Chapter 2
Clothes were strewn all over the floor, and the stockings were torn into pieces. I immediately recognized the crumpled light blue shirt on the ground—Callahan Ryan’s birthday gift from me. That shirt set me back over $1,500, and I’d worked extra shifts for a week straight to afford it. When Callahan unwrapped it, there wasn’t a trace of delight on his face; instead, his eyes brimmed with tears as he clasped my cold, swollen hands with a mix of pity.
"Honey, you must be freezing," he had murmured.
Who would've guessed he’d wear the shirt I gifted him while fooling around with another woman?
I slowly approached the rear of the studio, where the noise was originating. Through the crack in the door, I could finally see the entwined pair inside.
My breath caught in my throat as if someone had hit me over the head. They were so absorbed in each other they didn’t even notice me standing at the door. The woman was completely naked, sprawled on the bed in a bizarre pose, and my husband, Callahan Ryan, was hovering above her. Her body was wrapped around Callahan like a snake, her back almost entirely covered in tattoos that I instantly recognized as his work.
“Sis, isn’t this position just wild?” Callahan’s voice was ragged and heavy, just like it was when he was on the phone with me earlier. So this was the "client" he had referred to.
Thinking about how he’d been talking to me on the phone while caught up in such a sordid act with another woman made my blood boil. Anger engulfed my senses.
As I was about to barge in to confront these two lovers, I heard the woman laugh derisively. Her tone was dripping with disdain. “Aren’t you scared your useless wife will find out you're with me on Thanksgiving?”
To my shock, Callahan merely laughed, responding dismissively. “What does it matter if she finds out? She’s useless. Even if she does, all I have to do is apologize, and she’ll forgive me like a loyal dog.”
I could hardly believe these words were coming out of his mouth. “If it weren’t for the fact she helps with the mortgage, I would've divorced her ages ago. She thinks I can’t survive without her. It’s laughable. Don’t worry, she won’t dare divorce me; if she does, she’ll walk away with nothing.”
My fists clenched tightly in fury, vision blurring with outrage. When I married Callahan, I had contributed all the money I’d saved over the years for the down payment, never even requesting my name be on the title. If I divorced him, all the houses and cars would be beyond my grasp.
The vows I made to the one I loved had turned into daggers, leaving me no escape. The couple on the bed was wrapped up in their fantasy, oblivious to my burning glare from the door crack. As I watched them shift positions repeatedly, I swallowed hard to quash the flames of anger rising in my throat. The fury roiled within me, constricting my chest with unbearable pressure.
Even as my rage reached its peak, my reason prevailed because I knew storming in to confront the woman wouldn’t resolve anything. Callahan would still want a divorce, and I’d end up with nothing but an empty apartment. It wouldn’t benefit me.
I forced myself to calm down, pulled out my phone, and began recording every detail of the scene. With the evidence captured, I quietly closed the door. Callahan must have heard something as he glanced sharply towards the entrance, but the woman beneath him drew his attention back. “Focus, babe, just a little longer.”
A sharp slap echoed, and Callahan smacked her on the rear, picking up speed. Hearing the sounds of their heated exchange from inside, I swallowed my disgust and tossed the packet of condoms into the trash bin downstairs. Had they really cheated on me and still expected me to deliver their protection? No chance!
Back at home, I took an early shower and lay on the bed. But every time I closed my eyes, the image of Callahan pinning that woman down replayed in my mind. No rational person would tolerate such humiliation.
I resolved, silently and fiercely, not only to reclaim everything they owed me but also to make sure they faced severe consequences for their betrayal.
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