Chapter 2

The next morning, Neo got up early.

I pretended I'd just woken up, rubbing my eyes. "You're up early today?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, something came up at work," he replied.

He got dressed and headed to the living room.

I heard him grab his bag.

"Breakfast?" I asked.

"Nah, no time. I'll just grab something on the way," he replied.

The door opened, then clicked shut behind him.

I stayed in bed, not moving.

Lucas was still asleep.

At seven, the only sound was the birds outside.

I got up, washed up, and made breakfast for Lucas.

Everything was just as usual.

At eight, I dropped Lucas off at preschool.

By nine, I was back home.

I fired up my laptop.

I was determined to find out who that woman was.

I'd helped Neo set up his WhatsApp account, so I knew his password.

I logged into his WhatsApp on the computer.

The woman's WhatsApp display name was just a random string of digits, and her actual phone number was hidden.

I switched tactics.

I opened Neo's email.

He had this habit: he'd send important stuff to his own inbox as backup.

I checked his Sent folder.

There it was: a hotel receipt.

It was for a king room at the Hilton Hotel, two days and one night.

The date was last month.

Last month, Neo told me he'd be away for a three-day business trip.

I kept digging through his emails.

Then I found two plane tickets: same flight, same day, same destination to Hollow Cay.

The other passenger's name was Stella Smith.

I racked my brain, trying to remember if I'd ever heard of this name. Nope, didn't know her.

I googled her name along with the phone number.

Nothing came up.

I searched Neo's company's employee directory.

There she was: Stella Smith, Marketing Department, joined in 2022.

The photo was of a young woman.

She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with long hair and makeup on point. When she smiled, her eyes curved into little crescents.

She was stunning. Definitely younger than me, and honestly, way prettier.

I couldn't look away from her photo for ages.

So this was the one Neo called "babe." His colleague. His subordinate.

I took a deep breath and shut down the computer.

I didn't call Neo to confront him.

I didn't storm into his office and make a scene.

I didn't even cry.

I sat on the couch, staring out the window, lost in thought.

Ten years. I'd been married to him for ten years.

I gave up my job for him, walked away from a corporate gig that paid 3 thousand a month, and became a full-time housewife.

He once told me, "You stay home with Lucas, I'll make the money. That's how we split things."

I believed him.

He said, "Once Lucas is a bit older, you can go back to work."

I believed him.

He said, "I'll provide for you, don't worry."

I believed him.

And what did I get in the end?

In the end, all that support was for another woman.

He called another woman "babe." He said he missed her.

Not once had he ever said anything like that to me.

I leaned back on the couch, replaying the past two years in my mind.

When did he start changing?

It must've been the year before last.

His business trips piled up, his work dinners got more frequent, and he was barely home anymore.

I figured he was busy with work.

One time, I asked him, "Why are you always working late lately?"

He shot back, "You wouldn't understand. A lot is going on at work."

I wouldn't understand.

That was right; I didn't know anything.

All I knew was how to wash clothes, cook meals, take care of Lucas, and look after his folks.

I knew how to keep our home in perfect order, so he'd always have a hot meal waiting, fresh clothes to wear, Lucas picked up, and his parents cared for—all by me, all for him.

What I didn't know was that his other phone was hiding a whole other family.

At three in the afternoon, I went to pick Lucas up from preschool.

On the way home, I asked him, "Lucas, how many times has Dad taken you to see that woman?"

Lucas thought for a moment. Then he said, "Twice or maybe three times? One time we went to the amusement park, and she was there, too. She bought me a Spider-Man action figure."

My heart clenched.

"What does she look like?" I asked.

"She has long hair, and she's really pretty. She said I look just like Dad," Lucas replied.

So Stella actually met my son.

She knew about me.

She knew Neo had a wife and a kid, but she still stuck around.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Lucas asked, tugging at my sleeve.

I forced a smile for him.

"Nothing, sweetie. I am just thinking," I said.

When we got home, I put on some cartoons for Lucas.

Then I slipped into the bedroom and closed the door behind me.

I needed to get my thoughts straight.

First, Neo and Stella had been together for at least two years.

Second, he blew way more cash on her than he ever did for me.

Third, he'd even introduced Lucas to her.

Fourth, there was gotta be people at his office who knew.

I couldn't make a fuss.

Making a scene wouldn't help at all.

I had to stay calm.

I needed to figure out my next move.