e cream-colored sofa, my fingers tracing the seams of the leather. Everything in this house, a space I designed myself, was a monument to our perfect life. The

se years we' d been married. He was charismatic, handsome, and utterly devoted. He took me on every business trip, unwilling to spend a night

was him. I let it vibrate a second time befo

, ho

eat?" His voice was smooth, full of the sam

takeout he' d had delivered. His favorite Thai place. Another one

get wrapped up in your work. I wor

siness trip in Chicago, a crucial meeting he couldn't mis

," I managed. M

ut it went well. I miss you lik

It started with a simple accident. He' d left his phone on the charger while he showered, and a call came in from an unsave

ell

then a small, hesit

breathe. My mind went blank. I heard a woman' s sharp voice in

dd

. Not a coll

en in the middle of our perfect bedroom, the sound of the shower a dull roar in

e, his voice dripping with false

," I lied. The words f

it up to you, I promise. We' ll s

ched, and I could almost hear the gears turning

okay, El? You

," I said.

. Get some rest

whispered, and

love you. The words were a weapon he used to

picked up the container, walked to the trash can, and scraped the entire meal into the bin. I did the same with the spring rolls and the green curry. I watched the

e ghost of that child' s voice. I needed to know. I needed confirmati

for the week. She' d always been kind to me, praising me as the perfect wife for her son. She tre

e more careful. What i

all, my heart pounding in my ear

s voice, tinny through the phone speaker, replied.

ousy, ambitious woman I' d barely given a second thought. She had quit tw

er voice sharp. "And you. You can' t keep this up forev

t two," she continued. "They ask about y

dren were born within our marriage. While I was designing our dream home, he was building a secret family. While I was celebrat

his voice strained. "Just... make sure Elean

-in-law, the woman who hugged me and told me she loved me, was his accomplice. She knew. The whole time, she

me through his mother' s phone

Daddy on the phone?

eart. It was a happy, innocent sound. The sound of a c

ust a lie. It was a joke.

ore. The city lights glittered outside the window, a million tiny shards of glass. My world had shattered into just as many pieces. The chill I

esigned, I knew I couldn't stay. I had to get out. Not just out