Chapter 2
That night, I barely slept a wink.
Jessica lay beside me, breathing evenly, like nothing had ever happened.
I just stared up at the ceiling, the doctor's words and that contact saved as "Howard" flashing through my mind again and again.
It was past two in the morning when I rolled over and glanced at her.
Jessica had her phone hidden under her pillow.
She never did that before.
Ever since we got married, we'd always known each other's phone passwords.
But somewhere along the line, she started keeping her distance from me—even when she didn't mean to.
She started bringing her phone with her every time she showered.
She began setting her phone to silent at night.
Whenever I walked over while she was texting, she'd quickly hide the screen.
Back then, I just thought I was overthinking it.
But now, thinking about it, every little detail was a giant red flag screaming that something was seriously wrong.
The next morning, I went to work like nothing had happened.
I ran a building materials trading company. It was nothing fancy, but things had been going pretty smoothly these past few years.
As soon as I got to my office, I had the finance manager come in.
"Mr. Brooks, what can I do for you?"
"Can you pull up Jessica's supplementary card spending records for the last two years?" I asked.
The finance manager paused, looking a bit taken aback.
"All of them?" she asked.
"All of them," I replied.
Seeing how serious I looked, she didn't ask any more questions.
Half an hour later, an electronic bill landed in my inbox.
I opened the file.
At first, I just wanted to skim through it.
But the more I scrolled, the more my frown deepened.
In the past two years, Jessica's spending was obviously much higher than before.
She went to high-end restaurants, bought jewelry, shopped in designer stores, and frequented beauty salons.
That all made sense to me.
Our family's finances were solid, and I'd never put any limits on her spending.
But a lot of the dates on these purchases just didn't make sense.
Last September 12th, there was a charge at a fancy foreign restaurant—over 700 dollars.
But that night, Jessica told me she was working late at the office.
I even ordered her some late-night food.
Last December 26th, there was a charge for afternoon coffee at a five-star hotel—over 600 dollars.
And that day, she told me she was just out shopping with her bestie.
Then there was March of this year.
She dropped over 9,000 dollars at a luxury boutique.
I asked her what she bought.
She claimed it was just makeup.
No way makeup could cost that much.
Every single transaction was laid out in front of me.
The more I scrolled, the more my heart just kept sinking.
If it was just once or twice, maybe I could've let it slide.
But this wasn't just a fluke—it kept happening, again and again.
There were just too many red flags for me to keep lying to myself.
At noon, I printed out a few of the suspicious charges and stuffed them in a folder.
Then I gave my bank manager a call.
We'd known each other for years.
After a quick chat, I got straight to the point.
"I need a favor," I said.
"Sure, Mr. Brooks, what is it?" he replied.
"Can you pull up the transaction slips for a few of these charges?" I asked.
"No problem," he replied.
By four in the afternoon, the files were in my inbox.
I opened the first photo.
My finger froze mid-swipe.
Right next to the transaction slip was a snapshot from the store's security camera.
The image was kind of blurry.
But there was no mistaking it—that was Jessica.
She was wearing a white dress.
There was a bright smile on her face.
And right beside her stood a man, close enough to touch.
His hand was casually draped around her waist.
It was so natural, like he'd done it a hundred times before.
The way they stood—way too close, definitely not just friends.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from that photo.
It felt like a rock was sitting on my chest.
We'd been married for five years.
It'd been ages since I saw Jessica smile like that.
It wasn't a polite smile.
It wasn't a forced or social grin, either.
It was pure, genuine happiness.
Once upon a time, that kind of smile was meant for me alone.
I saved the photo.
Then I called up a friend.
He ran a private investigation firm.
Most of the time, he handled corporate background checks.
"Hey, Michael, what brings you to me today?" he asked.
"Can you dig up some info on someone for me?" I said.
"Who?" he asked.
I paused for a moment.
"Start with this number," I said.
Then I sent him Howard's number.
"How long will it take?" I asked.
"I can have something for you by tomorrow," he replied.
After hanging up, I leaned back in my chair.
Outside, the sky was getting darker.
I was the only one left in the office.
That was when it hit me.
I couldn't bring myself to think any further.
If everything I suspected turned out to be true, what was I to her all these years?
At seven that evening, Jessica called me.
Her voice was just as soft and sweet as always.
"Honey, I have to work late tonight, so I'll be home a bit later," she said.
I kept staring at that photo on my screen.
I just gave a quiet "Mm."
"Don't stay up too late," I said.
"I won't," she replied.
The call ended.
I stared at the screen and couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh.
If this had been before, I would've trusted her without a second thought.
But now, all I cared about was where she was really going.
At 8:40, I pulled up and parked near Jessica's office.
The office building was brightly lit, every floor still glowing.
Employees were heading out one by one, calling it a night.
At 9:10, Jessica stepped out.
She had on a pale trench coat, with a bag in her hand.
She'd even touched up her makeup.
She didn't look like someone who'd just pulled an all-nighter at work.
I followed her from a distance.
I made sure to keep my distance, not getting too close.
Twenty minutes later, her taxi pulled up at the entrance of a luxury apartment complex.
Jessica got out.
She swiped her card and walked right in, like she'd done it a hundred times before.
My heart sank.
If they were just regular friends, then what the hell was she doing coming to a place like this?
I didn't just barge in after her.
Instead, I just found a seat at the convenience store across the street and waited.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
9:30.
10:00.
10:20.
Jessica still hadn't come out.
Just when I was about to give up and leave, the front door suddenly swung open.
A tall man stepped out.
He glanced around, scanning the area.
Then he took out his phone and dialed a number.
A few seconds later, Jessica hurried out of the building.
The man smiled and opened his arms.
The next moment, Jessica went right into his arms.
The two of them held each other tight.
Their closeness was so intimate it hurt to look at.
I sat by the window of the convenience store.
It felt like my blood had turned to ice.
So, the doctor was right.
Even the spending records told the truth.
The one who was really wrong was me.
All this time, I just thought Jessica was swamped with work.
Maybe it was just the pressure of trying to get pregnant.
Maybe she was just in a bad mood.
So I kept making excuses for her, over and over again.
But reality just slapped me in the face.
Downstairs, the two of them were still snuggled up together.
The guy leaned down and murmured something in her ear.
Jessica burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
Then she slipped her arm through his.
They walked into the elevator lobby together.
It wasn't until they were completely out of sight that I finally looked away.
The plastic water bottle in my hand was already crushed out of shape.
It let out a sharp, grating squeak.
Just then, my phone suddenly rang.
It was my friend from the investigation firm.
"Michael, I've got something on that number you sent me," he said.
"I just finished putting everything together.
"But you might want to brace yourself for this."
My breath stalled for a second.
I blurted out, "So, did you find out who it is?"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Let's talk about it in person tomorrow," he said.
"You might know him," he said, leaving me hanging.