Chapter 1
At the parent-teacher conference, I noticed a cut at the corner of the mouth of my daughter Bailey's teacher, Christina.
Just then, my husband, Daryl, suddenly leaned over to kiss me.
I smiled and dodged, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw his collarbone was covered in red marks.
My mind suddenly went numb with a buzzing sensation, and I understood.
Those were not just red marks but hickeys and scratch marks.
This man, who had been married to me for seven years, had an affair.
I still smiled as I saw him off to work and still kissed him goodbye.
It was only the moment I turned away that my heart sank entirely into despair.
*****
After Daryl left, I was a total mess inside.
The sun was shining brightly outside, but it felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, and I couldn't catch my breath.
From the classroom, I could hear Bailey being all cute and clingy with Christina.
Normally, I'd think Bailey was really fond of Christina, the young teacher who had just started working here.
But I couldn't see it the same way now.
All I could think about was the split on Christina's lip and those marks on Daryl's neck.
My phone buzzed.
It was messages from Daryl.
He texted: [Babe, I'm at the office. Thanks for handling the parent-teacher conference for me.
[Is there anything you want to eat?
[I'll bring it home for you tonight.
[Babe, why aren't you answering me?
[Your honey is calling. Leave your message after the beep.
[Beep.]
I tried not to let myself suspect Daryl, but those hickeys on his neck kept haunting me.
That night, while he was working overtime, I called him.
Just like always, he picked up right away.
"Gwen?" Daryl said.
"Yeah," I said.
His voice came through the line, carrying that late autumn chill. It sent a shiver down my spine, both alluring and unsettling.
His voice was tender and intimate, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
"Do you miss me?" he asked.
Just as I was about to answer, I heard the muffled sound of a woman sobbing at the end of the line.
It came on and off, her gasps laced with pleasure, no matter how she tried to hide it.
My chest tightened. "Where are you?"
Daryl could tell something was off in my voice and asked with concern, "I'm at the office working overtime. What's wrong? Did you forget to take your meds again?"
After a moment of silence, I asked, "Can't you just come home?"
"I can't leave right now, baby. Be good, okay? I'll come home as soon as I'm done," he said.
"Okay, go ahead and work," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.
"Give me a kiss, honey. Go to bed without waiting for me tonight, okay?" Daryl said.
He was lying to me.
It was almost pathetic how he could be all lovey-dovey with another woman and still pretend everything was normal when I called.
I didn't say anything back. Then I hung up.
Tears slipped down my cheeks in silence.
Daryl finally dragged himself home around midnight.
As we got into bed, he reached out and took my hand.
I turned away quietly, slowly slipping my hand out of his grip, making sure he didn't notice.
Just as I was about to drift off, his phone suddenly buzzed in the quiet darkness.
Daryl murmured, "Gwen."
I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending I hadn't heard a thing.
He fumbled in the dark, picked up his phone, and answered it.
"I told you not to call me when I'm home," he whispered.
"But the power's out at home, and I'm scared," the woman on the other end whimpered, sounding all helpless and needy.
Daryl hesitated for a moment, then gently woke me up. "There's an emergency at work. I have to go. Try to get some rest, alright?"
I was drifting between sleep and wakefulness and managed to nod.
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
Then Daryl threw on his clothes and slipped out of the bedroom.
Soon, the room fell silent again.
I opened my eyes and walked over to the window.
I watched his Bugetti speed off into the night, swallowed up by the darkness, with nothing left but the distant rumble of the engine.
Daryl came home early the next morning.
He brought me a bouquet of red roses and a sandwich from the company cafeteria.
"Why are you back?" I asked.
He leaned lazily against the wall, slipped his arm around my waist, and played with my hair affectionately, giving me that familiar, doting look.
"I was worried you'd forget to take your meds this morning, so I came back to be with you. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked.
I nodded and quietly sipped my water.
"It was so late last night, I didn't want to wake you up, so I just crashed at the office," he explained.
I let his lie slide.