Chapter 1
My husband, Matthew Johnston, had logged into WhatsApp on my computer and forgotten to log out.
I was about to log him out when I saw a message he'd sent.
It read: [I really miss you. I dreamed about you last night.]
The message was sent to my coworker, Giana Goodwin.
I immediately projected the screen onto the wall.
"Hey, everyone, stop what you're doing and watch this," I called out.
The whole office, seventeen people altogether, crowded around the screen, watching the two of them being all lovey-dovey for half an hour.
Giana was still at her desk, texting away, clueless that seventeen pairs of eyes were glued to her back.
It wasn't until someone finally burst out laughing that she turned around.
I smiled at Giana. "He says he misses you. Want me to help you reply?"
Her face went ghostly pale in an instant.
*****
Matthew's WhatsApp icon flickered in the bottom right corner of my computer screen.
The chat avatar was a pink rabbit.
I was about to log him out when a message popped up.
Giana messaged: [Good morning, my sunshine.]
My hand twitched, pausing over the mouse.
Matthew had forgotten to log out of WhatsApp.
Then, a second message popped up.
Giana: [I dreamed about you last night. We moved into our new home.]
New home?
Those two words felt like a stab to my heart.
We were house-hunting for our new home.
Matthew replied almost instantly. [I miss you, too, cutie. I dreamed about you last night.
[What did you dream about?
[I dreamed of you in that white dress.]
I knew which dress he was talking about. Giana wore it at last week's company retreat.
The office was quiet, with only the sound of keyboards clacking.
I picked up my coffee from the desk and took a sip.
The ice cubes clinked against the glass, making a crisp sound.
I didn't close the chat window.
I clicked on the chat history.
I scrolled up.
The earliest messages were from three months ago.
First, Matthew called her "Ms. Goodwin," then "Gigi," and finally "Babe."
They started out talking about work, then sharing dinner plans, and finally, even hotel addresses.
The stuff they chatted about was disgusting.
They were talking about me.
[Calliope's been acting all paranoid lately. It's so annoying.
[She's some old lady. No one gets me as you do.
[Wait a little longer. Once the house is ours, I'll tell her everything and kick her out.]
Giana sent a heart emoji.
Matthew said he would kick me out.
What a classy way to put it.
I looked up and glanced at Giana's desk across the way.
She was facing her computer, a sugary smile on her face, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
She was the intern I'd mentored, and she'd been made permanent two months ago.
She'd sweetly call me "Callie."
She'd even bring me painkillers when I was on my period.
She'd even share her latest snack finds with me.
"Callie, you and Matthew are so sweet together. I hope I can find a guy like him someday," she'd say.
Well, it looked like she found one after all.
And it turned out it was my husband.
I stood up and pulled the HDMI cable out of my drawer.
The projector was used last week, so the cable was still lying around in the conference room.
I went over and yanked the cable out of the conference room computer.
Bonnie Clarke, our department manager, looked up at me.
"Callie, are you using the projector?" she asked.
I nodded and flashed her a polite smile.
"Yep, I'm about to share something interesting with everyone," I replied.
I headed back to my desk.
I plugged one end of the HDMI cable into Matthew's laptop.
Then I plugged the other end into the projector.
I hit the power button.
With a soft hum, the projector's fan started spinning.
The big white wall in the middle of the office lit up.
The huge WhatsApp chat window was projected onto the wall.
The pink rabbit avatar and Matthew's nickname, "My Sunshine," were crystal clear.
The chat was frozen on the line: [Kick her out.]
The office went dead silent in an instant.
The sound of keyboards tapping, chairs moving, and people drinking all came to a sudden halt.
Dozens of eyes, like searchlights, locked onto Giana across the room.
Giana had no idea what was going on around her.
She even gave her shoulders a little satisfied wiggle, looking proud of herself for the message she'd sent.
The chat was still going on the screen.
Matthew texted: [I checked out that necklace. I'll pick it up in a couple of days and surprise you.]
Giana's fingers danced across the keyboard, her grin widening as she typed.
Soon, her reply popped up on the wall.