Chapter 2

I noticed that every page was dated, beginning from the first week of my marriage to Anthony and continuing to the present day. It was unnerving just how detailed the entries were.

"On this day, Anthony worked overtime and came home at 11:00 pm. There was no sexual intercourse that night."

"On this day, Anthony came home drunk and had sex with Madison for an hour. She's such a slut!"

"On this day, Anthony and Madison entered the bedroom at 8:00 pm. Anthony came out half an hour later to hand-wash her underwear."

"On this day, Madison wouldn't leave Anthony alone for four days straight. She's such a vixen!"

Emily stepped toward me, jabbing her finger hard at the final entry. "Do you see it now? Anthony was away on business for the past three months and only got back two weeks ago. How could you possibly be a month pregnant, Madison?

"I was puzzled as to why you were hanging onto him so tightly back then, but I guess it's because you were sleeping around, and fearing you were pregnant with a bastard, you wanted to trick Anthony into raising it."

Upon hearing that, Leah slumped to the floor, yelling, "How can that be? What has the Johnson family done to deserve this?"

I merely stared at the notebook as their voices blared around me, a chill running down my spine. It wasn't the content that bothered me, but what the notebook represented.

Anthony's family home was a house they had built themselves in the countryside. He and I occupied the third floor, while Emily and Leah stayed on the second.

In the span of five years—more than a thousand days and nights—Emily had constantly run up from the floor below, eavesdropping on our room, and meticulously documenting everything she heard.

I finally snapped and threw the notebook at Emily. "You're sick in the head! Who on earth spends their time snooping on her brother's bedroom activities?"

Emily remained completely unfazed, even speaking as if she were in the right. "You're just a woman with some looks who's always going out under the pretense of work, so I had to keep a close eye on you for Anthony's sake. I was right to do so! Haven't I caught you in the act now?"

I turned toward Anthony, my heart hammering violently in my chest. I expected him to be furious, to challenge Emily for her intrusive behavior. I thought that if he had questioned Emily about why she had eavesdropped on us, I would have believed he was still worth my devotion.

He didn't do that, though. He actually looked away, his gaze instinctively shifting away from mine.

I could hear my voice trembling as I asked, "Did you know she had been keeping records of all this, Anthony? Did you know she's been listening in on us?"

Anthony stammered as he tried to explain himself. "I-It's not like that, Madison. I didn't know until later, and besides, Emily meant well…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What do you mean by that? Is spying on your own brother and his wife in bed what you call good intentions?"

"I didn't mean it like that—"

Emily puffed out her chest and stepped between Anthony and me. "You should stop changing the subject, Madison—we're talking about the bastard you're carrying in your belly right now.

"You see, the records in the notebook have made it clear that you only slept with Anthony three weeks ago, but the ultrasound says you're six weeks along. Who exactly is the father of the child, Madison?"

I clenched my fists until my fingernails dug into my palms, the sharp pain helping me hold onto my last shred of composure. I stared directly at Anthony, who was standing behind Emily, and asked, "Do you not believe me too, Anthony? Do you think I've been cheating on you?"