Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Dexter’s eyes flickered. “No way. That can’t be true.”
I nodded firmly. “Originally, I planned to just go home after leaving, but when I was in the parking lot, I got a text from an unknown number. It had a photo attached–of you with another woman.”
Dexter’s pupils tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. “A woman?”
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“Yes,” I said, taking a deep breath. “She was wearing a bright pink dress, and the two of you looked pretty close. The message under the photo said you two had checked into a room on the nineteenth floor of that hotel.”
Tears started to well up again. “Which woman wouldn’t care if she found out her husband was cheating? I was so angry, I didn’t think twice and went straight to the nineteenth floor!
“But as soon as I stepped off the elevator, someone knocked me out, and my phone was taken. Doesn’t that seem like too much of a coincidence?”
Dexter’s jaw tightened, clearly doing his best to control his emotions. After a long pause, he patted my shoulder. “I’ll look into it. Don’t worry.”
“Do you think… could someone be jealous of us, trying to cause trouble between us? Darling, people like that are terrifying! I’m not going to let them get away with this!” I spoke each word through my sobs, unable to stop crying.
That night, the police came to our house for a follow–up. By then, Dexter was completely convinced of my innocence–after all, robbery wasn’t something you joked about. But even with the police there, I still didn’t mention my suspicions about his possible affair.
Late that night, I drank the milk Dexter had brought me and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
With everything that had happened during the day, it wasn’t easy for me to drift off. Even after I closed my eyes, I lay awake for a while. Suddenly, I felt movement next to me. A hand gently pushed my back, and Dexter whispered, “Sylvia, are you asleep?”
I didn’t respond. He nudged me a couple more times, and I groaned, turning over. “Stop, stop it…”
Hearing that, Dexter let out a quiet sigh of relief.
I slitted my eyes open just enough to see him sneak out of bed. He rummaged around the nightstand for a moment, then grabbed a phone and left the room.
The faint moonlight outside shone on his hand, and I saw it clearly. It was the same phone I had seen before–the one with the pink case. I thought, ‘No, I can’t just lie here and do nothing.”
I waited a little longer, then quietly got up and followed him. The house was eerily quiet. With its large size, the silence felt even more unsettling.
I could just make out a light coming from the bathroom. I tiptoed over, pressed my ear to the door, and finally heard voices inside. It was definitely Dexter.
“I told you not to rush, didn’t I? What’s going on today?” he asked.
“She’s already called the police. If they get involved, neither of us can get away! We’ve been patient for years. We’re almost there–why make things harder?” he continued.
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Chapter 16
I froze. What I was hearing made my blood run cold. This didn’t sound like a simple affair…
I wondered, ‘What exactly is Dexter hiding from me? What is so dangerous about the police getting involved? And what does ‘we’re almost there‘ mean?‘ My mind went blank.
Dexter was still furious with the person on the other end of the phone. Even though he was doing his best to lower his voice, I could still hear the anger simmering beneath.
“Enough! Do you really think I’ll believe you now? Please, stop making things worse! If we can just get through this year, we’ll finally be able to live a peaceful life, okay?” he said.
I was still straining to hear more when I suddenly heard a few coughs behind me. It was Kimberly.
There was nowhere to hide outside the bathroom, and she was already opening the door and walking toward me. In a panic, I quickly slipped into the nearby storage closet.
The closet was a mess, with things scattered everywhere since it hadn’t been tidied in ages. A faint, musty smell lingered in the air. I pinched my nose, trying to stifle a sneeze, and held my breath.
Kimberly reached the bathroom door and knocked.
Dexter opened it. “Mom, why aren’t you asleep?”
“I need to use the bathroom. Why are you still here, talking to Leah? Be careful, what if that woman finds out?”
Kimberly was giving him a serious warning. “Now that Sylvia’s mom is living here too, you need to be more careful. Don’t let anything slip, understand?”
My heart skipped a beat. I thought, ‘Even Kimberly knows… Who can I trust in this house, other than my own mother?’
Dexter reassured her again, and Kimberly finally seemed to relax. “There’s plenty of time for that. Sylvia’s an idiot–she doesn’t know anything except how to love you.
“If it weren’t for that, how else could you have gotten her to marry you so easily? Let’s not forget, her father left behind a huge inheritance, and she’s good at making money too.”
She laughed cruelly, and every word felt like a jab aimed right at me.
By now, I was freezing all over. My hands hung limply at my sides, cold and clammy with sweat.
The man I thought I could trust had betrayed me, and Kimberly–someone I’d considered family–was in on it too. They were conspiring against me, and who knew what else they were planning.
I wondered, ‘What do they think of me? A wife? A daughter–in–law? A mother? Or just a cash cow they can still squeeze dry?‘
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to calm down.
Outside, they chatted for a few more minutes before Kimberly went into the bathroom, and Dexter returned to the room. As soon as he was out of sight, I quickly slipped out of the closet, turned, and walked into the child’s room.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Dexter came rushing in, his face dripping with sweat. “What are you doing in here? When did you wake up?”
I bet he panicked when he saw I wasn’t in the room.
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Dreame–Read Romance…
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08:52 Sat, 15 Feb
Chapter 16
I lowered my eyes, deliberately avoiding his gaze. The lights were off, and the only light came from a malerary day door, so it was too dark to see clearly.
I said casually, “I had a nightmare… I dreamed something happened to our son, so I came in to check on him. When i pred by the bathroom, I heard you and Mom talking, so I didn’t want to interrupt?
I kept my tone steady, and Dexter seemed to calm down. “It’s okay, just a bad dream. Don’t worry!
“Okay.” I gently brushed my hand over Juno’s peaceful face.
I thought, Juno… my precious baby. Mommy will do everything to protect you. I’ll make sure we leave this henne safely had already made up my mind.
Back in the room, I finally managed to fall asleep again, this time all the way through until morning,
The next day, early in the morning, Dexter handed me a bank card. “Honey, didn’t you say you wanted to buy a house in a good school district? This is all the money I’ve saved up since we got married. Take it and see if it’s enough”
I was shocked. I didn’t expect Dexter to actually give me money. I took the card and asked, “How much is in here?
He smiled awkwardly. “Well… I’m no financial expert. After all these years, I’ve only managed to save up 100 thousand
dollars.”
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