She’s not feeling great, and she asked me to come over for a while.” She wouldn’t quite meet my eyes.
“Is she okay?” I asked, keeping my tone as even as I could. “Should we come with you?” That made her flinch.
She just wants to talk. I might be late, so don’t wait up.”
I watched her walk around the room, grab her purse, and check her phone again. She smelled like the fancy perfume she usually saves for date nights.
She’d dressed “for her mom” in a fitted blouse and dark jeans that made my chest ache.
She came over, kissed me softly on the mouth, and whispered, “Love you. Tell Caleb goodnight for me.” I forced a smile and said, “Love you too. Drive safe.”
And then I watched her walk out the door, knowing she was lying to my face.
I waited for an hour before doing anything.
I played a video game with Caleb, ordered pizza, and laughed at his jokes. I didn’t want to miss bedtime, even though my brain was spinning. Once he was settled with his book, I grabbed my keys.
Crescent Hall is one of those places you see tagged on Instagram but never actually go to unless you’re rich or invited.
The tired hostess barely glanced up before saying, “Private event?”
“Yep. Wife’s birthday.”
She glanced at my ring, then at a list and waved me toward a set of double doors, obviously too overworked to care much about the guest list.
My heart was beating so hard I could feel it in my throat.Continue reading…
