The Buyer Who Knew Too Much

I was still trying to make sense of everything when my phone suddenly rang, making me jump.

It was Chloe. Her voice was soft as ever.

"Jake, you worked all night, right? You must be exhausted. I made your favorite soup. I'm almost at your dispatch hub–come pick me up."

That snapped me fully awake.

She was heading straight to the dispatch hub–where I was supposed to have been working last night.

If she asked any of my coworkers, she would find out immediately that I had not shown up. And she would lose it.

I rushed back to the hub, slipped one of the guys some cash to cover for me, then hurried out to meet her.

Just made it in time.

She held up the soup, smiling.

"Jake, you've worked so hard! Look at those dark circles–must've been a busy night, huh?"

One lie leads to another.

I had no choice but to agree. Said I made a lot.

She held out her hand.

I clenched my jaw and transferred her another few hundred–money I did not even have.

So in the end, I caught nothing… and only sank deeper into debt.

I felt suffocated. She clung to me, acting cute as always–but it did nothing for me now.

I made an excuse and left. Went home alone.

I logged into her account again, checking everything over and over.

Nothing. Just a greyed-out profile. No clues at all.

My phone kept buzzing–repayment notices, overdue alerts, debt reminders.

My head throbbed. I was about to block all of them–when one message caught my attention.

[Want to know what your girlfriend's been doing behind your back? Being kept in the dark doesn't feel good, does it? Poor guy.[]

Every hair on my body stood on end.

It felt like someone had been watching me.

Chloe… was definitely hiding something.

I replied.

[Who are you? What do you know?]

They sent back only a phone number.

It looked familiar. I stared at it for a long time–then it clicked.

It was the buyer's number. The one who bought the camera.

Right. I could follow this lead and find out exactly who had been arranging to meet my girlfriend.

I called several times.

No answer.

The only lead I had… went nowhere.

I sat there, lost. I could not even bring myself to work.

Chloe came home before evening, which was unusual. Normally, she would be out all day spending money.

She said she had gotten up early to bring me the soup and wanted to take a nap.

Her phone was on the table.

Something crossed my mind.

I knew her passcode.

I unlocked it, opened Contacts, and entered the number.

Nothing.

The number was not saved.

What the hell…

I was about to give up when the phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.

Three messages popped up in quick succession.

[That was close, Chloe. Your idiot boyfriend almost found out.]

[Whole night wasted. I miss you. You promised to make it up to me.]

[Next time, let's go to your place. No outfit needed–it'll be even more exciting.]

My hands started shaking.

The phone slipped from my grip and hit the table with a loud crack.

A voice came from the bedroom.

"What are you doing out there? I just fell asleep."

Normally, I would have gone in right away to comfort her. But not this time.

Three phrases kept echoing in my head–

Idiot boyfriend.

Your place.

More exciting.