“I have the recordings.
I have the lease.
And I have the message Aubrey sent to our daughter by mistake.”
His jaw tightened.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he said.
“What wasn’t?”
He sat down across from me.
“The affair,” he said.
“It started last year.
I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t a plan, Rhett.
What else?”
He looked away.
“Aubrey isn’t who you think she is,” he said.
“Then who is she?”
He didn’t answer.
I didn’t push.
I already had my phone recording in my pocket, and I wanted him to keep talking, but I didn’t want to spook him.
Instead, I changed the subject.
“I spoke to my attorney this afternoon,” I said.
“About the business, and the house.”
His head snapped up.
“You did what?”
“I’m protecting what’s mine,” I said.
“You should do the same.”
He stood up and walked out of the room without another word.
That night, I lay awake and stared at the ceiling.
I had spent years telling other people how to save their marriages on the podcast.
Now I couldn’t even save my own.
The next evening was the sponsor event at the Hamilton Hotel.
I almost didn’t go.
But I had promised Grant, our biggest sponsor, that I would be there.
The room was full of people in dark suits and expensive dresses, and I stood by the bar with a glass of sparkling water, smiling at people whose names I could barely remember.
Then the door opened.
And Aubrey walked in on Rhett’s arm.
She was wearing a black dress and a smile that was meant for me.
Rhett looked at me across the room and didn’t blink.
I set down my glass and walked toward them, because I had learned a long time ago that running only makes people chase you.
“Aubrey,” I said, as if we were old friends.
“I didn’t know you knew Rhett.”
She smiled.
“We’re business partners,” she said.
“How interesting,” I said.
“I didn’t know he had any.”
Grant appeared at my elbow and looked between the three of us.
“Celina, can I steal you for a moment?” he asked.
I nodded and followed him to the corner of the room.
“What’s going on?” he asked quietly.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” I said.
“But right now, I need you to watch Rhett and Aubrey for me.
And I need you to remember everything they say.”
Grant looked at me for a long moment, then nodded.
“I can do that,” he said.
I walked back into the crowd with my heart pounding and my phone in my hand, and I knew the night was far from over.
Chapter 5 – The Sponsor Dinner
The sponsor dinner was at the Whitmore Hotel, a place with chandeliers and waiters who moved like they were afraid of making noise.
I walked in holding a glass of sparkling water because I needed a clear head.
Rhett was already there, talking to Grant, the man who had sponsored my podcast for three years.
Then the door opened and Aubrey walked in on Rhett’s arm.
She wore a black dress and a smile that was meant for me.
Rhett looked across the room and didn’t blink.
I set down my glass and walked toward them, because running only makes people chase you.
“Aubrey,” I said, as if we were old friends.
“I didn’t know you knew Rhett.”
Her smile didn’t waver.
“We’re business partners,” she said.
“How interesting,” I said.
“I didn’t know he had any.”
Grant appeared at my elbow, looking between the three of us.
“Celina, can I steal you for a moment?” he asked.
I nodded and followed him to the corner of the room.
“What’s going on?” he asked quietly.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” I said.
“But right now, I need you to watch Rhett and Aubrey for me.
And I need you to remember everything they say.”
Grant looked at me for a long moment, then nodded.
“I can do that,” he said.
I walked back into the crowd with my heart pounding and my phone in my hand, and I knew the night was far from over.
For the next hour, I smiled and shook hands and asked people about their children, their summer plans, their new cars.
But my eyes kept moving back to Rhett and Aubrey.
They stood close together near the window, their heads bent like two people sharing a secret.
Grant stayed nearby, nursing a drink and watching them the way a man watches a storm roll in.
At one point, Aubrey laughed and touched Rhett’s arm, and I felt my jaw tighten.
But I didn’t move.
I had learned a long time ago that the best way to catch a liar is to let them talk.
