I knew Claire was cheating on me. It wasn’t hard to figure out with all the late-night texts, sudden work trips, and secretive phone calls. But I didn’t confront her. Hell, I didn’t even feel anything for her after I found out. We’d been married for so long, I didn’t have any feelings left.
A sad-looking man sitting at a home office desk | Source: Midjourney
The problem was, I was scared of a divorce because it would ruin me financially. I relied on her big salary to keep things afloat. She was covering our apartment, insurance, groceries, everything. So, I just gritted my teeth and pretended everything was fine.
One day, while doing laundry, I found this crumpled credit card receipt from some fancy restaurant in her jeans pocket. The name on it? Alex M—.
A man doing the laundry at home | Source: Midjourney
“Ohhhh,” I said out loud to the empty laundry room. Suddenly, things made sense. I knew the guy. He was her father’s friend, who I’d seen a few times at her dad’s birthday parties.
I remembered Alex from those gatherings. Rich guy, soft around the edges, always looking at Claire like she hung the moon. Back then, I thought he was just being friendly. Now? Now I knew better.
A distinguished-looking man at a celebration | Source: Midjourney
I sat down on the cold tile floor, receipt in hand, and laughed. It wasn’t a happy laugh. More like the kind of laugh you’d hear in a psych ward.
“Tom?” Claire’s voice floated down from upstairs. “Everything okay?”
I crumpled the receipt back up and shoved it in my pocket. “Yeah, fine. Just… stubbed my toe.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about Alex and Claire, about our sudden influx of cash, about the new car I got for my birthday. It all made sense now.
The next morning, I waited until Claire left for “work” before I dug into her old phone. She’d always been careless with her passcode. 4673. Our anniversary. Ironic, right?
man lying awake in bed | Source: Midjourney
What I found made my stomach churn. Old messages to Alex, full of hearts and kisses. Messages to her friends, gushing about how amazing he was. But there was something else, too. Something I didn’t expect.
“I still love Tom,” one message to her friend read. “But we needed the money. Alex… he’s just a means to an end. Is that terrible?”
Her friend’s reply was quick, “Girl, you got to do what you do. But be careful. This could blow up in your face.”
A thoughtful-looking man | Source: Midjourney
I found Alex’s number and saved it to my phone. Then I waited, biding my time, planning my move.
***
