Chapter 7 My Wife's Not Home Tonight

(Sienna's POV)

Lana replied almost instantly. "Yes! Mrs. Foster, I'll be there in 20 minutes!"

I called Diane to set up a private appointment after closing, then booked a car and headed out.

I was almost at the store when my phone rang. It was Damian.

"Sienna, I finished up early and came home. Why aren't you here?"

"Didn't you say it was an emergency? You handled it that fast?"

"I wanted to get back to you sooner." Damian sounded impatient. I could tell he was in a bad mood. "Where are you?"

I watched Lana inside the store, pulling on her gloves. He was in a bad mood because Lana had ditched him to sell me jewelry.

"You said you wouldn't be back tonight, so I came over to Tessa's."

Tessa Mercer was my best friend and a semi-famous actress. She had to wear a hat and sunglasses when she went out, so we always got together at night.

"Isn't Tessa shooting in Atlanta?"

"They wrapped. She just got back to New York today."

"All right. Have fun. I'll pick you up in the morning."

"No need. I'm staying at her place tonight. Her driver will bring me home tomorrow."

"Okay." Damian didn't ask anything else.

I hung up and pushed open the door.

Lana had already changed into her uniform and put on a pair of blue velvet gloves. She came over carrying a tray. "Mrs. Foster, you made it! Have a seat. These are the pieces I think suit you best."

I sat down and watched Lana's hands lift a pair of diamond earrings off the tray.

"I called you in so late. Your boyfriend won't be mad, will he?"

Lana blushed. "Him? He was grumpy about it on the phone just now. But you're our most important client. He'll understand."

"Do you two see each other a lot?"

"Honestly, not as much as we'd like. He's busy with work, and I've been working overtime all month." Lana leaned down to put the earrings on me. "He seems so cold, but once he's in love, he's super clingy. Sometimes he even gets on my nerves."

"How did you meet?"

Lana's voice dropped, a little shy. "He used to come into the store a lot. He said he was buying jewelry for someone, and every time he'd have me try it on so he could see how it looked. After a while, he told me he liked me..."

"What did he buy?"

"Earrings, necklaces, bracelets... He's bought pretty much every basic piece we carry."

I had never seen a single one of those pieces.

I looked at Lana in the mirror and kept my voice light. "Those are all things women wear. You don't think he was buying them for another woman, do you?"

Lana's hand jerked. The earring hook snagged, and a sharp pain shot through my earlobe.

"Ow..."

I touched my ear, and my fingertips came away covered in blood.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Foster! I didn't mean to..."

The other salesgirls all crowded around, apologizing one after another. Someone ran for tissues. Someone went to find the first aid kit.

"It's fine." I pressed a tissue to my ear. "It's just a scratch."

Diane had gone pale. She rushed over and looked at Lana first. "Lana, what happened? You're never this careless."

Lana stood off to the side, biting her lip. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Diane turned to me, apologizing over and over. "Mrs. Foster, I'm so, so sorry. Tonight is entirely on us, and of course your medical bills, we'll..."

Just then, Lana's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and stepped a few feet away to the counter to answer it. The store was so quiet that I could hear every word on the other end.

"You done yet?"

It was Damian.

Lana's voice went teary in an instant. "I screwed up... I was putting earrings on the rich lady, and I accidentally made her ear bleed. My manager's so mad. Am I going to get fired?"

"Don't be scared." Damian's voice was gentle. "So she got hurt. Whatever it costs, I'll cover it. As long as I'm around, nobody's firing you."

"Really?"

"Really. Come over when you're done. My wife's not home tonight. Come to my place, and I'll take good care of you."

Lana went from tears to giggles in a heartbeat. "Then I'm coming right now!"

I kept my head down, the tissue pressed to my ear. The blood slowly soaked through the whole thing.

My husband was going to pay for my injury, but only to comfort the woman who'd caused it.

Diane brought out the store's first aid kit and cleaned and bandaged the cut herself. I thanked her, picked up my bag, and walked out. I'd barely made it out the door when Lana followed, out of her uniform now, texting with her head down as she headed for the curb.

"Where are you off to this late?" I called after her.

Lana stopped, a little embarrassed. "My boyfriend's place. It's in Hollow Ridge."

"What a coincidence," I said with a smile. "I live in Hollow Ridge too. My car's right here. Let me give you a ride. It's hard to get a cab this time of night."

"Are you sure? Thank you, Mrs. Foster!"

In the car, Lana kept looking at her phone. She couldn't stop smiling. After a while, she suddenly looked up. "Oh, Mrs. Foster, you and my boyfriend have the same last name. Isn't that funny?"

I looked out the window. "Really? What a coincidence."

The same last name. The card I swiped in her store every day. The statements that went to Damian's office. Did this girl really not know anything, or was she playing innocent?

40 minutes later, the car pulled into Hollow Ridge.

"You can stop here," Lana said, pointing ahead. "I'll walk the rest. Thank you!"

I had the driver pull over to the curb and turn off the headlights.

I watched Lana walk up to my front door and punch in the code on the lock like she'd done it many times. The code was our wedding anniversary.

The door opened. Damian was standing right inside. He pulled Lana into his arms and kissed her, then shut the door.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. My stomach heaved.

I sat in the car for a long time. The driver watched me in the rearview mirror and asked carefully, "Ma'am, are you okay? Want me to take you somewhere else?"

I looked at the house. The living room light went off. The light in the master bedroom upstairs came on.

For three months, I'd gone to that jewelry store every day to watch Lana. I'd followed them. I'd put up with his hugs and kisses and played the loving wife right along with him. I thought that if I could just hold out until the divorce was final, I could walk away with my dignity.

But he'd brought her into my house. Into my bed.

I was done putting up with it.

"No, thanks." I pushed the car door open. "This is my stop."

I entered the code and opened the door. The living room was pitch-dark except for a little light spilling down from upstairs.

In the entryway, Lana's black patent leather heels lay at an angle next to Damian's dress shoes.

I climbed the stairs one step at a time. The master bedroom door was closed. Light leaked out from underneath it, and I could just make out a woman laughing inside.

I stood at the door for a few seconds. Then I raised my hand and knocked.