Chapter 5 - An Invasion Too Far
Matt's POV
I could not believe what I was hearing from my wife’s mouth. Why in the hell would she think I gave Lily a key to this house? Her house? My house? The accusation sliced deeper than I expected, maybe because some part of me knew I had given Sarah reasons not to trust me. Still, this?
Sarah pulled out her phone and dialed the non-emergency police line.
Her voice was steady, businesslike, as if she had already shifted into battle mode.
Together, we laid out the situation clearly: the break-in, the photos, the damage in the kids’ rooms, and the security footage.
I leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, forcing myself to sound calm as I added details when the officer asked.
I needed to be a part of this. Not a bystander. Not the man who had created the opening for Lily to invade our lives in the first place. If I didn’t stand firm now, Sarah would never believe me again. And worse, I could already feel her slipping just beyond my reach.
“Yes, we have all of it on video,” Sarah said. “We’d like to file an official report.”
By the time she hung up, the officer had promised to send someone by within the hour to collect statements and copies of the footage.
She planted her hands on the counter, eyes locked on mine.
“If you really want to be useful, Matt, then you’re going to fake this marriage with me. Hand-holding, smiles, the whole perfect-couple act. I want Lily to see what she couldn’t have. I want her to choke on it.”
Her voice didn’t waver, not once. “This isn’t about saving us. It’s about making her regret every breath she wastes circling our lives. You up for that?”
I folded my arms, careful with my words. “If you want me to play the doting husband, I will.”
Sarah met my eyes, voice steady but sharp. “She broke this marriage. She must never see the damage. I want her to watch us smiling, hand in hand, and believe we are perfect. Let that perfect life be the thing that ruins her. That is justice.”
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. I had no problem playing happy husband with Sarah. I would weaponize it with her. But for me, it wouldn’t be an act. It would be proof that I still belonged beside her, even if she couldn’t see it yet.
When the officer arrived, I walked him through everything again for the official report. Sarah added one more thing.
“We also want to take a restraining order out against Lily Thompson,” she said firmly.
The officer nodded, jotting notes before turning to the laptop where I pulled up the camera footage. He watched it twice, his mouth tightening as Lily’s figure disappeared up the stairs. Finally, he shook his head.
“You may have a real problem on your hands.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, I think that’s obvious.”
“This is definitely trespassing,” the officer said. “Breaking and entering, vandalism, even if the damage is small, and potential burglary. Are you missing any items?”
I hadn't even considered burglary. I looked at Sarah. “We haven’t checked.”
The three of us moved through the house. Downstairs seemed untouched, but when we reached the master bedroom and started pulling open drawers, Sarah froze.
In the top drawer of my nightstand, buried under a few old receipts and cufflinks, was another photo of Lily. She was beside me while I was asleep, clearly in bed, eyes locked on the camera with calculated ease.
I could feel the color draining from my face. “I didn’t put that there.”
We checked the closet next. Inside one of my jackets, folded neatly in the inner pocket, was another. And another in the pocket of a coat hanging toward the back. More tucked in the drawer where I kept belts and ties.
I had moved most of my clothes and personal things out, but from what I could see, nothing I had left there was missing. The photos weren’t just evidence, they were taunts.
Sarah glanced at the officer. “She was planting them. For me to find.”
“Or for me to find,” I said, my voice low.
The officer scribbled more notes. “I am going to bag these up as evidence. And don’t touch anything else you find until we collect it.
This is going in my report. Based on what I’m seeing, we’re looking at criminal trespass, breaking and entering, vandalism, and possibly theft if anything turns up missing.
Planting photographs like this could also support a harassment charge. ”
He sealed the bag with a snap and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll file this tonight. If a judge signs off, there could be a warrant by tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t touch anything else unusual you find. Call us, and we’ll handle it.”
Sarah gave a short nod. “We will.”
I walked the officer to the door, the cruiser pulled away a minute later, leaving the house quiet again.
We decided to scour the house, from every drawer to every closet and every room.
