CHAPTER 2
Nina drove home in disbelief at what had just gone through her mind. How could she have even suspected her husband of having an affair with Vivian? It was complete nonsense.
That kind of thing didn’t happen. Right? Not in their life.
She felt stupid, jealous, suspicious. The disgust with herself was almost unbearable. And yet something inside refused to let go. Her intuition had never failed her before.
Nina pulled into the driveway and went inside.
The house was empty.
The silence felt deafening. Frank usually had music playing or the TV murmuring in the background. Now there was nothing. She walked into the living room, tossed her purse onto the couch, and looked around.
“Frank?” she called, but only silence answered.
She went upstairs and checked the bedroom. Empty. His lounge clothes were neatly laid out on the bed, but Frank wasn’t there. Strange.
Nina took out her phone and called him. The ringing dragged on, but he didn’t answer. She tried again. Then again. Her call went straight to voicemail.
Something tightened unpleasantly inside her.
This wasn’t normal. Frank never ignored her calls. Even if he was busy, he always called back within a few minutes. And now there was nothing.
She lowered the phone and wrapped her arms around herself.
Something was wrong.
Nadine’s words flashed through her mind.
“She doesn’t have any husband…”
Anxiety clamped down on her chest. Breathing became ragged.
Nina told herself she was inventing a conspiracy where none existed.
But thinking back, Vivian had always probed for details about Nina’s family life.
Especially her relationship with her husband.
Nina hadn’t paid attention at the time. Just small talk. Typical girl talk.
It couldn’t be Vivian.
But if everything was fine, then why did she feel so uneasy? Why wasn’t Frank answering?
And suddenly a thought struck her: she needed to check his office.
She had never gone in there. Frank didn’t forbid it, but he always seemed to guard that space. Said there were work documents there, nothing interesting.
But now… What if that was exactly where he was hiding something?
Nina almost ran down the hall and pushed the door open.
Everything inside was in perfect order. Shelves of books, neatly arranged folders, his laptop on the desk, closed.
She started searching—sliding papers aside, checking drawers, opening cabinets. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
But there was nothing. Not a single hint of anything suspicious.
“Damn it,” she breathed and collapsed right onto the floor in the middle of the office.
Her nerves gave out. Despair swelled in her chest, and suddenly it all became absurdly funny.
She really had lost it—sitting here, digging through her husband’s things, suspecting him of some ridiculous affair. She’d completely gone off the rails.
Then why wouldn’t the anxiety let her go?
She sat in the living room, staring blankly at the TV screen where scenes from some movie flickered, a movie she couldn’t even hear. The tension was still smoldering inside her, but no longer as suffocating as it had been earlier. Nina was tired.
Almost at two in the morning, the front door slammed.
She turned her head at once. Her heart tightened, but Nina tried to look calm.
Frank walked into the living room and lifted his brows slightly in surprise when he saw her.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” His voice was soft. He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the armchair.
Nina shrugged, lifted her cup of already cold coffee, and took a small sip.
“I can’t fall asleep without you,” she said quietly.
“Seriously?” he smirked as he stepped closer. “Are you okay, Nina? You usually go to sleep in the other bedroom and run off at every chance you get. And today you couldn’t fall asleep.”
She tensed. He was right.
“Where were you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual as she watched his face closely. “I called you. You didn’t answer. I was worried. I thought something had happened to you.”
Frank stretched, yawned, and ran a hand through his hair.
“The guys suddenly invited me to play golf. It was a late round out of town.”
He was acting completely normal, relaxed, a little tired but satisfied. There was no tension in his voice. She searched his face in vain for any tremor of deceit. Nina felt foolish all over again.
“I left my phone in the locker room and totally forgot about it. Then we went up to the bar at the golf club. I didn’t even notice how the time flew by. It’s about an hour to drive back, so that’s why I got home so late.”
She looked at him, waiting for anxiety to lurch back into her chest. But instead, she felt lighter.
Golf. Yes, that suited Frank perfectly.
She nodded and took another sip of the cold coffee.
“I see,” she exhaled.
So she really had worked herself up over nothing.
“Are you going to bed?” he asked.
“Yeah. In five minutes.”
Frank nodded and went into the bedroom. Nina relaxed. God, the things she’d imagined. If she told anyone about it, they’d laugh.
She bit her lip, and looked after Frank. He walked calmly and confidently, without the slightest hint of guilt. If he had something to hide, he’d probably be acting differently.
Nina shook her head, trying to finally push the stupid suspicions out of her mind.
She stood up, took the empty cup from the table, and turned off the TV. That was it. Bed. Tomorrow she had a full day at the charity center. She needed to be in shape.
But just as she was about to go to the bedroom, her gaze slid over Frank’s jacket, carelessly tossed on the armchair.
And suddenly something tightened inside her.
The pockets.
Her fingers moved on their own. She hesitated, as if expecting Frank to walk out and catch her in the act. But the sound of running water came from the bedroom. He was already in the shower.
Nina didn’t even understand why she was doing this. She was calm now, right?
But something inside still wouldn’t settle.
She carefully slipped her hand into the pocket of his jacket and almost immediately felt the crisp edge of paper.
Her pulse jumped. She pulled it out and, when she looked at it, an icy shiver ran down her spine.
It was a receipt from a bar. But the bar wasn’t at the golf club. It was in a five-star hotel in the center of the city.