Chapter 5
By the time Michael got home, it was already late at night.
He'd been drinking, and the smell of alcohol and another woman's perfume came in with him when he pushed open the front door.
The house was pitch dark and cold, with no sign of life in it.
Michael frowned and called out into the darkness, "Emily?"
No one answered.
He flipped on the lights, and the harsh glare made the whole place feel even emptier and more unfamiliar.
He walked into the living room and saw the takeout containers still on the coffee table, left there the day before by him and Sophia.
Irritation rose in him, and he wondered why Emily was making such a production out of it this time.
When he used to come home late, the worst he got was a cold shoulder the next morning, and the house was always in perfect order.
He shook his clouded head and trudged upstairs.
When he pushed open the master bedroom door, he froze.
The bed was empty.
He went to the walk-in closet on instinct, and the moment he saw what was inside, half the alcohol left his system.
In the massive walk-in closet, Emily's half was completely empty.
All her clothes, bags, and jewelry were gone.
It was like someone had just cleared it out.
Only his own things still hung neatly in place, which made the whole picture worse.
Michael's heart sank.
This wasn't just her acting out.
This was her moving out for real.
He immediately grabbed his phone and called me.
The phone rang for ages, and right before I was about to hang up, I finally picked up.
"Hello?" My voice was husky and sleepy, like I'd just woken up.
"Emily, what's going on? Did you move all your stuff out?" Michael's voice came out hot with anger and accusation.
I let out a surprised sound, as though the question had never occurred to me.
"I did. The hotel is comfortable, so I had my assistant bring over the things I use.
"Is that a problem?"
My easy tone caught him completely off guard.
He struggled with it for a while before he managed, "Why are you at a hotel instead of at home? People will think we're fighting."
I laughed lightly. "We're not fighting. I'm just exhausted from my business trip and wanted a couple days to myself. Didn't you say you had some important work events? I didn't want to bother you."
It sounded perfectly reasonable, and every word of it kept him at arm's length.
Michael felt like he had swung at a pillow, with nowhere to put all that anger.
He forced himself to calm down and softened his tone.
"So when are you coming back? The house feels empty without you."
"We'll see. It depends on my mood." I yawned. "It's late and I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep."
Before he could say anything, I hung up.
Listening to the busy tone on the other end, Michael's expression was thunderous.
He paced restlessly around the empty room.
Something was really off about Emily this time.
I was too calm, and the calm made him nervous.
But then he brushed it off, telling himself he was just being paranoid.
Emily had always been crazy about him. Five years of marriage, and she'd always made him the center of her world.
She was probably just mad because she came back from her trip, didn't see him, and then realized he hadn't come home last night.
Women only needed a little sweet talk, he told himself, and they came around.
That was how he tried to reassure himself.
Then Michael's mind wandered to Sophia.
Sophia was young and pretty and agreed with everything he said, unlike Emily, who loved him but still carried the fussiness of a rich man's daughter.
In bed especially, Sophia had a heat that Emily had never come close to.
Just thinking about Sophia made all his annoyance disappear.
He shot Sophia a text: [Hey babe, still awake?]
Sophia: [Was just thinking about you, Michael. Your wife didn't catch on, did she?]
Michael grinned smugly and typed back: [What could she possibly figure out? She's just someone I can play with however I want.]
Michael: [Relax, babe. Once I get all her assets, I'll make you my wife and give you the life you deserve.]
After sending the message, he took a shower and sprawled out on the big, empty bed.
Without Emily's familiar presence beside him, something just felt off.
He quickly blamed the feeling on the empty space Emily's things had left behind.
He closed his eyes, his mind full of his own big dreams for the future.
Deal with Emily, grab her family's fortune, and live happily ever after with Sophia.
His life was about to reach its peak.
He had no idea that a net I had woven by hand was already closing around him.
And he had no idea that the house he loved to show off would soon stop being his.