Pretty poison

Sara’s POV

“My wife is screwing your husband.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear just to be sure it was Horace Beckham on the line. The knife in my hand remained midair. I pushed the vegetables away and leaned against the island.

Then I chuckled.

“Your cousin, Liz,” he repeated.

I chuckled again, because it couldn’t be true. It was as crazy as saying it was raining in summer. Then I shook my head. “No. You must be mistaken.” My hand gripped my apron tightly. “Is this some kind of joke? A prank?” I chucked nervously. “I’m really not in the mood for pranks.”

But his voice didn’t crack into a laugh. “Have I ever called you, Sara?”

He hadn’t. The only time Horace Beckham called me was the morning after my wedding. And that had been because Liz insisted… and Dave was his friend.

I shook my head even though he could not see me.

“My hus—Dave loves me,” I maintained.

He scoffed. “I thought Liz loved me too.”

No. The thought of Dave cheating on me was impossible. With Liz? That could never happen. Liz always told me how happy she was in her marriage and how we were both blessed with the best men in the world.

“It’s impossible,” I said. “She’s my cousin—no, we’re practically sisters.”

Horace was quiet for a while.

“Didn’t you ever suspect that he was cheating?”

“No. Dave is buried in work. The business is expanding and…”

“And he’s always out of town,” Horace completed.

“Yes.”

“Tell me, Sara. He told you he would be meeting with a few shareholders in Indiana tomorrow, and he would be gone for a week.”

“H-how do you know?”

“Because Liz told me she’d be away for a week too,” he snapped. “She mentioned that her sister was sick and she needed to be there with her.”

My lips were trembling now. I bit it and forced myself to speak. “How long? Do you know how long?”

“More than a year.”

My breath shook and a tear slipped from my eye. I blinked the tears away.

“He was…he was…”

The words refused to come out. But my memories snapped to the last six months. Dave had been scarcely around. He was always busy in the office. But I understood because the company was expanding, and I knew what it meant to him.

“I mean,” Horace said, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. “Has sex with him been the same?”

I swallowed and blinked more tears away.

“We…we haven’t done it in…in four months because he’s always exhausted from work.”

“No, Sara. He’s always exhausted from fucking my wife!”

My body trembled. My eyes fell on our wedding picture sitting on one of the kitchen cabinets. I remembered our wedding. We had been so happy…and we had been madly in love.

“It doesn’t prove a thing,” I said, walking over to the frame. I stared at my face in the picture. I was smiling like the luckiest woman in the world. My eyes fell to the ring on my finger. Dave had gotten me a diamond ring only three months ago. “Just because he’s exhausted doesn’t mean he’s cheating on me. Liz may be cheating…but not with my Dave. Not him.”

Horace went quiet again. For a moment, I thought he had ended the call. I wanted to return back to making lunch. I always made him lunch because I didn’t want him bothering about what to eat at work.

“Check your phone,” Horace finally said. “I’ve sent you something.”

My heart skipped a beat. Slowly, I pulled the phone away. Horace had sent a message. My finger hovered over the screen for a while.

“Have you seen it?”

I exhaled sharply and opened the message. The pictures stopped my heart.

“When was…?”

“Two weeks ago,” Horace answered before I could form the question. “He must have told you he would be going on a business trip.”

I felt a huge lump in my throat. Horace was right.

“Where is this?”

“A club in Indiana.”

I stared at the pictures again. Liz and Dave were seated closely, in an intimate manner. The smile on Dave’s face made my chest tighten. I hadn’t seen him smile in a long time. He was always home, exhausted and angry.

“What if this is not real? There are so many fake photos everywhere now.”

“How about you come see for yourself."

“What?”

“I know where they will be meeting tonight. I have all the details, Sara.” His voice tightened. “So, if you think this is a prank, I want you to come watch the show.”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice tiny. “Let’s meet tomorrow.”

My eyes fell to the water sizzling on the fire. “I want to see it for myself,” I added.

“Good,” he said. “Brace yourself, Sara.”

The call ended…and for the longest time, I watched the water sizzling. Then a knot formed in my stomach and I marched towards the burner.

“You know what…fuck all this.”

I turned off the burner, storming out of the kitchen, and wiping my face.

***

It took all the willpower in me to return to the kitchen. I couldn’t settle. Horace’s words tormented me in my sleep and even as I did the laundry. Dave was going to be away for a week and I didn’t think I could wait that long before confronting him.

I had to go see him.

So, I packaged lunch, got into my car, and drove to his office. Dave was in a conference meeting when I arrived. His PA led me to his office and I sat for barely a minute before I sprang on my feet.

There had to be some evidence here.

If Dave was truly screwing my cousin or any woman, I had to find something. I hurried to his drawers, opening each one anxiously. But I found nothing. Nothing but documents and blueprints of the new office.

Then I saw another document that made me stop. I stared at the document for a few seconds, my heart pounding. Dave was buying a big house in Indiana. I fell to the chair, reading it over and over again. Then I heard footsteps down the corridor. Quickly, I tucked the document in my purse and rested against the chair, smiling pleasantly, even though my heart was racing.

Dave appeared with a bouquet of flowers.

“Sandy told me you were waiting in the office,” he said as he walked in. “I had plans to send these to you tonight.” He placed the flowers on the table and rounded over to where I sat. I stood up, knees trembling. “But handing it to you in person is better.”

He kissed my lips and pulled away almost immediately. Then he glanced at the table. “You brought me something?”

“Lunch,” I said. “I’m going to miss you, Dave. I…” I placed my hand on his chest. “You’ll be away for a whole week. What am I gonna do without you?”

I began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Sa—what are you doing?”

I stopped and frowned. “Trying to make out with my husband.”

“In the office?”

“Yes. Couples make out in the offices everyday.”

He pulled away. “Not now, Sara.”

I watched him button up. “When?”

“Don’t get us started again,” he snapped. “You know how exhausting work is.”

“Dave…we haven’t had sex in months.”

“And it’s not going to kill you, Sara. Listen…” he exhaled. “You have to go. We’ll be leaving at any moment now. Thank you for the lunch, Sara. And I’ll be back before you know it.” He watched me. “I promise, when this is over, I’ll take you to an exotic island and we will have sex as much as you want.”

It was supposed to make me feel good. It didn’t. Not after Horace’s call.

But I nodded. “Fine, babe. Promise you would think about me all week.”

He pulled me to himself and kissed me on my forehead. “You bet. And promise me you’d be doing the same.”

“Every second of the day.”

He shoved me forward. “You have to go now, Sara. I need to get prepared.”

I nodded. “Y-yeah. Have a safe drive.”

“Thanks, babe.”

I stepped out of the office conflicted. Then I thought of Horace’s offer. Tomorrow, I would see for myself. And even the thought frightened me.