Chapter 2: The Woman in Red
1099 Words
Grace's heart pounded as the phone slipped from her trembling fingers onto the hardwood floor.
The message still burned into her mind.
Your wife is beginning to notice. Finish the job before she learns who you really are.
Footsteps echoed down the staircase.
Daniel.
Every instinct told Grace to run, but another part of her refused to believe the man she had loved for eight years could possibly be hiding something so terrifying.
She quickly picked up the phone and placed it exactly where it had been.
By the time Daniel reached the bedroom door, she was standing beside the wardrobe, pretending to choose what to wear.
"You dropped something?" he asked, drying his hair with a towel.
Grace forced a smile.
"Your phone vibrated. It startled me."
Daniel's eyes drifted to the bedside table. His expression remained calm, but for the briefest second, she saw something flicker across his face.
Relief.
He picked up the phone, glanced at the screen, and casually slipped it into his pocket without checking the latest message.
That surprised Grace.
Had he already known what it said?
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Just didn't sleep well."
Daniel stepped closer and gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You worry too much."
Normally, those words would comfort her.
Today, they sounded like a warning.
Throughout breakfast, Grace secretly watched him.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
He complimented her coffee.
He joked about burning the toast.
He reminded her to wear the bracelet he had given her the night before.
If she hadn't seen the message herself, she would have sworn nothing was wrong.
Yet every smile now carried a question.
Every glance made her wonder if she truly knew the man sitting across from her.
As Daniel prepared to leave for work, he kissed her forehead.
"I'll probably be home late."
"Busy day?"
"Very."
"What kind of meeting?"
He hesitated.
"Just investors."
Grace had never known Daniel to hesitate over simple questions.
"Can I bring you lunch?"
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
"I mean... don't stress yourself."
He smiled, kissed her again, and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he looked back at her.
"I love you, Grace."
"I love you too."
The front door closed.
Grace waited exactly thirty seconds before grabbing her handbag and car keys.
For the first time in five years...
She decided to follow her husband.
Daniel drove across the city instead of heading toward his office.
Grace kept several cars between them, careful not to attract attention.
After nearly forty minutes, his black SUV pulled into the parking lot of an upscale restaurant overlooking the waterfront.
Grace frowned.
She knew this place.
Couples came here to celebrate anniversaries and engagements.
It wasn't where business meetings were usually held.
Daniel stepped out of the car and checked his watch.
He wasn't waiting for investors.
He was waiting for someone.
Five minutes later, a sleek silver sedan arrived.
A woman stepped out.
She wore a fitted red dress that moved elegantly with the breeze, dark sunglasses, and heels that clicked confidently against the pavement.
Grace felt her stomach tighten.
The woman was stunning.
Daniel smiled.
Not politely.
Warmly.
The woman smiled back.
Then, without hesitation...
She wrapped her arms around him.
Grace froze.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.
"No..."
The word escaped her lips in a whisper.
"This can't be happening."
She watched Daniel place a gentle hand on the woman's back as they walked into the restaurant together.
Every happy memory Grace had built over the last five years seemed to c***k at once.
Tears blurred her vision.
But she refused to drive away.
Not until she knew the truth.
Twenty minutes later, Grace entered the restaurant wearing oversized sunglasses and a scarf.
She chose a table hidden behind a decorative partition where she could see Daniel without being noticed.
A waiter approached.
"Would you like to order?"
"Just coffee."
Her attention never left Daniel.
The woman removed her sunglasses.
She looked to be in her early thirties, elegant and composed.
Daniel leaned forward as they talked.
At one point, she reached across the table and held his hand.
Grace's heart shattered.
She wanted to storm over.
She wanted to scream.
Instead, she forced herself to listen.
Most of their conversation was drowned out by the music.
Then she heard the woman say one sentence.
"...Grace must never know."
Grace stopped breathing.
Daniel looked around carefully before replying in a voice too low for Grace to hear.
The woman nodded.
Moments later, she slid a thick brown envelope across the table.
Daniel hesitated before taking it.
He didn't open it.
He simply slipped it into his leather briefcase.
Grace's hands trembled.
Who was this woman?
What was in the envelope?
And why had she mentioned Grace?
Unable to watch any longer, Grace hurried out of the restaurant before Daniel could see her.
She leaned against her car, fighting back tears.
Her phone rang.
It was Daniel.
She stared at the screen.
After several seconds, she answered.
"Hi, sweetheart."
"How's your day?" Daniel asked warmly.
She closed her eyes.
The same man who had just shared lunch with another woman was speaking as though nothing had happened.
"It's... fine."
"I miss you."
Those words cut deeper than a knife.
"When will you be home?"
"Probably after eight."
"I'll be waiting."
"I love you."
Grace couldn't answer.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, she whispered,
"I have to go."
She ended the call before he could respond.
That evening, Grace couldn't stop thinking about the woman in red.
She searched Daniel's office drawers after returning home.
Nothing.
She checked old photo albums.
Nothing.
She searched social media for clues.
Nothing.
It was as if the woman didn't exist.
At exactly 7:45 p.m., the doorbell rang.
Grace wasn't expecting anyone.
She opened the door slowly.
No one was there.
Only a small black gift box rested on the welcome mat.
Her name was written across it.
In elegant handwriting.
For Grace.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She carried it inside and carefully opened it.
Inside was a single red rose.
Beneath it lay a folded photograph.
Grace unfolded it.
The color drained from her face.
The photograph showed Daniel...
Holding hands with the same woman in red.
Written across the back, in black ink, were six chilling words:
Ask him about Sophia before it's too late.
At that exact moment, Grace heard Daniel's car pull into the driveway.
She looked from the photograph to the front door.
The doorknob began to turn.
- Writer
