Chapter 1
729words
I pursed my lips, remembering how in the early days, Harvey couldn't keep his hands off me, clinging to me every night.
Even during morning routines, he'd wrap himself around me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder with a contented sigh.
But somewhere along the way, work consumed him. He started coming home later and later.
We barely spoke anymore, and our once passionate love life dwindled from weekly to monthly.
Now, I couldn't remember the last time we'd been intimate—two, maybe three months ago.
The sheer fabric barely concealed my body. I tugged at it nervously, and just as I gathered the courage to knock, the door yanked open.
Harvey stood there in a black tracksuit, phone in hand, clearly on his way out.
He paused briefly at the sight of me. "Why are you dressed like that?"
His question made an already awkward moment worse. I forced myself to speak. "We haven't been together in a long time."
"Tonight, could we possibly..."
Before I could finish, Harvey cut me off without hesitation. "Not tonight."
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a tearful voice came through his phone. "Harvey?"
"I'm really scared. That man keeps following me. Could you come over?"
My fingers froze.
The voice was sweet and young. If I wasn't mistaken, it belonged to Lucia Rivera—the new intern at Harvey's company and his former classmate from university.
Harvey immediately grabbed his jacket and rushed toward the door.
"Don't worry, I'll be right there."
Only as he was leaving did he glance back, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. "Lucia's a young girl alone over there. It's not safe. I need to check on her."
With that, he slammed the door without waiting for my response.
I stood frozen, staring down at my barely-there nightgown.
A wave of shame washed over me, stinging like a slap across the face.
I first heard Lucia Rivera's name during dinner, when Harvey's phone rang unexpectedly.
He glanced at the screen and practically sprinted to the balcony to answer.
I assumed it was something urgent.
When I asked later, he shrugged it off. "I helped an intern with her proposal earlier. She was just calling to thank me because it got approved."
Later I discovered that intern was Lucia Rivera—his former classmate, a full seven years younger than us.
In the photo from her resume, she had bright eyes, apple-red cheeks, and radiated youthful energy.
She wasn't stunning, but youth is its own kind of beauty.
After standing there for what felt like forever, I walked to his study, opened his computer, and logged into his messages.
There was only one pinned conversation, and it wasn't mine.
I recognized the profile picture immediately—Lucia Rivera.
She'd added me once when I visited Harvey at the office.
With trembling hands, I opened their conversation.
The chat history stretched on endlessly—I couldn't even reach the beginning.
At first, Lucia was simply polite: "Thank you for helping with my proposal. Can I treat you to dinner this weekend?"
Harvey's reply was minimal: "No need, it was nothing."
Their early conversations were infrequent.
Lucia would occasionally message him, usually asking for work advice.
"Harvey, I mixed up two documents. What should I do?"
"Don't worry. I'll call Marsh and explain. He won't blame you."
Gradually, they grew closer. Harvey began checking if she needed help with anything.
Soon they were chatting daily.
"This dog looks just like you! So cute!"
"That restaurant was nice. Should we go there again?"
"Sure."
He started showing concern: "Get some sleep. You have an early flight tomorrow."
"Don't be late, or you'll be in trouble."
"Rain tomorrow. Bring an umbrella. Don't catch cold again."
I scrolled to their most recent messages.
The last was a voice message from Lucia, clearly drunk: "Harvey, I think I've fallen for you. What should I do?"
Harvey hadn't replied.
My body went cold, fingers trembling uncontrollably.
I'd thought our marriage had just lost its spark. I'd even considered that a child might save us.
Now it all seemed utterly ridiculous.
What was left to salvage?
My husband had fallen for another woman.
