I secretly ordered a delivery of a thousand roses for my wife's birthday, hoping to surprise her.
After the delivery was completed, I got a message from the delivery guy.
[By the way, I tossed the trash by your door on my way out. Didn't expect you to be so kinky. Good for you, man!]
He even sent me a photo.
In the picture was an open trash bag stuffed with shredded pantyhose.
My mind went completely blank.
I was overseas on a business trip. My wife was the only one at home.
I zoomed in on the pictures the delivery guy sent me. Mixed in with all the scraps of paper were shredded clothes and torn pantyhose.
I lit a cigarette and just stared at my phone, completely stunned.
I didn't snap out of it until the ash burned my finger.
I had been out of the country for a few weeks, and my wife was at home by herself.
Maybe the delivery guy got the wrong apartment…?
Feeling a knot in my chest, I opened our chat.
[Hey, man, are you sure that package went to the right place?]
[Yeah! Harborview Estates, Unit 2502. Didn't you guys already sign for it?]
Then, he sent me another photo.
Right away, my blood was about to boil. My brain just shut down like a clock with a broken spring.
In the picture, my wife, Phoebe Reese, was wearing a skimpy black lace nightgown, holding the roses I sent her with a seductive smile on her face.
And behind her was the shadow of a man.
For a second, I couldn't feel anything.
Was Phoebe cheating on me…?
Was she so stir-crazy from me being gone that she found someone else?
A hot wave of anger hit me hard.
I gritted my teeth and called Phoebe.
The phone rang forever before she finally picked up.
"Why are you calling so late? What do you need?"
Her breathing sounded uneven, like she had just worked out.
"Phoebe, happy birthday. Did you get the flowers I sent?"
"I got them. You're not even home for my birthday, and you think flowers make it better?"
She sounded irritated.
"No, that's not what I meant. I'll be done with everything the day after tomorrow, and we can celebrate then, okay?"
I tried my best to sound gentle.
"Wh-what? I thought you weren't coming back until the end of the month! Why are you coming back the day after tomorrow?"
Her voice shot up in pitch.
"I rushed everything so I could get home early and see you."
"Hey, you done talking to that clueless guy yet?"
A man's voice came through the phone. It wasn't loud, but I heard every word.
Hearing that made everything click. Phoebe was definitely sleeping with someone else.
"Who was that? Who's in the house with you?"
"N-No one! It's just me. You probably heard the TV. Anyway, I'm busy, so I'm hanging up."
Just like that, she ended the call.
I stared at my screen, my expression shifting nonstop.
I kept replaying that man's voice in my head. It sounded so familiar, but no matter how long I thought about it, I couldn't figure out who it belonged to.
Early the next morning, I wrapped up everything with my coworker as fast as I could and grabbed the earliest flight home.
I needed to catch those two red-handed.
As soon as I landed, I headed straight for the apartment.
When I knocked, Phoebe clearly thought her secret guy had shown up. She opened the door in a low-cut satin nightdress, smiling, all bright and excited.
The moment she saw it was me, her smile froze.
"Tr-Troy… I thought you weren't flying in until tomorrow!"
Phoebe stumbled over her words, as if my showing up early had ruined whatever she had planned.
"I missed you too much, so I switched my ticket. Nice surprise, right?"
Trying not to feel sick, I stepped in and hugged her, resting my chin on her shoulder. My eyes went straight to the candlelit dinner for two set up on the table.
I didn't need to guess who she was planning to share it with.
"Are you hiding a little boyfriend behind my back or something? Candlelight, the outfit… Feels like I came home at the worst possible time."
Phoebe instantly pushed at my chest and muttered, "N-No, you've got it all wrong. I was supposed to have a girls' night with a friend, but she suddenly couldn't make it…"
"Okay, okay, relax. I was joking." I pinched her nose lightly and smiled. "Anyway, I'm starving. Let's eat."
She nodded, looking like she had finally stopped holding her breath.
I grabbed a fork and shoved a bite of steak into my mouth. It tasted pretty good.
Phoebe sat across from me, tapping on her phone. Every now and then, she would glance at the screen and give this shy little smile.
It was the kind of smile people make when they really like someone.
She had never smiled at me like that.
Seeing it felt like someone pressed a block of ice right against my chest. I could barely breathe.
Phoebe suddenly looked up and caught me watching. Her whole face cooled instantly. "I'm full. I'm going to the bedroom."
She turned around and walked off, shutting the door behind her.
It was a long time before I finally pushed the door open. Phoebe was already asleep.
There was a dried stain on the sheets. I couldn't stop imagining what she and that guy had been doing before I came home.
I forced myself to swallow my rage. A part of me wanted to rip the whole bed apart and toss it out the window.
My eyes drifted to the phone on her nightstand, and curiosity burned through me. I picked it up and opened her messages.
It was like fate was shoving the truth right in my face.
Her pinned chat was with a guy whose profile picture showed him driving. She had him saved as "Mr. Feron".
The second I opened their chat history, all the blood in my body seemed to have turned to ice.
Tons of dirty messages popped up on the screen.
[Honey, when are you coming over?]
Below the message was a selfie showing a deep cleavage.
[You little tease. I'm almost there.]
[Don't come over yet! Troy came home early!]
[What? Didn't that guy say he wasn't coming back until tomorrow? Damn it.]
[I'm sorry. Let's meet tomorrow at our usual spot. I'll make it up to you.]
[Alright. You said it. Don't back out. And don't you dare let that idiot touch you tonight, got it?]
[Of course. Troy is boring and way too serious. He's nothing like you. I'd never let him touch me!]
My fists clenched so tightly that my nails almost dug into my skin.
I couldn't believe Phoebe betrayed me and even sent disgusting messages like this to another man.
Before, it was only a suspicion. Now, the evidence was right in front of me, and there was no denying it anymore.
Phoebe and I met in college. When I first met her, I was drawn in by her bright, lively personality.
Back then, I saved every penny I could. Every weekend, I would use whatever I scraped together to take her to the nicest restaurants in Lakewood Heights.
Meanwhile, on campus, I survived on peanut butter sandwiches.
A jar of peanut butter could last me a whole month.
By junior year, after interning at a construction site, I used my very first paycheck to buy Phoebe a designer bag.
After all my persistence, she finally agreed to be my girlfriend.
I was over the moon. I thought my dedication had finally moved her.
But everyone at school said Phoebe was a gold digger and told me to stay away from her.
I thought they were jealous that I had such a great girlfriend. Sour grapes, I told myself.
I never imagined that not even six months after getting married, Phoebe would hook up with another man behind my back.
And she cheated with her driving instructor, at that!
No wonder she kept running to driving school for half a year, yet somehow never passed the test. As it turned out, all the lessons were happening in bed.
She spent my money to take lessons and hooked up with the instructor instead.
Thinking about it, something inside me snapped. I looked at Phoebe sleeping beside me and smacked her across the face.
The sharp crack echoed through the quiet room, the whole air turning still.
Phoebe woke up groggy, a hand pressed to her cheek. "What's wrong?"
I lowered my voice, cold and flat. "Nothing. I killed a mosquito for you. Go back to sleep."
Phoebe didn't sense anything wrong and drifted back to sleep.
While she slept, I installed a monitoring app on her phone.
There was only one thing left on my mind now: I was going to make those two pay.
