Chapter 2

“You bitch!” Carter roared as he strode closer, his eyes dark with rage. Hailey’s breath caught at the sight of the brown envelope clenched in his hands.

She had hidden it so carefully. She never imagined he’d look for it, let alone find it.

“You told me you never received your pay for last month… So what's in this envelope then?” His voice rumbled low, almost animalistic.

“I… I can explain,” Hailey murmured, her voice was weak. The last time he had been this angry, his hand had nearly struck her. The memory sent shivers down her spine.

“Okay,” he pressed, taking another step forward. “Go on.”

“I kept it for my treatment,” she answered flatly, forcing the words out of her mouth.

Carter scoffed, moving so close she could feel his hot breath fanning her face. Hailey squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable outburst.

But instead of pain, she felt a warm hand on her head.

Her eyes snapped open in both disbelief and surprise. Carter was smiling, smiling and patting her gently.

“You could have just told me you needed money for your treatment,” he said softly, almost kindly. “Don’t ever hide money from me again, okay?”

Hailey nodded quickly, expecting him to hand the envelope back to her. But instead, he slipped it into his jacket and brushed past her, leaving her rooted to the spot in shock.

She stood there in the middle of the living room, numb.

The payment for her treatment was almost due. If she couldn’t pay on time, everything might come to a halt.

Trying to steady herself, she looked around at the mess and forced her trembling hands to start cleaning.

An hour later, the living room was in order.

In the bedroom, still scattered, she began arranging things. While folding one of Carter’s favorite jackets, something slipped out to the floor.

Hailey bent down and picked it up, a white slip of paper. Her heart sank when she read it. A check-in receipt for a hotel.

For a long moment, she just stood there, frozen. She had suspected it before, but this was different. This was proof or close to it.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone, tempted to call Iris. But then she pulled back. No. She couldn’t drag her friend into this.

This was her own fight.

After a few minutes of agonizing over whether to confront him, she decided against it. Without solid evidence, he would just deny it all, maybe even turn it back on her.

By the time the house was fully arranged, Hailey felt drained. Too tired to cook so she ordered dinner instead.

The table had been set for an hour, but Carter still hadn’t returned. She called him over and over again, but every time it went straight to voicemail.

It wasn’t unusual for him to vanish without telling her, but tonight, it pressed heavier on her chest.

Hailey knew one thing for certain, he wouldn’t come home until the money was gone. That was exactly why she had hidden it in the first place.

When the clock landed at eleven, she gave up waiting. Quietly, she ate a little dinner and went to bed

~~~

Hailey woke up earlier than she had been doing for the past couple of days, skipping work for days without even asking for permission was already a crime, and going late when she decided to resume was even worse.

She noticed Carter beside her on the bed still fast asleep, she wondered when he got in and how fast asleep she was that she didn't even hear him come in.

After a couple of minutes, she was already done preparing for work, but Carter was still on the bed.

Hailey hesitated at the doorway of the room, not sure if she should wake him up.

As she walked out of the room, she noticed a black jacket Carter had worn yesterday tossed carelessly across the armrest of the couch.

She frowned slightly, she had gone through a lot of stress to make sure the house was neat.

Her fingers lingered on the fabric before she picked it up. Maybe the envelope was still inside. Even though she knew it wasn’t, a small flicker of hope urged her to check.

She slipped her hand into the pocket, her heart hammering, but instead of paper, a faint scent clung to her fingers.

Her breath hitched.

It wasn’t Carter’s cologne.

It was floral, sweet, and oddly familiar. Hailey froze, her mind racing. Then recognition struck her immediately.

It was Iris’s perfume!

She had noticed it once when Iris had leaned over her at the hospital, the scent was warm and comforting. Now, the very same smell lingered on Carter’s jacket.

Her grip on the jacket tightened. The thought lodged itself in her mind like a thorn. ‘Why would my husband smell like my best friend’s perfume?’

She dropped the jacket like it burned her skin, her chest heaving with sudden unease.

A hundred explanations ran through her head, but none of them made sense, none of them except the one she didn’t want to believe.

Hailey quickly stepped back, her knees wobbling. She wanted to scream, to wake Carter up and demand for an answer but she held back.

This wasn't evidence enough, anyone could wear the particular perfume.