CHAPTER 5: The perfect lie
1017 Words
The silver doorknob turned slowly.
Serena's pulse hammered against her ribs.
She had barely enough time to pull the flash drive from her laptop and slip it into the inner pocket of her handbag before the door swung open.
Damien stepped inside carrying an extravagant bouquet of red roses.
His smile was as charming as ever.
"There she is."
The woman he loved.
Or at least...
The woman he wanted to believe he loved.
"You've been working too hard," he said warmly. "I thought my beautiful wife deserved a surprise."
Serena stared at him.
How could someone smile so naturally after betraying his family?
How could he look into her eyes without the slightest trace of guilt?
"You didn't have to do this," she managed.
"I wanted to."
He walked over and kissed her forehead.
The same forehead he had kissed before walking into another woman's arms.
The memory of the hotel video flashed through Serena's mind.
Her stomach twisted violently.
She forced herself not to pull away.
Not yet.
If Damien knew she had discovered his affair, he would become careful.
She needed answers.
All of them.
Not just proof that he was cheating.
Someone had sent her that video for a reason.
Whoever it was wanted her to know the truth.
But why now?
"You don't look well," Damien said, studying her face.
"Just a headache."
"Then let's skip work tonight. I'll cook dinner."
Serena almost laughed.
Damien...
Cook?
He had never cooked a full meal in five years of marriage.
Not unless he wanted something.
"I'd like that," she replied softly.
His smile widened.
For a brief second, Serena wondered if she had imagined everything.
Then she remembered the kiss.
No.
She hadn't imagined anything.
...
That evening, Damien insisted on making pasta.
The kitchen was a disaster.
Tomato sauce stained the counter.
Flour covered the floor.
Lily giggled so hard she nearly fell off her chair.
"Daddy is funny!"
Damien laughed with her.
"So funny that Princess Lily should help me."
"I can stir!"
"You absolutely can."
Serena stood in the doorway watching them.
Anyone looking in from outside would have envied her life.
A handsome husband.
A beautiful daughter.
A warm home filled with laughter.
It was the perfect family.
A perfect lie.
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
Was any of it real?
Or had Damien been pretending all along?
...
After dinner, Lily fell asleep almost instantly.
Serena tucked the blanket around her tiny body and kissed her forehead.
"I love you more than anything."
Lily smiled in her sleep.
Outside the bedroom, Damien waited.
"You've been distant today."
Serena shrugged.
"Just tired."
"You've said that a lot lately."
He stepped closer.
"If I've done something wrong..."
She looked into his eyes.
Now.
She could ask him.
She could show him the video.
She could demand the truth.
Instead...
She smiled.
"You haven't."
The lie tasted bitter.
But it was necessary.
Because she had made a decision.
From this moment forward...
She would pretend.
Pretend she knew nothing.
Pretend she still trusted him.
Pretend she still believed every word that came out of his mouth.
And while he continued lying...
She would uncover every secret he had buried.
...
The next morning, Serena called in sick for the first time in three years.
As soon as Damien left the apartment, she drove to the luxury hotel from the video.
She parked across the street.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
"What am I doing?"
She had never imagined she would become the kind of wife who followed her husband.
Yet here she was.
At exactly 10:07 a.m., a familiar black sedan pulled into the hotel entrance.
Damien stepped out.
He wasn't alone.
The elegant woman from the video emerged from the passenger side.
Today, Serena saw her clearly.
She was breathtaking.
Tall.
Graceful.
Perfectly dressed.
She looked like someone who belonged on magazine covers.
Damien smiled at her.
Not politely.
Lovingly.
He reached for her hand.
Serena's heart splintered.
Then something unexpected happened.
The woman handed Damien a thick white envelope.
He slipped it into his jacket before the two entered the hotel.
An envelope...
Just like the one hidden in his office.
"What are you hiding?" Serena whispered.
She waited.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Neither of them came out.
Gathering every ounce of courage, Serena crossed the street and entered the hotel.
The receptionist smiled politely.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"I'm looking for my husband."
"I'm sorry, but we can't—"
"I know he's here."
The receptionist's smile faded.
"I really can't disclose guest information."
Before Serena could respond, the elevator doors opened behind her.
Damien stepped out.
Laughing.
The woman was beside him.
Instinctively, Serena ducked behind a tall decorative pillar.
Her heart raced so loudly she thought they would hear it.
They walked past her.
Close enough that she caught the woman's perfume.
Close enough to hear every word.
"She suspects nothing," Damien said.
The woman smiled.
"Good."
"I told you Serena trusts me completely."
"And after tomorrow?"
Damien's smile disappeared.
"After tomorrow..."
He looked around the lobby before lowering his voice.
"...there won't be anything left for her to discover."
Serena's blood ran cold.
What did that mean?
Nothing left?
Was he planning to leave her?
Steal from her?
Or something far worse?
The couple disappeared through the revolving doors.
Serena remained frozen behind the pillar.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Without thinking, she reached into her handbag for her phone.
She had to record this.
She had to gather evidence.
As she pulled out the phone, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Hard.
"So..."
A deep masculine voice said quietly behind her.
"...you're Serena Hart."
She spun around in shock.
Standing before her was a tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit.
His expression was unreadable.
His piercing gray eyes locked onto hers with unsettling intensity.
He wasn't looking at her with curiosity.
He was looking at her...
With pity.
Before Serena could speak, he leaned in and uttered seven words that made the world stop spinning.
"Your husband is planning to kill you."
- Writer
