Countless pieces of evidence proved it.
This woman didn't just have the second home my husband had given her. She'd also come to my home, countless times. Slept with my husband. Deliberately left traces behind. Like she was showing off. Like she was marking her territory. Like she was chasing the thrill.
And I, like a fool, hadn't noticed a thing.
I bit down on my lip so hard that blood seeped out before I even realized it.
I sat there, hollow, the entire night.
The next day at work, a text came through on my phone.
"Come to Mom's for dinner tonight."
"Okay."
I was a dignified person. Even if we were going to separate, I didn't want it to be ugly.
But the moment I walked through the door, I froze.
I wasn't the only one. Mrs. Whitney Sr. froze. Jayden froze.
Everyone froze except the woman sitting on the couch, the one my husband was hand-feeding fruit to.
She looked me up and down, head to toe. Like she was inspecting a piece of trash. Her eyes dripped with disgust.
Sneaking into my home for her affairs wasn't enough for her anymore. She wanted something more thrilling.
"What are you doing here?"
Jayden's smile was stiff, unnatural.
"You texted me to come."
I watched his flustered expression and understood instantly. That woman had sent the text from his phone without him knowing.
I really was stupid. I'd walked right into my own humiliation.
"Oh... I almost forgot... right... right..."
Jayden stammered through a weak laugh.
Three place settings sat on the table.
I was the extra one.
My nose stung. A bitter ache spread through my chest.
Mrs. Whitney Sr. looked at me with barely concealed contempt. "You're coming back and you can't even give us a heads-up?"
I opened my mouth but couldn't summon the energy to argue with her.
"Oh, this is Aileen James. She's my friend. She came by to visit Mom."
Jayden's eyes darted everywhere except toward me.
"That's right. Aileen is such a sweetheart. She even bought me a gold bracelet."
Mrs. Whitney Sr. smiled warmly at the woman on the couch.
But Aileen didn't look at me. She didn't seem to have any intention of acknowledging me at all. As if she were the lady of this house.
I stared at my mother-in-law's face, but all I could see were images of the two of them together, tangled up in each other.
Nausea surged through me.
I stumbled to the bathroom, gagging, but nothing came up.
When I stepped out, I heard Jayden and Aileen by the door, their voices low and playful.
Jayden's tone was teasing, laced with mock reproach. "You invited her over without telling me first? You little troublemaker."
"I just wanted to see the look on her face when she lost it." Aileen's voice turned possessive. "And remember, you're not allowed to touch her."
"Touch her? She lies there like a dead fish. Nothing like you, you little wildcat."
My brain short-circuited.
So that was it.
All those late nights at the office. All those times he barely touched me.
It was because of a promise he'd made to her.
I looked at the face in the mirror. Not young anymore. I looked at my hands under the faucet. No longer soft. My chest felt like it was going to split open.
But I couldn't lose control. Sneaking around in my home wasn't enough for Aileen anymore. She wanted to watch me unravel with her own eyes, wanted to see jealousy strip me of every last shred of dignity. That would be her victory.
I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.
I splashed water on my face. Told myself to stay calm.
"Something came up. I have to go."
The door slammed shut behind me. Mrs. Whitney Sr. had thrown it closed.
And something inside me closed with it.
I buried my face in my hands. Tears slipped through the cracks between my fingers.
Everything I'd given to this family over the years. What had any of it been worth?
Jayden announced another business trip, same as always.
This time, I didn't pack his suitcase.
