Chapter 2

I started thinking back.

Was anything off lately? Yeah. Way too many things.

A month ago, Raelyn suddenly got really nosy about my plans. "Sai, are you going on a business trip next week?" "Sai, how many days are you gone this time?" "Sai, are you okay leaving David home alone?"

Back then, I thought she was looking out for me.

Now that I thought about it, she was basically keeping tabs on my calendar.

And David. For the past six months, he started working late a lot.

Three or four nights a week, he wouldn't get home until after ten.

When I asked, he said he was busy with a project.

I believed him.

And his phone. He used to leave it outside whenever he showered, but lately, he started taking it in with him.

When I asked, he said he didn't want to miss any work texts.

I believed him, too.

I was an idiot. No, actually, I was dumber than that. At least an idiot wouldn't help her husband and best friend cheat on her.

But me? I helped Raelyn find a job, helped her move, and helped her chase after guys she liked.

When she got dumped, I was the one who stayed up drinking with her till sunrise.

When she fought with her family, I let her stay with me for a whole month.

And how did she thank me? By hooking up with my husband.

Thinking about all this, I finally felt something stir inside me.

It wasn't sadness. It was disgust.

My phone buzzed again.

I checked my phone.

This time, it was a message from Raelyn. [Saige, I'm so sorry. I know I messed up. But can you please let me explain? David and I... It's really not what you think.]

I stared at her message for a long time. Then I checked her social feed.

Her latest update was from yesterday.

It was a selfie, captioned: [The weather's perfect today, and so is my mood.]

In the photo, she was wearing a white sweater, with a sweet smile on her face.

I knew that sweater. I'd bought it online last month, but when it arrived, it didn't fit, so I tossed it in the closet.

She was even wearing my clothes.

I kept scrolling.

Three days ago, she posted a coffee pic. The caption said: [Enjoying a rare moment of peace.]

There was a hand next to her coffee cup in the shot. It was a man's hand.

He was wearing a black watch. I gave it to David for his birthday last year.

I took a screenshot and kept scrolling.

A week ago, she posted a photo of a restaurant. The caption said: [Nothing beats being spoiled with good food.]

I zoomed in on the photo and checked out the background.

It was the restaurant right across from our apartment complex. That was where David and I celebrated our anniversary. I took another screenshot.

Just like that, I spent two hours at the convenience store, going through every single post Raelyn made in the last three months.

By the end, I had more than twenty screenshots saved on my phone.

By then, the sun was already coming up.

I put my phone away and got up.

The clerk had changed. Now it was a middle-aged lady.

She looked at me, like she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said, "Hey, are you alright?"

I smiled at her. "I'm fine. Thanks."

I walked out of the convenience store and hailed a cab.

This time, I told the driver my office address. Time to go to work.

My office was downtown, and the cab ride took about forty minutes.

I dozed off for a bit in the cab, and by the time I got to the office, it was already eight in the morning.

I was the head of planning at an ad agency, making 5,000 dollars a month.

David was a programmer at a tech company, pulling in 8,300 dollars a month.

We'd been married for five years, but still no kids.

It wasn't that we didn't want them. I couldn't get pregnant.

My mother-in-law, Linda Miller, never let me forget it. "You've been married for five years and still no baby? Is there something wrong with you? Have you gone to the hospital to get checked?

"You young people don't get it. You wait until it's too late to have kids, and then you regret it."

But I'd already gotten checked out. I was fine.

The problem was actually with David. His sperm count was low, and the doctor said he needed to work on it.

But I never told anyone about it, not even my mom.

I covered for him, letting Linda believe it was all my fault. Because I thought having each other's back was what being married was about.

Looking back, I covered for him, and he let me take the fall for five years.

And then he went and slept with my best friend.

That was the last straw.

When I got to the office, I headed straight to the restroom, splashed some water on my face, and fixed my makeup.

Staring at my reflection, I looked almost normal.

My eyes were a bit red, but unless you looked really hard, you wouldn't notice.

9 AM, in the morning meeting, I sat in the conference room, listening as my boss, Keaton Hensley, droned on about next quarter's plans.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

I shot it a glance. David had called me over a dozen times. And there were more than 99 unread messages on WhatsApp.

I flipped my phone over, screen down.

When Keaton finished, he looked over at me. "Saige, how's that real estate project from last week coming along?"

I snapped out of it. "The proposal's done. We're pitching it this Wednesday."

"Great." Keaton nodded. "Your proposals are always solid. I can always count on you."