I remembered a conversation we had years ago, sitting on a beach watching the sunset. I had been worried about our age difference, that he was older and more established. He had laughed and pulled me close. "Age doesn't matter, Chloe," he had said, kissing my forehead. "What matters is that I love you. And I will love you until the day I die. You're my forever."
His words, once a source of comfort and security, were now a bitter poison. Every memory, every shared laugh, every tender touch was a lie. He wasn't loving me; he was loving her through me.
A cold, hard resolve began to form in the pit of my stomach. I would not be his fool anymore. I would not let him destroy me and my child. I had to leave. I had to get away from him, from this house of lies, from this life that was a sham.
I went back to our bedroom, my movements now quick and purposeful. I pulled a suitcase from the top of the closet-the closet where her clothes were still hanging-and started throwing my things inside. I didn't take much. Just the essentials. I wanted nothing that reminded me of him.
As I was packing, my phone buzzed again. It was a text from Liam.
"So sorry, my love. A crisis at work. Have to fly to Chicago immediately. Won' t be back for a couple of days. Be good. I love you."
The casual, effortless lie made my blood boil. He was probably already in her arms, laughing about how gullible I was. The 'I love you' at the end was the final insult.
I looked at the text, the words blurring through a fresh film of tears. A crisis at work. Chicago. It was the same excuse he used last month, and the month before that. How many times had he flown to "Chicago" while he was really just across town with her?
A sudden, reckless idea took hold of me. I knew where Sienna lived. Liam had once mentioned a new luxury condo building he was considering investing in, the 'Azure Heights' . He' d even pointed it out to me as we drove by one day. "Incredible views from up there," he'd said casually. Now, a sick certainty told me that was where he was. That was where he had built his other life.
I had to see it for myself. I needed to witness the lie with my own eyes, to burn the image into my brain so that I would never, ever be tempted to go back to him. I zipped up my suitcase, left it by the door, and grabbed my car keys. I was going to Chicago.
The drive to Azure Heights was short, only fifteen minutes from our house. The building was a sleek tower of glass and steel, glittering against the night sky. I parked across thestreet, my heart hammering against my ribs. I didn't have a plan. I just needed to see.
I didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, Liam' s car pulled into the underground garage. A minute after that, a light flicked on in a corner apartment on the twentieth floor. I could see two figures moving around inside, their silhouettes framed against the large window.
Even from this distance, I could see them embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, and she melted into him. They stood there for a long moment, swaying gently, two people perfectly in sync. Then, he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't a quick, casual peck. It was a deep, lingering kiss, full of a passion and intimacy that he hadn't shown me in months.
The sight was a physical pain, a sharp, twisting agony in my gut. That should be me. That was my husband, my life, my love. And she had stolen it all.