His Darkest Secret

me! You've dest

as none other than my hu

we were still ci

ago, perhaps we would still be living th

a child. But those plans-and every

plans, our ho

ed into my memory. Bernard had l

always prepare his meals, packed neatly in a lunchbo

tiple times, but none of my calls were answered. After a

n working at a financial firm. I

office door, I heard a

. I hesitated but eventually crac

struck me like a

ompletely cleared. A woman lay pinned on top of it

ere tangled toget

ize that man anywhere-it w

that my knuckles turned white. My tears st

led within me, threaten

en her before when I visited his o

freshly graduated intern. Back th

lt a surge of fury and despair t

orm in and des

hey? How c

them accomplish? I'd only end up ruinin

. The injustice, the humiliation, the s

my phone and started recording

y before, the latest model with a high-defini

ideo I'd record with it would be of him and

did detail-their movements, their expressio

id passion. They even changed positions several

my stomach. Disgust over

numb, like a ghost drift

t like it was go

relentless loop in my mind. I collapsed onto the p

t like a stray dog, u

have a ho

my chaotic thoughts. Even the act of answerin

o worked at a hotel and knew her wa

hat Bernard and I were still the blissfully loving couple everyone envied. She

After a long silence, she hu

l bookings. Some of the rooms he'd b

em was charged

had some flimsy excuse to step out. I used to trust him implicitly,

ated o

ed was filthy,

glossy veneer-polished on the sur

g all through college as the couple everyone ad

el farce. Gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles tur

o unpunish

him right away. I acted like nothing was wrong, greeted

ked his phone and went thr

blow to my stomach. My nausea threatened to overwhel

less. It was the boldest m

y mind was consumed with nothi

what they did.

day along with the screenshots of their conversa

I had finally punctuated the end of my miser

as o

ing was

suspended from work the very next day,

were thrown into the trash before she could collect them, leaving her with n

ey hadn't like

wasn't sa

nted

ce from the man

evidence, and especially when he heard my dem

the scene b

point where he seemed ready to lash out, his

ed at me with so much love

't a hint

e blamed me for everything, even though it

the man I had once loved to

would have been a bittersweet ending. Jus

ern jumped from a buildin