Chapter 3

As Sarah walked away from the oak tree, her phone vibrated.

A text from Jessica.

[He said he was parched and begged me for a drink... I was so ticklish.]

Another followed almost immediately.

[Oops, spilled some Cabernet on myself. He licked it all off. Hope you don't mind, Sarah?]

Then, a video. Ethan, her sophisticated husband, greedily licking red wine from Jessica' s exposed skin, his eyes glazed with lust.

Sarah saved the evidence, each file a nail in the coffin of her marriage.

She felt a cold detachment settle over her, a necessary shield.

When Ethan returned home hours later, feigning exhaustion, Sarah was engrossed in a book, or pretending to be.

He kissed the back of her neck, a gesture that once sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.

Now, it reminded her of him licking wine off Jessica. She gagged, a sudden, violent reflex.

Ethan looked concerned, then a hopeful glint appeared in his eyes.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Could it be...?" He gestured vaguely towards her stomach.

"Nothing," she cut him off, her voice sharp.

He looked guilty, misinterpreting her reaction.

"It's my fault for leaving you today, I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

He produced several large shopping bags from high-end boutiques, her favorite designer brands.

His usual way of apologizing, a transactional gesture for his betrayals.

Sarah managed a faint, tired smile, tossing the bags aside without looking inside.

"I'm a bit tired, Ethan."

He made her chamomile tea and cut up some fruit, his brow furrowed with apparent solicitude.

As she reached for her book again, the doorbell rang, sharp and intrusive.

It was Jessica, bundled up against the evening chill, holding a small, elegantly wrapped gift box.

"Sarah, Mr. Cole asked me to prepare this for you, he said he left it at my place by mistake."

Jessica handed over the box, her eyes glinting with malice.

Sarah opened it. Inside, a silk scarf – the exact one used to tie Jessica's hands in the video.

Ethan emerged from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand.

Seeing Jessica, his face paled, his composure momentarily shattering. He quickly stepped between them, shielding Sarah.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed at Jessica, his voice low and threatening.

Jessica slowly opened her coat, revealing a tantalizing hint of black lace lingerie beneath.

"Just delivering your gift, Mr. Cole." She smirked at Sarah, a triumphant little tilt of her lips.

Ethan glanced at the box in Sarah's hands, then nervously at Sarah' s expressionless face.

Seeing no immediate outrage, no screaming fit, he visibly relaxed, a sigh escaping him.

"Gift delivered, you can go now." His voice was dismissive, already regaining its usual arrogance.

Jessica shot one last, knowing look at Sarah and sauntered out.

Sarah knew it wasn't over, not by a long shot.

Ethan was already loosening his tie, his Adam's apple bobbing – his tell-tale sign of arousal when Jessica was near or on his mind.

The scarf, the lingerie, Jessica' s brazen appearance – it was all a calculated performance.