2: 2
At ten that night, Bianca came out of the bathroom after her shower.
She wore a modest set of silk pajamas, sitting on the edge of the bed, thumping her legs with her fists.
"I've been so worn out lately. Work plus wedding planning, and today I ran to three hotels. My legs are killing me."
She grumbled the complaint.
Still guilty over the way I'd suspected her that afternoon for no reason, I hurried over to make it up to her.
"Come here, come here. My hardworking wife. Let your husband rub them for you."
I had her lie flat and worked my hands down from her shoulders, kneading.
From her shoulders to her thighs, I did it thoroughly, missing nothing.
Bianca narrowed her eyes in comfort, enjoying the service.
I pushed the leg of her pajama pants up, wanting to massage her calves.
The moment the fabric slid up.
A silver snake-bone anklet sat there, plain as day, around her ankle!
My mind went off like a thunderclap, and I froze on the spot.
The style of that anklet, its shine, even the pattern etched into it.
It was identical to the anklet in that close-up photo from the post!
My hands started shaking without my control.
The defenses I'd just rebuilt in my head collapsed in that instant.
"What is this?!"
I flung her leg aside and demanded it harshly.
Bianca jumped at my sudden fury.
She shot upright, staring at my bloodshot eyes, at a loss for what to do.
"What is what? You scared me half to death."
"Why are you blowing up like this? You scared me."
I raised my voice, the rage flaring up again.
"I'm asking you where that chain on your ankle came from!"
Bianca sighed, exasperated.
"It's that trending group-buy item everyone's been getting online lately!"
"Almost every woman in my office has one. We ordered them together as a batch."
Her tone was flat, without the slightest guilt.
"I wasn't even going to buy one. They said mine was the last order they needed to get thirty percent off."
"They also said I've got small feet and slim ankles, so it'd look great on me."
"I figured, it's only a couple hundred bucks, and I didn't want to be the odd one out, so I bought it to wear for fun."
"If you don't believe me, I'll pull up the purchase record."
She reached for her phone, found the group-buy record, and handed it to me.
True enough. A cheap couple-hundred-dollar trinket. With so many people wearing it, matching one was normal.
I pushed the anger back down.
"I don't like you wearing these flashy things. Don't wear it anymore."
"Fine, fine, I won't. Your temper really is getting worse and worse."
Bianca muttered it, got off the bed, and headed out.
"I'm going to the bathroom."
I retreated to the living room and sat on the couch, my back soaked in sweat.
Ten minutes passed.
Bianca still hadn't come out of the bathroom.
I couldn't help pulling out my phone again and refreshing that trending local post.
Just a minute earlier, the OP had posted a new reply.
"So close. My guy just texted saying he forgot to take off the anklet and almost got caught by his wife."
A chill shot straight up from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head.
I softened my steps and walked, one at a time, to the bathroom door.
Through the gap in the door, I saw what was happening inside.
Bianca was standing at the sink.
Her back was to the door, both hands flying across her phone screen.
She was sending texts.
Was she reporting that close call to the OP just now?!
I kicked the bathroom door open.
"Who are you messaging?!"
I roared it.
Bianca gave a full-body shudder of fright.
She flipped the phone facedown on the sink.
Her expression turned visibly flustered.
"No... nothing. Just chatting with my cousin."
She stammered.
"Chatting with your cousin means you have to be this sneaky about it?"
I reached for her phone.
Bianca snatched it up first, fingers swiping fast.
"It's really nothing. What does a grown man want with me and my cousin chatting!"
The harder she covered, the deeper my despair sank.
I stepped in and grabbed the phone, and found the chat still sitting open on the thread with her cousin.
Except every message inside had been wiped clean.
Catch a thief with the goods, catch cheaters in the act.
The wedding date was almost here, and the relatives and friends had all been told.
At this point, with no direct proof, it wasn't wise to turn on her.
I ground my back teeth and forced down the feeling that wanted to erupt.
"If you want to play on your phone, go do it outside. Clear out fast, I need the toilet, I can't hold it."
Watching Bianca's back as she left, I thought to myself, let's see just how long you can keep up the act.
