sharp and impatient. "That's enough, Olivia. Just stick to your job. And remember: don't let him out until after I've introduced Noah."