“Anna, James is in the hospital right now, and… it doesn’t look good.” I glanced over at my daughter, Sophia, who was watching TV on the couch. In a low voice, I replied, “Let’s stop the treatment.” James and I have been married for seven years, and our daughter, Sophia, is four now. He runs one of my brother Ryan’s branch companies, but the business had been struggling for a while. My dad even advised him to let it go, saying he should find a job more suited to his expertise. But after I got pregnant, the company suddenly started doing well, and James got busier. That busyness stretched on for five years. Once Sophia was born, my entire focus shifted to her, leaving little time for James. Last month, Sophia started preschool, and I finally got a moment to breathe. That’s when I realized that James wasn’t coming home more than three times a week. Hesitating for a moment, I decided to give him a call. He picked up quickly. “Hey, babe?” “When are you coming home? Sophia’s been waiting for you.” Sophia had actually been asleep for a while by then. I’m just not the type to openly say things like ‘I miss you’ or ‘I love you,’ even when we were dating. James hesitated for a few seconds, his breathing sounded rushed. “I’ve got something at the office. I won’t be home tonight. Tell Sophia to get to bed.” “Babe, I’ve got to go. Love you.” Before I could respond, he hung up.
James didn’t come home until the next night. As soon as I saw him, I knew he’d changed clothes. The suit he was wearing looked a lot like the one he had on the day before, same brand and everything. But it definitely wasn’t the same one. I took his briefcase, pretending to be casual. “Honey, where’s that suit Ryan gave you last time? Haven’t seen you wear it lately.” I was talking about the suit he had left the house wearing the previous day. He bent down to take off his shoes, freezing when he heard my question. His movements became a bit clumsy. My heart sank. A woman’s intuition is almost always spot on. You don’t need hard evidence to tell when your partner’s been unfaithful. James quickly covered, “A client spilled some wine on it. Insisted on taking it to the cleaners for me.” He seemed satisfied with the explanation, standing up to show off the new suit. “They even bought me a new one.” I nodded but didn’t say anything. Later that night, after he fell asleep, I checked his phone. Nothing suspicious. Then I opened his Uber app, and all the ride history had been wiped clean. Since we used the family car to take Sophia to school, James always used Uber to get to the office. Maybe he didn’t know about another feature of the app. I clicked on the “Request Invoice” button, and all the ride records popped up. His three most frequent destinations: The office A place called Sunset Apartments A factory out in the suburbs I knew Sunset Apartments—expensive, even for a rental. The factory? That was near one of the company’s other properties.
Once James left for work, I asked Sandra Davis, the HR manager, to send me a list of employee details. The company had been downsizing lately; last month, they’d laid off a few people. Most of the long-time employees had already jumped ship, leaving a bunch of fresh-out-of-college hires. Aside from Sandra, I barely knew anyone at the company anymore. The list included home addresses, and sure enough, there was a Lisa Woods listed as living at Sunset Apartments. There was no way she could afford to rent that place on her salary. I skimmed her file—out-of-town hire, attractive. Whether her family had money? That wasn’t listed. That afternoon, I picked up some coffee and headed to James’s office. It’s not easy getting a divorce these days; you need solid evidence. The house was a gift from my parents before the wedding, so it was under my name and Sophia’s. I wasn’t concerned about the marital assets, but there was no way I’d let go of custody of my daughter. “Anna’s here, and she brought coffee for everyone!” James’s secretary had already been waiting downstairs for me. James hurried out to meet me too, and for a second, I saw something strange in his eyes. Was it disgust? Or maybe… jealousy? Lisa Woods was there too, shyly coming over to grab her coffee, then walking right up to me. “Thanks, Anna. James always talks about how amazing you are.” Then she flashed him a flirty smile. It was the kind of smile I hadn’t been able to pull off since I was twenty. The air grew tense for a few moments. I smiled, taking her hand. “I haven’t been to the office in a while, so I don’t know any of the new faces.” She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. “Focus on your work. I hope to see your name up there at the end of the year, and when I do, I’ll make sure to give you a nice bonus.” Sandra Davis quickly jumped in, “You hear that, everyone? Anna just promised us all a great bonus! Better thank the boss!” I smiled at her. In this company, only a few people knew who really held the reins.
