Chapter 2

I stared at my phone for what felt like hours, my parents' number highlighted on the screen. The apartment felt cavernous and empty without Luke, who had left for 'drinks with clients' an hour ago. I knew better now. Every excuse, every late night—they all led to Chelsea.

Finally, I pressed call. My mother answered on the third ring.

"Mia? It's nearly nine. Is something wrong?"

Her voice held the familiar note of impatience that had colored my childhood. I swallowed hard.

"I need to talk to you and Dad. It's important. It's about Luke."

I drove across town to my parents' immaculate suburban home, rehearsing what I'd say. They needed to understand the magnitude of Luke's betrayal—the forum post, the messages, the money. I needed them to be parents for once in my life.

My mother opened the door before I could knock, her silk robe cinched tightly at the waist, expression pinched with annoyance at the late-night intrusion.

"This better be important," she said, leading me to the living room where my father sat in his armchair, eyes fixed on his tablet.

I perched on the edge of their pristine cream sofa and poured out everything—the devastating forum post, the secret messages, the stolen money for Chelsea's condo. My voice cracked as I finished, "He's been lying to me for over a year. They've been planning this together."

The silence that followed felt like a physical weight. My mother's face hardened as she studied me.

"And what exactly did you do to drive him to this?"

I blinked, certain I'd misheard. "What?"

"Men don't stray when they're satisfied at home, Mia." Her voice was clinical, detached. "Perhaps if you'd put more effort into being a proper wife, Luke wouldn't be looking elsewhere."

The breath left my lungs in a painful rush. "He stole fifty thousand dollars from our savings to buy her a condo. He wrote publicly that he's settling for me."

My mother's lips thinned. "Marriage requires sacrifice. If you'd focused more on keeping him happy instead of your career—"

"Dad?" I turned desperately to my father, who hadn't looked up once during my revelation.

He shifted uncomfortably, still not meeting my eyes. "Your mother knows about these things, Mia."

Tears burned behind my eyes as the final hope shattered. I'd spent my entire life seeking their approval, their love, and even now—betrayed and broken—they couldn't offer me a shred of support.

"You should be grateful Luke hasn't left completely," my mother added, checking her manicure. "Work harder to win him back. Remind him why he married you in the first place."

A sob escaped before I could stop it, and my mother's expression hardened further.

"Emotional displays won't help your situation. Pull yourself together."

I drove home in a daze, their rejection cutting deeper than Luke's betrayal. I had no one. Not my husband, not my friend, not my parents. I was utterly alone.

That evening, I mechanically prepared dinner, setting the table as Luke walked in, all smiles and casual greetings as if our life wasn't built on lies. I watched him pour wine, compliment the food, and ask about my day with practiced interest.

"How was your networking dinner last night?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected.

"Productive. We might land the Henderson account." He sipped his wine, eyes briefly flicking to his phone on the table.

"That's nice." I twirled pasta around my fork. "And how's Chelsea?"

The fork in Luke's hand froze halfway to his mouth. His eyes snapped to mine, surprise quickly replaced by wariness.

"Chelsea? I haven't seen her in months. Why?"

"That's strange, because there were some unusual charges on our credit card at that new restaurant downtown. The one near her office." A complete fabrication, but his reaction told me everything.

Luke's face darkened. "Are you spying on me now? Checking my spending?"

"It's our joint account, Luke. I was balancing the budget."

"Jesus, Mia!" He slammed his fork down. "This is exactly why—" He caught himself, but too late.

"Exactly why what?" My heart pounded. "Why you're settling for me?"

The color drained from his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw your post. On TruthSpeak. About how you regret choosing me over her. How you wish I was someone else."

Luke's expression shifted from shock to anger. "You went through my computer? My private accounts? What kind of crazy, controlling wife does that?"

"The kind who deserves to know her husband is in love with someone else." My voice shook. "The kind who deserves to know where her life savings went."

"You're being paranoid." Luke stood abruptly. "I'm not having this conversation with you when you're acting insane."

"I want the truth, Luke. About you and Chelsea."

"There is no me and Chelsea!" he shouted, but his eyes shifted away—the tell he'd had since I'd known him. "You're imagining things because you're insecure. Always have been."

I stared at this stranger wearing my husband's face, this liar who'd stolen years of my life, and felt something inside me harden into resolve.

The next morning, I discovered all our account passwords had been changed. Luke clutched his phone like a lifeline, never letting it out of his sight. My confrontation had only driven their affair deeper underground.

As I watched him leave for work, kissing my cheek with hollow affection, I made my decision. I opened my laptop and searched "best private investigators in the city." The first result was Sarah Mitchell Investigations, with a five-star rating and a tagline that read: "When you need proof, not promises."

I reached for my phone. It was time to stop playing by their rules.