Chapter 3
The next morning at nine, I arrived right on time at my friend's office.
His name was Kevin Carter. He'd been in this game for years, dealing with everything from cheating spouses to shady business deals.
The smile on his face faded as soon as he saw me walk in.
"Have a seat," he said.
He slid a file across the desk to me.
I glanced down at the file.
There was just one photo on the first page.
When I saw who was in the photo, my breath caught in my throat.
It was Howard Grant.
It was actually him.
My hand tightened around the file.
Kevin glanced at me.
"You know him?" he asked.
I forced a smile.
"Yeah, I know him," I said.
That was an understatement.
Howard and I had known each other for more than four years.
We first crossed paths at a building materials trade show.
After that, our companies did plenty of business together.
We'd grabbed dinner and drinks together a bunch of times over the years.
He'd even been to my house.
We'd swap gifts on holidays.
Jessica knew him too.
At some of our gatherings with friends, they even shared a table and talked.
I never would've guessed.
The man hugging my wife was Howard.
Kevin kept going.
"Yeah, that number belongs to him.
"And he's been texting and calling Jessica non-stop.
"For the past six months, they've called each other pretty much every day," he said.
I didn't say a word.
I just flipped to the next page.
The more I read, the darker my face got.
It had all the details about Howard.
He was thirty-eight years old.
A divorced man.
He owned a building materials business and had two houses under his name.
One of them was the very same luxury apartment Jessica walked into two nights ago.
Kevin lit a cigarette.
"There's something else," he said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"From what we've got on record, their thing goes way back—it didn't just start recently," Kevin said.
I looked up.
"For how long?" I asked.
Kevin held up two fingers.
"Over two years," he said.
It was like a bomb went off in my head.
My mind went numb all over again.
Two years.
I couldn't believe it had already been two years.
What did that even mean?
It meant that while I was running back and forth to the hospital with Jessica, she was already involved with Howard.
It meant that while we were discussing IVF, she was still carrying on with another man.
Even during the most crucial time before the egg retrieval, when she was supposed to abstain, she just brushed it off like it was nothing.
My chest tightened, a heavy weight crushing down on me.
Kevin handed me another stack of documents.
"These are the spending records we just put together.
"Take a look for yourself," he added.
I flipped to the first page.
Bill after bill jumped out at me.
Last Valentine's Day, there was a charge of 12,000 dollars at a jewelry store.
The purchase? A men's watch.
Paid by: Jessica.
Recipient: Howard.
I froze.
I'd seen that watch before.
It was at a dinner party last summer.
Howard was wearing it, smiling as he told me a client gave it to him.
I even told him it was a nice watch.
It turns out, my wife was the one who bought it for him.
My temples started pounding.
I kept flipping through the records.
There was a designer belt, a bespoke suit, an imported red wine, and even records of rent payments.
The amounts ranged from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.
Every payment was made from Jessica's account.
A lot of the money was actually from the household funds I sent her every month.
I leaned back in my chair.
For a second, I almost let out a bitter laugh.
All these years, I never once bothered to check her finances.
If she wanted something, I'd always get it for her.
When she said she wanted to learn flower arranging, I paid for her classes without a second thought.
When she mentioned wanting to travel, I cleared my schedule just to go with her.
When she complained about being stressed, I took her out to help her unwind.
But all this time, she was spending my money on another man.
This felt way worse than just cheating—it made me sick to my stomach.
Kevin patted me on the shoulder.
"Bro, don't do anything rash.
"There's more," he added.
With that, he opened his laptop.
He pulled up a video.
The footage was from a mall parking lot.
The timestamp showed it was from six months ago.
On the screen, Jessica walked out of the mall with shopping bags in hand.
Howard was right there beside her.
They were laughing and chatting.
Then they headed into the elevator together.
There was nothing overtly intimate between them.
But the way they looked at each other, their expressions—it was obvious.
Their comfort with each other didn't often exist between regular friends.
I closed the video.
I just sat there, completely silent, my mind blank.
"Can you keep digging?" I finally asked.
Kevin paused for a moment, stunned.
"Seriously? After all this, you still want to dig deeper?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
Even I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded.
"I want to know everything," I added.
Kevin looked at me.
Finally, he nodded.
"Alright," he said.
After leaving the investigation firm, I went straight to the office.
In the conference room, a few project managers were reporting in, updating me on their progress.
I sat at the head of the table.
On the outside, I looked calm.
But my mind wasn't on the project at all.
Howard's face kept flashing through my mind.
Especially when he found out Jessica and I were preparing for IVF, he even invited me out for dinner.
He patted me on the shoulder that night.
"Don't stress yourself out, Michael.
"You'll have a kid sooner or later.
"You and Jessica are great together—there's no way it won't happen," he said.
Back then, I really thought he had my back.
But now, thinking back, every single word he said felt like a needle stabbing straight into my heart.
After the meeting ended, my secretary handed me a contract.
I'd just finished signing it.
My phone suddenly rang.
The caller ID showed it was Jessica.
I stared at her name for a few seconds, my mind racing.
Finally, I answered the call.
"Honey," Jessica said, her voice light and cheerful.
"Come home early tonight, okay? I'll make your favorite ribs for dinner," she added.
I gripped my phone, my face twisted with conflicting emotions.
If it weren't for those photos and records, who would ever imagine what was really lurking behind that gentle voice?
"Okay," I replied, my voice steady.
"I won't be working late tonight," I added.
"That's great," Jessica said, her voice full of warmth.
She sounded genuinely happy.
"I'll be waiting for you," she added.
The call ended.
I slowly set my phone down.
Any last shred of hope I had was gone for good.
Because whenever Jessica lied to me, she did it so smoothly, I never saw it coming.
When I got home that evening, the house was filled with the warm scent of dinner.
Jessica was busy in her apron, moving around the kitchen.
As soon as she saw me walk in, she came over to greet me and took my coat.
"Why are you home so late today?" she asked.
"Work kept me late," I replied.
I sat down at the dining table.
My eyes fell on her face.
She was still beautiful, as gentle as always.
She even made sure to ladle soup into my bowl with care.
If this had been before, I would've felt truly happy.
But now, all I feel is this weird sense of distance.
While we were eating, Jessica suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, just so you know, the hospital wants us to come in for a follow-up next week.
"Don't forget to clear your schedule," she added.
I nodded.
"Got it," I said.
She picked up a rib and put it on my plate.
Smiling, she said, "This time, the IVF is definitely going to work."
I just stared at the rib sitting on my plate.
A chill ran through me.
She talked about the IVF like it was nothing, as if that day at the hospital never even happened.
After dinner, Jessica went to take a shower.
I sat in the living room, going through some paperwork.
Not long after, her phone lit up.
A message popped up on the screen.
Sender: Howard.
The message was just a single line.
Howard: I miss you.
I stared at those three words.
Expressionless, I picked up her phone, took a picture of it, and saved it.
Then I put everything back exactly the way it was.
The shower was still running.
But now, everything was crystal clear to me.
This marriage had been rotten to the core all along.
I'd just been completely in the dark before.
Right now, what I needed wasn't anger.
What I needed was proof that was strong enough to nail them for good.