Could it be that Chloe always secretly sneaked out at night to mess around with young guys, but she was worried I’d wake up in the middle of the night and notice she was gone? So she found her best friend Hailey to lie next to me instead.After all, they both had similar figures.
That way, even if I woke up in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t be able to clearly see who was lying next to me in the dark, and I naturally wouldn’t disturb my supposedly sleeping wife.That means the two times I heard the door open before weren’t a burglar breaking in. It was my wife letting Hailey lie next to me, then secretly slipping out to fool around.Thinking about this, everything clicked into place: why I suddenly noticed my wife’s voice was off, why she felt stiff and rigid when I touched her, like she was touched by a stranger. Because it wasn’t my wife, Chloe, at all; it was Hailey.
I finally understood why she always had a faint smell of alcohol on her in the mornings, and why she was wearing formal clothes that night I saw her with Hailey. Hailey must have realized she couldn’t keep the deception going and called Chloe from the bathroom, telling her to hurry back.That’s why Hailey didn’t dare look me in the eye that day, constantly avoiding my gaze.At this thought, I collapsed onto the bed. I laughed self-deprecatingly. I never thought such a flawed trick would go completely unnoticed by me. If I hadn’t suddenly woken up today and overheard their conversation, I’d probably still be playing the clown.I suddenly got up, ready to yank open the bedroom door.
But in the end, I calmed down. Even if I rushed out now and tore Chloe apart, it wouldn’t change anything. A heart that has strayed is like spilled water—you can’t un-ring that bell.I wanted to see what else she would do to keep me from finding out.With that thought, I slowly returned to bed and lay down, ignoring the voices outside.It was already midnight. I just lay there silently.About half an hour passed, and the room fell completely silent.
