Chapter 1
On the way back from our trip, I was using Lily's phone to send some photos.
That's when I noticed her phone had automatically connected to Michael's hotspot.
I paused for a second, but didn't think much of it.
Just then, Michael Reed came back with two cups of coffee.
One was iced, the other was warm.
Lily Grant took the coffee from Michael and teased him loudly.
"It's so hot out here! Why did you only get your wife an iced one? Are you trying to make me pass out from the heat?"
They were always bickering, so it was nothing new.
But what Michael said next left me completely stunned.
"Jeez, don't bite my head off. Aren't you on your period or something?"
Lily shot up and chased after him, ready to hit him.
"Am I biting your head or what?"
I stood still, and watched the two of them, already a good distance away.
And I knew.
My husband of three years and my best friend of eighteen years were in love.
*****
I kept my eyes glued to the clock on my phone, watching every second crawl by.
Five minutes and forty-seven seconds later, they finally showed up again.
Lily ran over and hugged me tight.
"Your husband is such a stickler! He kept insisting I admit that some golden retriever at the rest stop is my long-lost twin. You gotta back me up here!"
Normally, I would've laughed and told Michael to go easy on Lily.
But this time, all I could smell was that faint, woody tea perfume on Lily.
It was the same cologne I'd given Michael for his birthday.
My stomach churned, and I pushed her away.
Under Lily's confused gaze, I spoke softly.
"Let's get going, or we won't make it home before dark."
I didn't confront them right then.
My thoughts were all over the place the whole way home.
The cold from the coffee crept from my palm right into my heart.
As soon as we got in the car, Lily kicked off her heels and slipped into the slippers Michael kept in the passenger seat for her.
She got carsick really bad, so whenever she sat in the back, she'd always complain about headaches and feeling sick.
Before long, the passenger seat basically became her spot.
She was always heading out in high heels.
She even got Michael to stash a pair of slippers up front just for her.
Even the style was her favorite, a purple Stella Lou design.
I remembered one time when Michael's sister was in the car and spotted those slippers.
When she realized they were Lily's, she couldn't help but drop a subtle hint.
"I've watched my brother grow up. He's never been that thoughtful."
'What was I thinking back then?' I asked myself.
I honestly thought it was all for my sake.
I thought it must be why Michael went out of his way for Lily.
Thinking back on all those details now, I felt a wave of nausea rise up in my chest.
Without a second thought, I glanced at the two of them up front.
Lily's arm was draped casually over the center console.
Their arms brushed against each other, like it was nothing.
But neither of them pulled away.
They didn't even spare each other a glance.
Lily connected to the Bluetooth and started playing music.
It was one of those cheesy love songs that had been blowing up on TikTok lately.
She cranked up the volume, grabbed an imaginary mic, and belted it out like she was performing on stage.
Michael worked as a band manager, so his car was always filled with soothing classical music.
But somewhere along the way, things changed.
Not only did his music taste shift, but the car was suddenly full of stuff that screamed Lily.
Like those slippers, and the drinks she loved.
When Lily's singing started to make her voice hoarse, Michael reached into the glove compartment and handed her a bottle of water.
Lily arched her eyebrow at him and quipped.
"Oh, so you think my singing sucks and want me to shut up?"
"Just drink your water." Michael teased.