Chapter 4
Over the next few days, I played the role of the perfect wife.
I bought David a new tie and cooked his favorite pot roast.
David ate it up, and his guard dropped completely.
Wednesday night, I packed my suitcase and told him about the trip.
"This training is pretty intense," I said. "They're doing a closed-door format, so my phone might not have signal sometimes. Don't freak out if you can't reach me at night."
David's eyes lit up, but he kept his voice concerned. "That strict? Well, take care of yourself. I've got everything covered here, don't worry."
Of course, I wouldn't worry.
Thursday morning, David drove me to the train station himself.
At the entrance, he pulled me into a lingering hug.
"Babe, come back soon," he said.
I watched him put on his little performance and felt sick.
"I will," I said. "Be good while I'm gone."
I turned and walked through the entrance. The moment his car pulled away, I circled back through another exit and caught a cab to Emily's studio.
She had an entire wall of monitors connected to the cameras I'd installed at home.
"Show's starting," Emily said and handed me a coffee.
Noon hit, and David's car pulled into the underground garage.
Ten minutes later, our front door opened.
David walked in holding a woman's hand.
It was Chloe.
Chloe strutted in wearing a tight bodycon skirt and kicked off her heels the moment she stepped through the door. Her bare feet pressed against the hardwood floor as she looked around.
She grinned and said, "Wow, so this is your place? The decor's actually pretty nice."
Chloe wandered through the entryway and ran her fingers along the cabinet.
David came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands started roaming over her body.
He muttered against her neck, "My wife did all this. I hate this style. Once I divorce her, you can redo the whole place however you want."
My hand clenched around my coffee cup. I had spent three months running between home improvement stores and carefully selected every single detail in this house.
Chloe pushed him away playfully and walked over to our wedding photo in the living room.
She tilted her head and smirked, "Damn, they really went heavy on the photoshop, huh? She's not nearly this good in real life."
She reached out and jabbed her finger against my face in the photo. Her nail scraped across the glass, making a grating sound that echoed through the room.
She turned to David and pouted, "Babe, this photo's an eyesore. Take it down."
David didn't hesitate. He grabbed a chair and took down our wedding photo, then casually tossed it into the storage closet like it was garbage.
He pulled her close and said, "Whatever you want, baby. The eyesore's gone now."
They collapsed onto the couch and tangled together in a desperate frenzy.
I stared at the screen, my face blank.
This was only the beginning.
After they finished, Chloe slipped into my silk robe and wandered through the house.
She pushed open the door to Ethan's room.
Ethan had severe dust mite allergies, so I never allowed anyone inside his room.
Chloe picked up the Lego castle on Ethan's nightstand. He had spent an entire month building that castle piece by piece.
She wrinkled her nose and said, "What's this tacky thing doing here? It's taking up so much space."
She swept her hand carelessly and knocked the castle off the table. It crashed to the floor and shattered into hundreds of scattered pieces.
David rushed over when he heard the noise and saw the Lego pieces scattered on the floor. He frowned but shrugged it off.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "It's just broken. I'll grab him a new one later."
Chloe pressed her lips together, and her gaze landed on the pill bottle sitting on the nightstand.
It was Ethan's allergy medication.
She picked it up and examined it, and something vicious flickered in her eyes.
"Babe, this stuff's pretty expensive, right?" she asked. "I think the kid's just being dramatic. All this allergy nonsense is because she babies him too much."
David wrapped his arms around her with a fawning grin.
"You're absolutely right," he agreed. "I've been saying the same thing. She spoils him rotten."
Chloe turned away and twisted the cap off the bottle. She walked into the bathroom and dumped all the pills into the toilet.
The water rushed in and swallowed them.
Then she pulled a bottle of vitamin tablets from her purse and refilled the prescription bottle.
"They're all white anyway," she said with a cold smile. "He won't know the difference. Honestly, it'd be better if that little burden got sicker. When we go to court, she'll get stuck with him and you'll pay way less in child support."
David hesitated for a second, then let out a sleazy laugh.
"Babe, you're a genius," he said. "If the kid gets really sick, she'll have to quit her job to take care of him. And without any income, there's no way she can fight me for the house."
On my screen, the coffee cup in my hand shattered. Hot liquid spilled across my skin, but I didn't feel the burn.
They could insult me. They could betray me. But they should never have gone after my son.
They were going to pay for this.