Chapter 4: The Truth Revealed
1611 Words
“Where are you? I’ve been waiting for hours…” I whispered into the phone, but it went straight to voicemail again. I stared at the screen for a few seconds before hanging up. Zane’s office was still empty.
The birthday surprise I spent all morning setting up surrounded me.
The lunch I made was cold now. The candles on his cake had melted down to waxy puddles. I’d been sitting here for over three hours, watching the clock, feeling my chest grow tighter each time the minute hand moved.
“Mrs. Hayes?” The receptionist poked her head in. “Is everything alright? You’ve been here a while.”
I tried to smile. “Just waiting for Zane. Have you seen him?”
She hesitated, like she didn’t want to be the one to say it. “He left this morning for an off-site meeting. Ms. Anderson arranged it. I thought you already knew.”
My stomach turned. Maya again.
“Thanks,” I said, even though I wanted to scream.
After she left, I pulled out my phone. We had set up location sharing years ago for emergencies. Now, I was using it for something else. When I saw where he was, my heart dropped.
The Plaza Hotel.
Not his office. Not a client’s place. A hotel. On his birthday. And arranged by her.
“I need a car right now,” I said when I called the driver. My voice was shaking. “To the Plaza Hotel. Please hurry.”
The ride felt endless. Rain tapped hard against the windows, each drop matching the beat of my heart. All I could think about was the message I saw on Zane’s phone last night.
*I can't wait for tomorrow.*
Now I understood what that meant.
---
At the hotel, I barely had to ask. The clerk didn’t even glance up.
“Mr. Hayes? Suite 304. Third floor.”
Each step toward the elevator felt heavier than the last. The glowing number three above the doors looked like a warning.
The hallway on the third floor felt too quiet. I walked slowly until I reached Room 304. The door wasn’t even shut. A soft light spilled out into the hallway. I could hear voices. Low. Close. Familiar.
I pushed the door open with a shaking hand.
“Shh. She’ll never find out,” Maya said in a soft, mocking voice. “She’s probably still at home baking you a cake or something sad like that.”
Then she laughed. That laugh cut straight through me.
They were on the bed. Maya sat on Zane’s lap, her blouse hanging open. His hands were on her waist. His shirt was on the floor. Her red lipstick smeared across his neck.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.
Time stood still.
Maya saw me first. She just smirked, not even trying to cover herself.
“Well, well,” she said like it was no big deal. “Look who finally showed up.”
Zane spun around fast. His face went pale.
“Aria, wait! It’s not what it looks like!”
The usual line people say when it’s exactly what it looks like.
“Really?” I asked, my voice calm even though my chest felt like it was splitting open. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re spending your birthday in bed with your secretary instead of your wife.”
He shoved Maya off and stood up, fumbling with his shirt.
“I can explain!”
“Don’t bother.”
I turned and ran. Tears blurred everything.
Behind me, I heard him running after me.
“Aria, please, stop!”
I reached the elevator just as his hand grabbed my arm. His shirt was still unbuttoned, his hair a mess. The doors opened. I pulled away and rushed inside.
“Please,” he said, holding the doors open. “Let me explain!”
“There’s nothing left to say!” I yelled. I didn’t care who heard. “I saw it. I saw everything!”
The doors shut, cutting him off.
Inside, all I could see was my own reflection. My mascara had run down my cheeks. My eyes were red. I looked like a stranger.
Then my phone buzzed.
It was a text from Maya.
*Took you long enough.*
I threw the phone as hard as I could against the elevator wall. It hit with a crack and broke.
Just like my heart.
By the time I got home, the rain was coming down even harder. I ran inside, soaked to the skin and shaking all over. I had to leave before he came back. I couldn’t look at him again.
I was halfway up the stairs when I heard tires screech outside.
The front door slammed open.
“Aria!”
Zane’s voice filled the whole house.
“Please, just let me explain!”
I ran faster, heading straight to our bedroom. I needed clothes, my wallet, anything. I had to get out.
The balcony door was wide open. Rain was dripping onto the carpet. I threw open the closet and grabbed a suitcase.
Footsteps thundered up the stairs.
“Aria, wait!”
He showed up at the doorway, out of breath and soaked through. His hair stuck to his forehead. His shirt was ruined.
“Let me go,” I said, throwing clothes into the suitcase. “I’m done.”
“It was a mistake!”
He stepped closer.
“It didn’t mean anything!”
“Don’t touch me!”
I backed into the open balcony door. Rain hit my shoulders.
“Please,” he said again, reaching for me.
His hand caught my arm.
I slapped him.
The sound snapped through the room.
He didn’t move. Just stood there, holding his cheek.
I stared at my hand. My whole body froze. I had never hit anyone before.
And now I had.
“A mistake?” My voice trembled with anger. “Was our whole marriage a mistake too? Was I just a stand-in for my sister?”
“No!” He looked panicked now. “Aria, I love you.”
“Don’t say that,” I snapped, tears running down my cheeks. “You don’t get to say that. Not after what I saw.”
He moved toward me, but I stepped back, holding up my hands.
“Don’t come any closer,” I said, my voice cracking. “I’m done pretending. I’m done being the perfect wife who stays home while you’re off with someone else.”
“It was just one time,” he said quickly. “We can fix this.”
I let out a broken laugh. “Fix it? You were with her, Zane. In a hotel room. On your birthday.”
“It didn’t mean anything.”
“It meant everything to me,” I cried. “Your birthday was supposed to be special. I was so desperate to get your attention back. I made your favorite food and picked out a gift I spent weeks choosing. And where were you? In bed with your secretary!”
He lowered his head, guilt written all over his face. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“But you did,” I whispered. “You’ve been hurting me for years. Every time you said her name in your sleep. Every time you came home late. Every lie. Every promise you broke.”
“I’ll fix it. I swear. Just give me another chance.”
I turned toward the closet and continued packing. My hands were shaking.
“I gave you so many chances, Zane. Years of chances. I’m done.”
He watched as I stuffed clothes into the suitcase, struggling to zip it shut.
“Where are you going?” His voice was barely a whisper.
“Away from you,” I said quietly. “As far as I can.”
“Aria, please.” His tears mixed with the rain soaking his hair. “I can’t live without you.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you slept with her.” I snapped the suitcase closed.
“It was a mistake,” he cried.
“No. A mistake is something you don’t mean to do. You made a choice. You chose her.”
He stood frozen in the doorway, pale and shaking. “Please don’t go. I love you.”
Those words used to mean everything to me. Now, they felt like a lie.
“You don’t know how to love me,” I said softly. “Your heart was always with Ava, even after she died. I tried so hard to be enough for you. I tried to be your perfect wife. But you still cheated on me. With Maya.”
“No, that’s not...” He couldn’t finish.
“It is.” I grabbed the suitcase and walked past him. “I’ve been waiting for you to love me for so long. I’m done. I deserve better.”
“Aria...” He reached for me.
“Don’t.” I stepped around him. “It’s over.”
I walked down the stairs slowly, each step heavy but sure. Behind me, I heard him crying and calling my name, but I didn’t look back.
The rain was pouring when I stepped outside. I tossed the suitcase into the car and climbed in, soaked from head to toe. My hands trembled as I turned the key.
In the rearview mirror, I saw him standing there, just watching.
For a second, I almost stopped. Almost.
But I didn’t.
I drove off into the storm, leaving behind everything that had already broken me.
- Writer
