Chapter 1

After Ethan James and I were done, he headed to the shower.

I grabbed a tissue, wiped myself down, and leaned back against the headboard, waiting for him to finish.

My phone was on the pillow.

Not his, mine.

But his phone was there, too.

It was on the nightstand, face down.

He never used to put it like that.

I didn't think much of it and picked it up to check the time.

The screen lit up.

A WhatsApp message popped up. The contact name was [Project Team - Mr. Warren.]

But the message said: [Honey, I'm so cold tonight without you here.]

There was a kiss emoji at the end.

I just stared at that message for five seconds.

The shower was still running.

I knew exactly what I had to do.

I took a screenshot, sent it to myself, and put his phone back exactly how I found it, face down.

When he came out of the bathroom, I was already lying down, eyes closed.

"Claire, aren't you going to shower?" he asked.

"I'm a little tired. I'll shower in the morning," I replied.

He didn't say another word, just got into bed and turned his back to me.

Soon, his breathing evened out.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

We'd been married for six years.

Our daughter was four.

I'd quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom.

And the woman he was texting was saved in his phone as [Mr. Warren.]

Wow, he's really good at hiding stuff.

The next morning, I made breakfast for Mia as usual.

Ethan came downstairs in his shirt, sat down, and started eating.

"Working late again today?" I asked.

"Yeah, the project's behind schedule." He didn't even look up.

I stared at the bit of oatmeal stuck to the corner of his mouth, and suddenly, he felt like a stranger to me.

For six years, the Ethan I knew never put his phone face down.

After he left, I dropped Mia off at kindergarten.

When I got home, I closed the door behind me.

I pulled up the screenshot from last night and read it again. [Honey, I'm so cold tonight without you here.]

It was sent at 11:23 PM.

That was right after we were done.

So basically, while he was with me, another woman was waiting for his reply.

I picked up my phone and called Julia Hart.

Julia, my college roommate, now works as a divorce lawyer at a law firm.

"Julia, are you free this morning?" I asked.

"What's wrong? You sound off," she replied.

"Let's meet up. Coffee's on me."

Forty minutes later, we were sitting in a café on the third floor of Grand Plaza Mall.

I handed her my phone.

Julia took one look and her face fell. "This was from last night?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Was this on your husband's phone?"

"He had her saved as 'Mr. Warren,'."

Julia set my phone down and looked at me. "Claire, what's on your mind?"

I took a sip of my coffee. "I want to figure out who this person is first."

"And then what?"

"Then I'll figure out what to do next."

Julia gave a nod. "You're doing the right thing. Right now, the most important thing is to gather evidence. Don't let him catch on."

"I know."

"Can you still get into his phone?"

"When he's asleep, I can access his phone, but he's got a fingerprint lock."

"Have you ever tried using his finger to unlock it while he's sleeping?"

I shook my head.

Julia thought for a moment. "Then don't mess with his phone for now. Keep an eye on his spending, where he goes, how often he works late. Has he suddenly started buying new clothes, wearing a new cologne, or is he always out on weekends?"

I thought for a moment. "Yeah, since last month, he's been working late way more. At least three nights a week, he doesn't get back until after ten."

"Have you checked for any hotel expenses?"

"No, I don't know his debit card PIN."

Julia frowned. "Six years married and you still don't know his debit card PIN?"

I just smiled. "He sends me money every month for household expenses, but he's always kept his salary account to himself. I used to think that meant he trusted me."

Julia didn't say anything.

After a moment, she said, "I'll help you figure something out. Also, how much cash do you have on hand?"

"I've got about twenty-seven thousand dollars saved up. I haven't worked since I started raising our daughter, so it's all from the money he gave me for living expenses," I said.

"What about the house?"

"We bought it after we got married, and it's in his name. He paid the down payment, but my dad gave us about sixty-seven thousand dollars for renovations. There's no paperwork or proof for that."

Julia let out a sigh. "Claire, I'm going to be straight with you. If things really come to that, you're in a pretty tough spot right now."

"I know," I replied.

I really did know.

Being a stay-at-home mom gave me the least bargaining power in this marriage.

When I got home, I started paying closer attention.

That evening, when Ethan got home, I offered to hang up his coat for him.

As I reached into his pocket, I felt a receipt.

After he went to his study, I unfolded the receipt.

It was from Grand Plaza Mall, some high-end brand, a silk scarf costing about 1,300 dollars.

He never gave me a silk scarf.

Mia's birthday was last week, and he gave her a 33-dollar stuffed animal.

I took a photo of the receipt and put it back where I found it.

That night, after he finished his shower, he tossed his phone on the bed and went out to the balcony for a smoke.

I pretended to walk by and snuck a look at his screen.

The first pinned contact on WhatsApp was "Project Team - Mr. Warren."

The last message read: [The scarf is gorgeous. I really love it. Mwah!]

There was a selfie attached.

A young woman, flawless makeup, scarf around her neck, posing with a heart gesture at the camera.

I stared at it for a couple of seconds, then headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Water ran down my body, but I didn't shed a single tear.

It's not that it didn't hurt.

If anything, it just made me more awake to the truth.