The text message.

MARISSA'S POV.

“Your husband is not in a business meeting, he's with his mistress.”

I had stared at that text for over ten minutes, and yet I could not bring myself to believe it. The number was unsaved, and anyone else would have called to ask for more information, but I wasn't going to. 

I trusted my husband. 

Lucas loved me, we were the perfect couple, the envy of every couple in this city. I had known him for five years, and I knew he would never do anything to hurt me, so this text meant nothing to me. It was probably a prank by some jealous woman to try and ruin what Lucas and I shared.

Whatever the motive, I wasn't going to let it get to me. It wasn't supposed to bother me, and yet, I couldn't help but fixate on the text throughout the day. 

“Marissa!” 

Susan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, bitter as usual, like the world owed her something. I put the phone down and shuffled towards her room. 

“Yes, Susan.” I answered calmly, but the vile look on her face and the words that followed made my stomach twist in pain. 

“You dumb, barren bitch! Didn't you hear me calling!? I've been screaming my lungs out for over five minutes! What the hell were you doing? All you do is sit around and milk my son for all he has!” 

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and the urge to tell her exactly what I thought about her. She was Lucas's mother, and disrespecting her would mean disrespecting my husband. Besides, she was sick, she had nowhere else to go. 

“Susan, I'm sorry, I was on the phone. What did you need?” My voice remained calm, even though my blood was boiling under my skin. 

“Get me something to eat, goddamit!” She let out a hearty cough, followed by a heavy sigh. I simply nodded and made my way out. 

I left for the kitchen, deciding to get started on dinner at the same time since Lucas would be home in less than an hour. He was usually home early on Fridays, always on time for pasta and chicken night. 

I couldn't wait to see him, but my mind would occasionally shift to that text, creating a doubt in my heart that seemed too difficult to get rid of. 

I was setting the table for dinner when the front door opened and Lucas walked in screaming his usual, “honey, I'm home!” 

A giggle escaped my throat, and I left everything behind to meet him at the door. A bright smile played across his lips when he saw me, and his arms spread open quickly. 

I fell into his arms, letting myself melt into his touch. His hands travelled up and down my back in circles, smooth and intimate, awakening every nerve on my body and causing my thighs to clench hard. God, I wanted my husband so badly, but I knew it was never going to happen. 

He was probably going to be too tired from all his meetings, or perhaps he was going to be on another cleanse this week that required total abstinence. Those were the excuses that I was used to, and I knew they were coming. 

“Did you miss me?” He asked, pressing kisses to the top of my head before pulling away. 

“Of course I did.” I nodded, looking up at him with my hands still around his waist. “I have no one to talk to and you're always away.” I pouted and his brown eyes melted. 

“My love,” he placed another kiss on my cheek. “I'm sorry, you know I have to work to give you everything you need.” 

I nodded, pulling away completely and taking his suitcase from him. 

“Plus, you have my mother to keep you company.” 

I glared at him. “You know your mom, she doesn't like me.” I started leading the way upstairs. “She called me barren today.” My throat clogged as those words left my lips. 

“What?” He stopped working, his forehead creasing in rage. “She did what?” 

“Yep.” 

“I'm so sorry my love, I'll talk to her, I'll make sure it never happens again, I promise.” 

“It's okay, just freshen up and—” 

I paused. Something was off. Lucas's cologne was a strong forest and wood scent, but that night, I smelled something different. It was almost peachy, and it bothered me more than it should. 

“Honey,” I called as we reached our bedroom door. He pushed it open and stepped in, and I followed behind him. “Did you get a new perfume?” 

He started to take off his clothes, facing the tall, glass windows, and I heard him grunt. 

“No, why do you ask?” 

“I smell peaches, and it's definitely not from me.” 

I watched him closely, the way his eyes flickered from me and back to the window, and the way he suddenly smiled, like he had just recalled something out of the blue. 

“Oh yeah.. must have been from one of my employees. We cracked a difficult deal today, so we had a few drinks and hugs were shared.” He answered. There was no hesitation in his voice, no breaks, nothing to make me ask further questions. 

“Okay honey.” I put the suitcase away in the wardrobe. “Freshen up quickly and come down for dinner. I'll go get your mother.” 

“Alright baby.” He flashed me a charming smile, one that made my stomach flip inside me. 

Dinner was normal, the same as every night. We had a conversation about work, and he told me he had to be at the office the next day for something important. 

It was a Saturday, the only day of the week that I got to spend time with him. I couldn't stop him from going to work, but I also couldn't shake the doubt that was taking a deep root inside me. 

After dinner, we went straight to bed, nothing extra. I didn't try to make a move, because I knew he would say no. It had been years since he touched me, since I last felt like a woman, but I couldn't complain, I knew he would come around, and I loved him enough to wait. 

When my eyes opened the next morning, Lucas was already up and showering in the bathroom. He walked back into the room several minutes later, and just like every other morning, he walked over to my side of the bed, got on his knees beside me and placed his lips on mine. 

“Good morning baby.” 

“Hey.. you're all set to leave already?” I questioned, a lump forming in my throat. 

“Baby, I know you were looking forward to our Saturday staycation today but this is important. I'll make it up to you when I get back, we'll go out, anywhere you want.” He kissed me again and my heart fluttered. 

“Really?” 

“Of course, baby. I want you to be happy, you're my rock, and my life would be in shambles without you.” He answered and leaned in for another kiss. I wanted that one to last longer, I wanted to savor it, I wanted it long and deep until I could no longer breathe, but he pulled away too quickly. 

“I'll see you when I get back.” He got off the floor, trailing his fingers along my arm and my waist. He got dressed and made his way to his mom's room to see her before he would leave. 

As soon as he left, I got off the bed, deciding that it was time to start the day before Susan would bring the house down on my head for not getting her breakfast on time. 

I was about to walk into the bathroom when my phone's screen glowed on the drawer. I picked it up, only to find out that the same unsaved number from yesterday had texted me again. 

I hesitated, my finger hovering above the notification bar before I tapped on the text. 

“Your husband is going to see her again. I know where they're going to be, and I can take you there.”