Receipts of Infidelity

"Test you?" I watched as Tristan spun and left with another woman in his arms, my voice shaking with anger.

"You were the one who tested me first! I never made you do anything, did I? Did I hold a gun to your head and force you to cheat on me or lie to me?

"You should have known that I, Genevieve Hartman, was no pushover when you decided to crush my trust, love, and our five-year marriage under your boot! You're a police officer, Tristan, but that didn't seem to have stopped you from breaking the law you claim to uphold!"

I grabbed him by the wrist. His wrist was bare; the red woven bracelet I had made for him was already gone. I demanded, "Where's my bracelet?"

Tristan paused, and he squeezed out the words, "I lost it while I was on duty."

"You lost it?" I stared into his eyes, enunciating, "Then what's that on Lara's wrist?"

A grave look crossed Tristan's face. He opened his mouth to argue and explain, but in the end, words eluded him. He shook off my grip and walked away without so much as a backward glance.

The sun shone on his figure as he carried Lara away, drawing out their shadows until they looked like long, distorted caricatures on the ground. The portrait pierced through my heart like a poisoned arrow.

I watched them get into the police cruiser; the red and blue lights that beamed from the top of the vehicle were blinding as they sped off into the distance. Then, I crouched on the ground and wept my heart out.

I heard a frenzied discussion going on around me, accusations and conjectures filling my ears in a cacophony of sound. But I no longer cared about them or anything else.

The man who'd promised to protect me forever had hurt me in the cruelest way in the end.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Rowena: "I just found out that not only has Tristan been paying for Lara's rent, he's also bought her a new car in cash. Shall I send the evidence to the disciplinary committee?"

As it turned out, Tristan had not only given Lara companionship but also a home to share. I was his lawfully wedded wife, yet he treated me like I was no more than a stranger.

I wiped my tears and punched in my reply, which read, "Do it."

"Oh, Tristan, don't blame me for being heartless when you were the one who broke my heart in the first place," I thought. I'd make him pay for everything he owed me and more.

I found a highly experienced divorce attorney, Anna Gilmore, who frowned after seeing the evidence I'd presented for my case.

"Ms. Hartman, given that Detective Griffin has committed adultery, you are well within your rights to demand most of the marital assets… And even his entire fortune." Anna paused, adjusting her glasses.

She continued, "The only problem is that his bank card and most of his assets are under your name. He doesn't have many disposable assets—"

"I don't care about the assets," I cut her off. "What I want is to ruin his reputation."

Anna froze, then nodded in understanding. "We can do that, but we'll need more solid evidence, like… pictures or audio recordings of him and his mistress getting intimate."

I recalled the smart security camera we'd installed at home.

Tristan had insisted on installing it last year, nagging about his concerns for my safety while I was alone at home. The camera was linked to both my phone and his. I didn't use it much, but now, it might just come in handy.

I went home immediately and pulled up the camera's cloud storage. Indeed, I found some surprising evidence in it. Just half a month ago, Tristan had brought Lara home.

In the security footage, Lara was wearing my pajamas and pacing around the living room. Tristan hugged her from behind and lowered his head to kiss her neck.

"Tris, I can't believe you live here. This is much better than the apartment I'm renting," Lara said coyly.

"You like it? This will be your home in the future." Tristan added with a smile, "I'll put the house under your name once I divorce Genevieve."

"Really?" Lara's eyes lit up. "You're the best, Tris!"

"Of course." Tristan pinched her cheek lovingly. "My baby deserves the best."

He'd called Lara his baby, a word that made my ears feel like they were bleeding. He used to call me that in the past.

The footage continued with Lara and Tristan making out in the living room. A while later, they wrapped their arms around each other and took their endeavors to the bedroom—the bedroom I shared with Tristan.

I chewed on my lower lip. It was all I could do to keep myself from hurling. So, they'd been openly screwing each other under my nose and turning my house into their love nest.

I downloaded the footage and sent it to Anna. I asked, "Is this sufficient evidence?"

Anna's face was grave after she watched the footage. "Yes. Are you certain you want to proceed, Ms. Hartman? He won't be able to come back from this."

"I'm sure," I replied firmly. If Tristan wanted to play with fire, he'd have to deal with the burns.