Chapter 1 — Suspicious Ties

Alexis: Um, bestie! Why’s Victor at a restaurant with another woman?

I had to reread the text several times to make sure I had read things correctly. Surely she had to be mistaken, right?

Victor wasn’t the type to casually dine with just anyone, much less a random woman.

Ding! Another text came through.

Alexis sent a photo this time, and there was no mistaking Victor’s slicked back blonde hair. A massive chandelier hung above him, so I knew the place had to be expensive.

But who was the woman that was with him? In the photo, her back was towards the camera, so there was no seeing her facial features at all. The only thing I could see was that she had long, wavy brown hair—reminiscent of my own.

And why did he look so… at ease? Tender? It was almost as if he was admiring her.

The Victor I knew was always serious and indifferent towards other people. It made him appear cold-hearted to others, even though that wasn’t truly the case.

Still, it was so odd seeing him act this way. I almost didn’t recognize him.

Ding! It was another text, although this time, it was an audio message. I immediately hit play.

“Oh, Victor,” the unknown woman’s voice chimed in. “This place is truly extravagant. You didn’t need to take me here!”

“Nonsense. It’s the least I can do for you.” Victor’s voice was soft.

Least I can do for you? What’s that supposed to mean? 

“You’re so kind, just as you always have been. It’s like you’re the only person who tries to understand me, and who really does.”

“And you say I’m kind?” Victor laughed and it sounded so musical.

I’d never heard Victor’s laugh sound like that—it sounded so carefree and full of happiness.

The woman giggled. “Because you are! Even though you used to always treat me like a child, it’s because you were worried about me. I always felt so safe when I was around you back then—and  even still now.”

How long have they known each other? Who is this woman? Is she an old friend of his?

“And how are we finding everything?” Another voice came through. I thought it was perhaps the waiter.

“Good, thank you for checking in on us.” Victor replied.

“Of course, of course! And if you don’t mind, may I ask how long have you two been married? You two are absolutely sweet to each other!”

“Aww, you really think we’re that sweet enough to seem married?” The unknown woman sounded like she really enjoyed his question. “I suppose our relationship can come off that way!”

The audio cut out with the unknown woman laughing loudly before I caught any type of response from Victor.

I called Alexis immediately, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. My mind began to wander as I tried to connect the pieces of this new puzzle.

Our marriage wasn’t something that came out of love. We were introduced by his grandfather, and set to wed that same week.

While it was odd living under the same roof with a stranger who was meant to be my husband, it wasn’t awful. We spent time getting to know each other and in time, I fell in love with my husband.

Victor had always been so thoughtful. He was a man of few words, but I could feel how much he cared through his actions.

And so seeing the photo and hearing how he spoke to her… It made me feel conflicted. A sense of doubt made my skin crawl.

My phone rang at that moment and pulled me out of my thoughts. It was Alexis, so I picked it up.

“Hey! I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to record any more of their convo. My boyfriend called, so I didn’t get to hear any more of it…”

“It’s okay, you did a lot for me with just that photo and that small audio clip.” I sighed. “What should I do though?”

There were a few beats of silence before Alexis responded again. “Maybe just call him to make sure everything’s okay? I didn’t mean to worry you too much, but… It’s just weird. Do you think they’re just friends?”

I didn’t want to immediately assume the worst, so I took a few deep breaths before answering. “I’m sure they are. Maybe just a new work colleague or business partner.”

“Were we listening to the same voice message?” Alexis asked in disbelief.

“Yeah… I just… I don’t want to immediately jump to conclusions, okay? Maybe it is something harmless. Victor’s loyal and honest. He’s never given me a reason to doubt him, so I won’t right now.”

“Well… I’m a call or text message away if you need anything, bestie.” Alexis didn’t seem to buy my reasoning, but was supportive of me anyway.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

I hung up the phone and sighed.

It took me years to build something intimate with Victor, and he’d never spoken to any other woman the way he was speaking to this one.

I had to know what was going on. Or at least get to the bottom of who this person was.

I clicked on Victor’s number out of my Favorite Contact list, and he picked up after the fourth ring.

“Hey, Emelia. Is everything okay?” Victor greeted me in a rushed voice.

I took a deep breath and pretended nothing was wrong. “Hey. Yeah, I just wanted to know when you’d be home for dinner? Are you still at your office?”

“Yeah, I’m busy at a work meeting right now. Now’s not a good time.” Victor stated.

It definitely wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear since it was a flat out lie.

“I’m sorry.” I kept my voice steady and even as I tried to find out more details. “You usually call me when you’re going to be late at the office, and I thought you’d be home by now. Is everything okay? Why didn’t you call?”

Instead of acknowledging anything I said, or even giving me some type of “call you later,” he hung up on me.

Just like that. He hit the end button on his phone and completely ignored everything I had to say.

What the hell was that?!