It took hours. We moved room to room, methodical and silent, the sound of drawers sliding open and shutting again filling the house. In the kitchen, Sarah pulled a photo from the back of the silverware drawer, another from behind a cookbook she hadn’t touched in months.
But none were in the kids’ rooms. No photographs in toy bins, under pillows, or hidden in dressers. That was the only small relief.
Still, the intrusion felt everywhere.
What Lily didn’t know was that the curtain was about to fall, and she was about to learn what intrusion really meant.
-----Meanwhile, at Lily's-----
It was early the next evening when the knock came at her door. The kind of knock that announced, We already know you’re home.
She peered through the peephole and saw two uniformed officers. Her smirk faltered for half a heartbeat before she pasted it back on and swung the door wide.
“Ms. Thompson?” one of the officers asked.
“That’s me,” she said, leaning casually against the frame.
“We have a warrant for your arrest for criminal trespass, vandalism, and harassment. Please turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
The smirk cracked. “You’re kidding. This is ridiculous.”
“Ma’am, now.”
Lily stepped back, hands hovering like she was deciding whether to comply. “I was invited. Matt gave me a key...”
“Tell it to the judge,” the taller officer said, pulling her wrists together and snapping the cuffs on. The cold metal bit into her skin, and fury burned under her perfectly powdered cheekbones.
As they walked her out of the building, neighbors peeked through door cracks. Lily held her chin high, pretending it was just another photo op.
At the precinct, they booked her; fingerprints, mugshot, the works. The holding cell smelled of body odor and bleach. She sat on the hard bench, eyeing the other women with practiced disinterest, and demanded her one phone call.
When she eventually got her phone call, she dialed Matt.
It went to voicemail.
“Matt, it’s me. I’m at the damn police station. Your stupid wife has had me arrested. Get down here and get me out. Now.” She hung up without a goodbye, like that would bother him.
When he didn’t show, she called her attorney and left a cryptic message.
Hours later, just past midnight, a guard unlocked the cell door. Lily blinked against the sudden flood of light as a man in a cheap suit, not her lawyer, waited with her release paperwork.
“Sign here,” he said, his tone bored, like this was nothing more than another shift in the assembly line. He didn’t say who posted her bail, and Lily didn’t bother asking. She was already putting the pieces together.
Only two people even knew she was in here. Her lawyer, if she got the voicemail in time. And Matt.
Her lips curved into a triumphant smile. It had to be Matt.
Outside, the city air was damp and cool. She smoothed her hair, already thinking about her next move, and pulled out her phone.
Thank you, baby. I knew you wouldn’t leave me in here. She hit send before the rational part of her brain could catch up.
Sliding the phone back into her bag, Lily’s smile stretched wider. Sarah might think she had the upper hand, but Matt had just proven, once again, that he would always choose her when it mattered.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The morning after her release, Lily was sprawled on her couch, hair wrapped in a silk scarf, sipping overpriced cold brew when the knock came. It was sharp and deliberate, not the frantic pounding of police this time, but the businesslike rap of someone with an elevator pitch.
She opened the door to find a uniformed officer holding a manila envelope.
“Lily Thompson?”
“Yes,” she said slowly, already bracing for whatever petty stunt Sarah was pulling now.
The officer handed her the envelope. “You’ve been served. This is a temporary restraining order filed by Sarah and Matthew Taylor. You’ll need to read the terms and comply. Failure to do so will result in arrest.”
Lily barked a short, incredulous laugh. “Matt Taylor would never serve me with a restraining order.”
The officer didn’t bother responding. He just turned and walked away.
She stood there in the doorway, the envelope dangling from her fingers. The word " temporary restraining order " glared up at her from the paperwork inside.
Her laugh came again, quieter now, but laced with venom. “This has Sarah’s fingerprints all over it,” she muttered. “Matt’s just too whipped to stop her.”
She tossed the papers onto the coffee table, sinking into the couch with a slow smile.