Chapter 4
For the next week, I kept things low-key, acting like nothing was wrong. I stuck to my usual routine.
One afternoon, David asked me why I took the day off. I told him, "My stomach wasn't feeling well." He just said, "Take care of yourself," and then went back to scrolling on his phone.
I started paying close attention to every little thing he did.
On Wednesday night, he was out on the balcony making a phone call. He kept his voice really low.
As I walked over to pour myself some water, I caught him saying, "Don't overthink it. She won't find out."
When he saw me come out, he immediately switched his tone. "Alright, let's talk about it at tomorrow's meeting." Then he hung up.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"Just a coworker," he replied.
I smiled, not pushing any further.
"She won't find out." And he said it was to a coworker.
*****
Friday after work, I didn't head straight home. Instead, I made my way to Apartment 12. That was where Roxanna lives. But I wasn't there to see her. I was there for Lily.
Lily's kindergarten lets out at 4:30, and her mom usually picks her up around 4. I rang the doorbell at five.
"Hey, Elizabeth?" Roxanna looked a little surprised.
"Just passing by. Brought some strawberries for Lily," I said, giving the bag a little shake.
Lily ran over, calling out, "Elizabeth!"
"Hi, Lily," I greeted her.
I washed the strawberries and sat with Lily in the living room, sharing them together. Roxanna headed to the kitchen to make dinner.
Elizabeth lowered her voice and asked Lily, "Hey, Lily, has David been over to your place lately?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah, he has."
"When did he come by?"
"Last time... it was Saturday, no, wait, Sunday. Uncle David came to help my mom fix the TV."
"Does David come over a lot lately?"
Lily paused, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, he comes over all the time. Sometimes, my mom tells me not to say anything."
"Why does she ask you to keep it a secret?" I asked gently.
"My mom says it's a secret." Lily looked up at me with a serious expression. "Elizabeth, please don't tell my mom I told you, okay?"
I reached out and gently patted Lily's head, trying to reassure her. "I promise."
Roxanna came out of the kitchen and asked, "Hey, Elizabeth, want to stay for dinner?"
"No, David's waiting for me," I replied.
As I walked out of Apartment 12, I felt like I finally had half the answer to that question that had been bothering me.
David went to Roxanna's place a lot. Roxanna told Lily to keep it a secret.
I needed to get the other half of the answer from Linda.
*****
Saturday was family dinner day again.
This time, I showed up early. The food hadn't even started yet when I arrived at Linda's place.
"Linda, let me help you chop the vegetables," I offered as I walked into the kitchen.
Linda looked a little surprised but didn't say much.
As I sliced the vegetables, I started chatting with her. "How's Roxanna doing lately? With Michael always away on business trips, it must be tough for her to handle Lily all by herself."
"Yeah," she sighed. "Michael's job keeps him out of the house so much. Thank goodness David is around to lend a hand. He changes light bulbs, fixes the pipes, and picks Lily up from school. David's got a good heart, and Roxanna is really grateful."
I noticed Linda's tone was unusually calm as she said this. Almost like she'd rehearsed it.
I switched to another topic. "Do you think David's been feeling a lot of pressure at work lately? I feel like he's been a bit short on cash."
"Short on cash?" Linda looked up at her. "Isn't he making a decent salary?"
"He is, but it seems like he's burning through it pretty fast."
"Well, that's just how young people are. They never know how to save," Linda said.
"Has David ever borrowed money from you?"
Linda paused mid-chop for just a moment, and then she resumed. "No. Why would he need to borrow money?"
"No reason, just asking," I replied lightly.
But I noticed that brief pause.
She knew something.
At dinner, I deliberately took a seat right next to Roxanna. David was sitting across from me.
This time, he didn't crack any crab legs for her. He just kept to his own plate, eating quickly and barely saying a word the whole meal.
Last week's incident had definitely taught him a lesson. But Roxanna was still wearing that bracelet. It glinted under the lights every time she moved her wrist.
After dinner, Linda headed to the kitchen to do the dishes.
"Linda, let me help you," I offered.
"No need. Just sit down," she replied.
"I insist," I said, following her into the kitchen.
I closed the door behind me. It was just the two of us in the kitchen. The sound of running water filled the kitchen, loud and steady.
"Linda," I called out.
"Yeah?" she replied.
"How much do you really know about what's going on between David and Roxanna?" I asked.
Linda's hands stopped mid-motion. This time, it wasn't just a quick pause. She froze completely, her whole body stiff. She didn't even look at me. She stayed silent for about five seconds.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play dumb.
"You know what I'm talking about," I said.
She went quiet again, the silence hanging heavy between us. Then she reached over and turned off the faucet. She finally turned around to face me.
Her face was full of complicated emotions. There was panic, guilt, and above all, a kind of exhaustion.
"You... know?" she finally asked.
Those words hit me like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head.
I wasn't completely sure yet. I had the bank transfers, the bracelet, and Lily's words, but all these were little clues. I didn't have the most direct proof, like chat logs or seeing it with my own eyes.
I was just testing the waters. But her words gave me the final piece of the puzzle. She knew. She'd known all along.
"How long have you known?" I asked.
Linda didn't say a word.
"Linda, how long have you known?" I pushed.
"Six months," she murmured, barely audible.
Six months.