The following morning, I woke up feeling lighter than I had in days. I lazily reached out my hand, trying to touch Andrew, but it was empty. Just as I stirred, trying to sit up, I saw Andrew. He was fully dressed for work, buttoning his cuffs. When he noticed me, he turned around and smiled warmly. He walked over to the bed, pressing a gentle kiss to my head.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said, teasingly tugging at the edge of the duvet.
“What time is it?” I asked, squinting against the sunlight. “Did Kelly get up yet?”
“Relax, I took care of it.” Andrew smiled, grabbing his watch from the nightstand. “She ate some cereal, and I gave her some lunch money before she left. She caught the bus right on time.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” I let out a breath, leaning back into the pillows.
“I try.” He winked, picking up his briefcase. “I’m heading out for the office. See you tonight, babe.”
“Have a great day.” I smiled.
“Thanks, babe.”
After the door clicked shut, I lay there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. I thought about the condom and the message from last night, feeling a bit embarrassed. I had actually doubted him. The whole thing had just been a misunderstanding, and my marriage was exactly what it had always been: safe.
Later that morning, I was about to make coffee when the phone rang on the kitchen counter.
“Hey, Sallie,” my best friend, Jenny’s voice came through the line.
“Hi, Jenny. How’ve you been?” I asked.
“Just here. Are you free for an early lunch? I really need to get out of the office for a bit.”
“Sure,” I said, glad for the distraction. “The usual café downtown?”
“Yeah. Let’s meet there in half an hour.”
“Okay, sure.”
………………………………
By noon, I arrived at BONNY’S CAFÉ. I parked my car in the parking lot. The lunch rush hadn’t fully started yet. Jenny was already sitting at our usual table near the back window, staring at her menu.
“Hey!” I said, sliding into the chair opposite her. “Sorry if I kept you waiting. Traffic was a bit backed up near the highway.”
“No, it’s fine. I just got here a few minutes ago.” Jenny smiled, waving over the waitress so we could order our coffees. “How’ve you been? How’s everything at home?”
“Good,” I said, opening my menu. “Kelly’s been buried in school stuff lately. It’s a nightmare trying to help her. But Andrew actually surprised us and came back early from his trip last night, so I’m just glad to have him back under the same roof.”
Jenny finally looked up from her menu. “Wait, early from where?” she asked.
“Chicago,” I answered plainly. “You know he travels a lot. Thankfully, his clients shifted the date to much later.”
I noticed Jenny looking at me. I waited for the waitress to drop off our coffees.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “Sallie… When did he travel?” she asked.
I stared at her, not really understanding what she was trying to get at.
“Three days ago.”
“But I saw Andrew two days ago.”
I blinked. “What do you mean? Were you in Chicago too?”
“I was in town,” Jenny answered. “My eyes couldn’t have deceived me.” She said it with a serious, almost uncomfortable expression. “I saw him on a Wednesday afternoon at the Grand Regent Hotel downtown.”
My stomach turned, but I forced myself to keep smiling. “Jenny, that’s impossible. You probably just saw a lookalike.”
“Sallie, I know your husband,” she said firmly, her voice clear. “I’ve known him almost as long as you have. He was walking out of the hotel restaurant. I’m not mistaken.”
“But that’s not possible. He FaceTimed me from his hotel room in Chicago on Thursday morning, Jenny,” I insisted, my voice rising slightly before I caught myself and checked the surrounding tables. “He couldn’t be in town that day and be in Chicago that early. We even talked on Wednesday when he arrived. There has to be another explanation. Maybe he has a colleague who looks like him.”
Jenny didn’t try to argue. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, stirring her coffee.
“Maybe there is, Sallie. But don’t automatically believe everything he tells you.”
I bit my lower lip, feeling the familiar panic from yesterday.
“Why would you even say something like that to me?”
“Seriously, Sallie. Are you actually happy with your life right now?” she asked instead.
I stared at her, completely thrown off by the question.
“What? Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m just saying… you’ve changed,” Jenny said softly. “You used to have so many ambitions, Sallie. Now everything in your universe revolves around Andrew and Kelly.”
“I chose my family, Jenny,” I said, getting defensive. “There’s nothing wrong with being a mother and a good wife. My family is my priority.”
“I know,” Jenny responded gently, reaching across the table to touch my hand. “I’m not judging you. I’m just—”
I pulled my hands away under the pretense of taking a sip of my coffee.
“That’s enough, Jenny. You didn’t call me here to talk about my family, did you?”
She looked away nervously. “No. I’m sorry. Let’s just order some food and talk.”
We didn’t say much after that. When we finally stood up and walked to the parking lot, Jenny pulled out her keys from her bag and stopped next to my driver’s side door.
She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated.
“Sallie… there was someone with him at the hotel.”
My heart sank at once.
“Who? Who was he with, Jenny?”
She quickly shook her head, stepping backward.
“Forget I said anything. Just be careful, okay? Call me later.”
“Jenny, wait!” I called out, but she was already getting into her car and pulling out of the lot.
I stood there by my door, lost for words as her car disappeared down the street.
Did she really see him with another woman? Was she trying to warn me, or was she hiding something herself?