He Thought I Couldn't Understand That Call

On our sixth wedding anniversary, my cheeks burn as I dodge my husband, Ethan Grant, leaning in for a hungry kiss. I push him toward the nightstand for a rubber.

What he doesn't know is that I've tucked a surprise in there, a positive pregnancy test. I can already see it, the way his whole face will light up the second he finds it.

But the moment his hand goes for the drawer, his phone goes off.

His best friend, Henry Miller, comes on the line in Danish. "Mr. Grant, how was last night? That new love couch our company rolled out is treating you okay?"

Ethan lets out a low laugh and answers in Danish, "The massage feature's great. Saves me from having to rub Sandy's back myself."

He still has me pulled tight against him, but his eyes look straight through me, like he's seeing someone else.

"This stays between us. If my wife ever finds out I slept with her sister, I'm done."

It feels like someone just put a knife through my chest. What they don't know is that I minored in Danish in college, so I catch every single word.

I force myself to stay calm, but the arms I have looped around Ethan's neck won't stop shaking. At that moment, I stop hesitating and decide I'll take the offer from that international research project.

Three days from now, I'll be gone from Ethan's world for good.

Ethan Grant noticed my arms fall away from his neck and leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose.

"Sweetheart, what are you zoning out about? Is my face not doing it for you anymore?"

He looked at me with the same soft eyes as always, and it just felt ridiculous.

Minutes ago, he'd been on the phone, reliving what it was like to sleep with my younger sister, Sandy Searle. Now he was right back to playing the perfect, devoted husband.

How long had he been polishing this act? I was too scared to even think about it.

I tucked my face into the crook of his neck to hide the bitter curl of my mouth. "Nothing. I was just wondering what you two were talking about."

Ethan gave me a fond little smile. "I was talking business with Henry. He's been trading with Denmark lately, so he's gotten used to speaking Danish."

He must've been too busy fooling around with Sandy to remember that Danish had been my minor in college.

The air around me seemed to thin out all of a sudden.

I pushed him back, my voice eerily calm. "Go on, finish your call. I'm thirsty. I'll grab some water."

Before Ethan could say a word, I headed downstairs.

As I passed the living room, I caught the maids whispering to each other.

"The gift Mr. Grant bought Mrs. Grant just came in. I heard it cost hundreds of millions of dollars."

"The storage room's already packed with gifts.