James didn’t take it well when I stole his spotlight, and he sulked for the rest of the afternoon. “Our numbers are down, way down,” I said. He froze. “Honey, you’re working like crazy every day. I thought business was booming.” He swallowed hard. “Well, actually, this quarter’s been a little tough…” “With numbers like that, you don’t need to be coming home two or three times a week. What are you doing out there? Gambling? Cheating?” James never expected me to speak so harshly, his neck stiffening as he struggled to respond. “Alright, here are your options.” “One, you fix the numbers for this quarter.” “Two, we shut down the company.” Immediately, he softened, kneeling in front of me. “Babe, we can’t shut down the company! I’ll work harder, I promise.” Of course, he wouldn’t agree to close it. If the company folded, he’d just become “Anna’s husband” and nothing more. “Then get to work.” “If Ryan sees these numbers, he’ll probably feel the same way I do.” I got up, and he scrambled to follow me, offering to walk me out. “No need. And if you don’t come home for the next few days, just book yourself a hotel room nearby.” He looked shocked but happily agreed. I grabbed my camera and set up camp at a café near Sunset Apartments. Around 9 PM, Sandra texted me that James had left the office. Lisa Woods left right after him. James called around the same time, saying he’d be staying at a hotel. I waited for about two hours before they came strolling back, hand in hand, like a couple of high school sweethearts. Oddly, I felt calm watching them. As they got closer, I snapped a few high-definition photos, focusing on their interlocked fingers. When I got home, I called an old friend to help me keep an eye on Lisa. The next day, around noon, I got a call. It was loud on the other end. “You won’t believe this. That woman’s pregnant.”
I quickly gathered myself. “Are you sure?” The person tailing Lisa had accidentally knocked her medical report out of her hands, giving them a quick look. Pregnant? A flood of old frustrations came rushing back. James’s mother had always wanted a grandson. When she found out I couldn’t have more children, she often came by to make things difficult for me. I laughed bitterly. James really thought he had it all figured out, didn’t he? If he wanted a son, there was always some woman out there willing to give him one. That afternoon, Sandra sent me another update. James had fired his old secretary and hired a new one. That wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was that he had personally hired a woman who hadn’t even finished middle school. Sandra quickly forwarded me her details. This was the first time James had ever used his position for something shady. I was curious. Her name was Christine Brown, and she came from the same town as James. No real education, no work history. If Christine had been one of James’s relatives, I would have heard about her. James was always extra careful not to mess up in front of my family, even refusing to help his own brother. I was stunned when I saw her address. She lived in the suburbs, not far from the factory. One of the places James frequently visited. Later that afternoon, I grabbed a seat at a café near the office. James usually ordered a coffee around 1:30 PM. With the old secretary gone, it had to be Christine who was picking it up now. Right on time, she showed up. In person, she looked older than in her photo. It was clear she wasn’t used to running errands. I walked up and helped her order. She gave me a deep, awkward bow. As she bent over, I noticed a necklace slip out from under her collar. It was a limited-edition piece I had seen in a catalog a month ago but hadn’t bought. I admit it—I judged her. “Nice necklace. What brand is it? I might get one for myself.” She instinctively reached to cover it, then let her hand drop. “My boyfriend bought it for me.” I returned to my seat and messaged the salesperson. Sure enough, last month, James had used my credit card to buy that necklace. I was confused but intrigued. Christine lived far from the office, a three-hour commute by subway. If she and James were involved, why hadn’t he moved her closer? She could have sold that necklace and gotten a better apartment. Sandra also informed me that Lisa had taken a few days off. Understandable, given the pregnancy. She probably wanted to rest up. James had also texted me, saying he wouldn’t be home tonight. My gut told me he wasn’t going to see Lisa. So, I took an Uber to Christine’s apartment and waited. Sure enough, the person tailing Lisa confirmed that James wasn’t with her. It wasn’t until after 8 PM that James finally showed up, carrying a bunch of stuff. One item stood out—a large Lego set. That couldn’t be for Christine, right? Was James seeing a woman with a kid? I didn’t stick around long and headed back home. James came home that night, too.
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