My Husband's Lies, My Departure

I put down the tablet, dragging my exhausted body to clean up the vomit. An hour later, Javier returned.

He was carrying a bag of seafood porridge. He asked me, "Mandy, how are you feeling? Still unwell? There was an urgent matter at work, so I'm a bit late. Please don't be mad," he said, placing the porridge on the coffee table, looking at me with concern.

Those eyes, just like the ones I had fallen in love with years ago. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that the man who once loved me could become this person.

I didn't answer his questions but instead asked, "Javier, why did you change your shirt?"

His gaze remained calm as he effortlessly lied, "I spilled some porridge on my shirt while buying it, so I changed into a new one in the car."

I didn't say anything, just curled my lips into a mocking smile. He didn't notice, preoccupied as he took the porridge into the kitchen.

"I'll heat it up for you. Eating cold food will upset your stomach," he said. But when the porridge was placed in front of me, I couldn't bring myself to take a single bite.

I thought of that spilled bowl of porridge in the car, I thought of their intimate encounter.

Suppressing the nausea rising within me, I pushed the porridge onto the table. I pushed myself and said, "I don't want to eat anymore. I'm not feeling well today. I'll go to bed first."

Javier was confused, followed me, asking if I was okay. But I caught a whiff of a different scent on him. A fruity fragrance, something only a young girl would wear.

"Javier, I'm not feeling well. I'd like to sleep alone tonight. Go sleep in the guest room," I said it again. I pushed him out of the bedroom.

It was the first time we'd slept in separate rooms. He went to the guest room while I tossed and turned in the master bedroom.

The next day, I had someone investigate the college girl. Her name was Danielle Crimson, a senior at Atlanta University. Her family was poor, an ailing mother and a younger brother still in school.

She and Javier met at a cocktail party. She was molested by someone and Javier rescued her heroically.

"Madam, I think Mr. Lloyd might have saved her because she reminded him a little of you," Miss Taylor, my assistant, hesitated to explain.

I laughed lightly and set the information down on the table. Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.

[Mrs. Lloyd, can we meet?] The message was from Danielle. She had asked to meet at a café.

When I arrived, she was busy finishing up her shift, sweating, "Sorry, Mrs. Lloyd, I just got off work. Thank you for waiting."

Her youthful energy radiated from her glowing face. She did look quite different from me. I smiled and took a sip of my coffee, then calmly said, "Go ahead, let me know when you've scheduled Javier to arrive so I can play along with your little show."

"Is it the classic scene where the wife catches the mistress and the husband scolds his wife while heroically protecting the mistress?" I continued.

She remained silent, eyes wide with surprise. I leaned back in my chair and spoke softly. I said again, "Javier is a meticulous man. There's no way he'd leave the dashcam on. You turned it on, didn't you?"

"Was Javier's mood bad today? Because I'm upset, he gave you the cold shoulder too, didn't he? You're smart. You must've guessed that I saw the footage, so you arranged this meeting to stage a little drama, right?" As soon as I finished speaking, Danielle's face turned pale.

She hesitated, then finally spoke, her eyes red with tears, "Yes, it was me! Why should you get all of Mr. Lloyd's love? What's the difference between us? I'm even younger than you, aren't I? You're just a housewife, with no job or career. What makes you worthy of Mr. Lloyd's love?"

I said nothing, simply watching her with indifferent eyes. The sound of familiar footsteps approached.

Danielle's lips curled into a victorious smile as she glanced at the steaming cup of water on the table. Her intentions were clear.

I smiled, indulging her and picked up the cup, not to throw it at her, but directly onto her face.

"Ah! It's so hot! It hurts!" Danielle screamed in pain as tears streamed down her face.

Behind me, Javier's anxious voice rang out. But the name he called was mine, "Mandy, are you okay?"