Love Behind The Mask

Chapter 003

~ Breaking Point ~

Her parents chuckled lightly, clearly missing the undertone of malice in Ryan’s voice. But Sarah didn’t. She excused herself soon after, claiming she had errands to run. His words had made her remember the thoughts that she was having when Jake had left earlier.

After leaving her parents' place, she intentionally took a longer route home, just so that she could calm her thoughts. She didn’t want to have to confront Jake about the thoughts that Ryan had put in her head, but getting home, Jake hadn’t returned.

The house was dark when she returned home. Jake’s car wasn’t in the driveway, and the lights inside were off. Her heart began to race extremely fast, Ryan's words kept replaying loudly and clearly in her head.

She dropped her keys on the counter and flipped on the kitchen light. The empty silence of the house pressed down on her, amplifying the nagging doubt that had been building all day. She moved to the coat rack, reaching for Jake’s jacket.

Her fingers brushed against a slip of paper. She pulled it out, her heart racing as she unfolded it…

It was a receipt from a restaurant downtown. The date printed on the top was from two nights ago.

Two nights ago, she thought, her stomach twisting. He said he was working late.

The receipt was for an expensive dinner for two. The name of the restaurant was circled in neat, precise handwriting, and it was not Jake’s.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, pulling her attention. She grabbed it, her breath hitching as she read the message from an unknown number:

“It’s not just work. Open your eyes.”

Sarah stared at the screen, and the words began to blur as her mind raced. The receipt in her hand felt heavy, like a physical manifestation of the suspicions she had been trying to suppress.

She sank into the kitchen chair, her pulse roaring in her ears. The cracks in the life she thought she knew were growing wider, threatening to shatter everything.

“Jake, are you cheating on me?” she whispered to herself as hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

The next morning, light streamed through the blinds, landing on the crumpled sheets of Sarah’s bed. She hadn’t slept all night long. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and she just stared blankly at the ceiling as the events of yesterday replayed in her mind.

The lingering scent of cologne that Jake never wore unless he was going out for a social event, the dinner receipt she had found in his jacket, a receipt for a dinner he never said anything about, and then the text she had received.

Her fingers absently twisted the edge of the blanket as she tried to piece it all together.

‘Am I losing my mind?’ she wondered. ‘Or am I actually right this time? Are all my suspicions the truth?’ her thoughts kept on bubbling, uncontrollably.

Her phone sat on the nightstand; it had been silent throughout the night.

She had considered calling the number that had texted her, but that would be her admitting and accepting that her husband was cheating.

With a shaky breath, she reached for it and opened her call log. Jake’s name stared back at her, the last outgoing call from two nights ago when he’d said he’d be working late.

She pressed the call button before she could second-guess herself.

It rang twice before his voice came through, clipped and impatient. “Sarah, what is it? I’m busy.”

Her chest tightened at his response. She had a number of things to talk to him about, and with the way he just replied, she knew he would just ignore her question under the guise of being busy, just so he wouldn't have to talk about it. She needed to find another way to have the conversation without giving him the chance to escape her.

“I uh… I was just… wondering what your plans are for today.”

There was a pause after her question. It wasn't long enough to sound like he was trying to come up with a lie, but it wasn't short enough to sound like he had expected it. It was just long enough to make her stomach churn.

“Meetings as usual," Jake finally said. “I’ll be out most of the day.”

“On a Sunday?” Sarah swallowed hard and asked, her voice trembling despite her efforts to sound casual. The last thing she wanted to do was make James pick offense in her words.

“Yeah, it’s uh… it's crunch time for a big project.” Jake's tone sharpened. “Look, I can’t talk right now, okay? Did you need something from me? Why did you call?”

“Oh… um… nothing,” Sarah blurted out, unable to find a reason quickly enough; but she found an excuse for calling immediately and tried to save herself.

“I was just calling to know how busy you were going to be. I wanted to make you lunch or something since you weren't home and…”

“Ugh,” he interrupted her with a frustrated groan. “Look I'm busy, I really don't have time for certain things right now.”

With those words, the line went dead before she could even say a word.

‘Crunch time?’ she thought bitterly. ‘Is that what they call it now?’

She felt insulted. Jake gave excuses to her like she was some illiterate he picked out of the gutter. She knew what working in a company as large as his felt like. She knew how busy things could get, so she knew for a fact that he was lying.

Like the man she worked for before marrying Jake, the office had become an excuse to stay away from home.

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. She brushed it away angrily and reached for her bag. Not considering the need to take a bath, she left the house, knowing she would probably go mad, thinking, if she stay home any longer.