I wasn’t looking for it.
I swear I wasn’t.
I saw the notification because the phone was directly in front of me.
It said:
Last night was different. We need to be careful.
No name.
Just the message.
My heart stopped.
Daniel walked into the kitchen.
I looked at him.
He looked at the phone.
Then at me.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, he picked it up.
“Who is that?”
He locked the screen.
“It’s nothing.”
My stomach turned.
“Don’t say that.”
He looked away.
“It’s work.”
“Work?”
“Yes.”
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe he expected me to accept that.
“Your work texts you about being careful?”
He became defensive.
“You’re invading my privacy.”
“I didn’t touch your phone.”
“You were looking at it.”
“It was sitting on the counter!”
He grabbed his jacket.
“I’m going out.”
“Daniel.”
He stopped.
“Tell me the truth.”
He didn’t turn around.
“I’ve told you the truth.”
Then he walked out.
That night, Rachel didn’t come downstairs for dinner.
I went to her room.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Rachel.”
She looked up.
“We need to talk.”
Her face went pale.
I closed the door.
