2: Her Favorite Dessert

‘No. It couldn’t be’

Madison stared at the message on the screen again.

*I miss you, baby. Call me back ASAP.*

She looked at the phone in her hand again, wondering if she was seeing things.

Who was this woman?

Why was she calling Evan baby?

And why did Evan have a second cell phone she knew nothing about?

Madison’s fingers tightened around the phone.

Her heart was pounding faster this now.

Madison’s eyes moved toward the bathroom door and she could hear the shower already running, which meant Evan was still inside.

She looked at the phone. There were several missed calls from the same number.

She wanted to open the call history. She wanted to check the messages. And she so wanted to find out who this woman was.

But another part of her was terrified of what she might find.

She swallowed hard.

‘Maybe there is an explanation’

There had to be.

Maybe the phone wasn’t Evan’s. It could be his work buddy's.

Evan wasn’t a cheater. He couldn’t be.

Not after everything they had been through together.

Madison quickly wiped her palms against her nightwear before placing the phone back inside the briefcase.

She made sure it was positioned exactly how she had found it.

Then she closed the briefcase.

She heard the bathroom door open and Evan stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.

Her heart jumped.

He simply smiled when he saw her.

“Why are you standing there baby?” He asked but Madison couldn’t answer.

“I was waiting for you.” Madison finally forced a smile.

Evan walked towards her.

“You should have gone downstairs”

“I know” Madison replied.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

The familiar gesture suddenly felt so strange to Madison.

Madison stared at her husband, he seemed indifferent.

There was nothing unusual about him. Not his expressions, not his routine.

He looked exactly like the man she had known for years.

Evan had immediately noticed the subtle change in his wife.

He looked at his wife. His naive wife who had been obsessed with him ever since high school.

He knew his wife like the back of his palm or so he likes to think.

Why was his wife suddenly acting different? Did she find something?

“Are you okay?” Evan asked.

She nodded quickly.

“I’m fine”

“You look distracted” 

“I’m just tired”

Evan studied her for a brief moment before smiling.

“Then let’s eat and get some rest”

He held out his hand.

Madison stared at it for a second before taking his hand.

They slowly walked downstairs together.

Dinner was supposed to be ordinary per usual.

Madison tried to make it ordinary. She tried to keep her emotions in check. She did not want to confront Evan, because what if she was wrong? What if Evan got mad at her for accusing him of cheating.

She listened to Evan talk about his day at work. She smiled when he told her about one of his employees making a ridiculous mistake.

She even laughed when he teased her about how serious she took her favorite dessert.

But she wasn’t really there.

Her mind kept running back to what Vivian had said. About the briefcase, the phone , the message.

Every time she remembered the content of the message, her chest tightened.

“Why are you so quiet today” Evan asked.

“What?” Madison looked up suddenly.

“You’ve barely touched your food.”

“I guess I’m not very hungry” She said as she looked down at her plate.

“Is something wrong Mia Cara?” Evan asked, his hand reaching across the table as he touched her hand.

Mia cara.

The name he always called her. The name that made her feel special.

For a moment she melted and she almost told him what the problem was.

‘I found another phone in your briefcase’

The words were very easy but she couldn’t say them. She didn’t even know why.

Maybe she was afraid. What if she was right? She didn’t want to ruin her perfect marriage.

“No, I’m okay” she said softly.

“I don’t want you worrying about anything” Evan said as he squeezed her hand.

Later that night, Madison lay beside Evan with her back turned toward him.

She couldn’t sleep. She could hear Evan’s breathing, slow and steady.

He was sleeping. She stared into the darkness as she thought about Vivian and the whole conversation.

She had laughed off what Vivian had said. But now, what if it was true.

The thought hurt more than she had expected.

She turned around and looked at Evan. He looked peaceful in his sleep. Her hand reached out and gently touched his face.

“No” she whispered.

Madison refused to believe it. There was another explanation and she would find it.

********************

The following morning, Evan woke up early.

He kissed Madison on the forehead before getting out of bed.

“Good morning, beautiful”

Madison opened her eyes and smiled.

“Good morning.”

Madison watched him carefully as he walked toward the bathroom.

She had never paid so much attention to his movements before. But none of it mattered. It was all the same. Normal.

When Evan left the room to get something from downstairs, Madison’s eyes quickly moved to his briefcase.

A lot of thoughts ran through her mind. Of course she wanted to open the briefcase and check his text messages and his call logs but she didn’t.

She didn’t want to be a crazy wife who searched through her husband’s belongings, besides she was sure she wouldn’t find the phone by the time he came back from work later.

A few minutes later, Evan returned to the room, picked up his briefcase and was ready to head out.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay” Madison smiled.

He walked over and kissed her, then he left.

She stood by the window and watched his car disappear down the driveway, only then did the smile on her face also disappear.

Across the city, Evan sat inside his car.

His second phone which he had brought out of the briefcase vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

*Are you going to keep ignoring me?*

Evan locked his screen, he couldn’t deal with her right now.

Something was going on with his wife and he had to find out what it was.