My Chef & My Wife

Episode 2

The next morning, I woke to the sound of sizzling bacon and the clink of plates being set on the kitchen counter. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I glanced at the clock—it was earlier than usual for Claire to be up. Curiosity piqued, I slipped on my robe and headed downstairs.

As I entered the kitchen, I found Claire and Daniel already deep in conversation, their laughter echoing off the walls. Claire looked up, surprised to see me so early, while Daniel greeted me with a friendly nod. I forced a smile, trying to shake off the unease that had settled in overnight.

"Morning, Alex," Claire said, pouring me a cup of coffee. "Daniel's preparing breakfast for us."

I thanked Daniel politely, though my appetite had vanished. The easy banter between Claire and him made me feel like an outsider in my own home. Every shared smile, every inside joke—they were small, innocent gestures, yet they felt like tiny betrayals.

Throughout breakfast, I observed them closely. Claire seemed more relaxed around Daniel, a contrast to the tension that had been building between us in recent months. They spoke animatedly about their favorite foods, Daniel sharing stories of his culinary adventures that drew genuine laughter from Claire.

As we finished eating, Claire excused herself to get ready for work, leaving me alone with Daniel. Awkwardly clearing my throat, I attempted to engage him in conversation about his background and cooking expertise. Daniel was charming and articulate, carefully steering the discussion away from anything personal.

But beneath his polite demeanor, I sensed a guardedness—an awareness that he was walking a delicate line between his professional role and his history with Claire. It gnawed at me, this feeling that I was being kept in the dark about something brewing right under my nose.

Over the next few days, I noticed subtle changes in Claire. She was more distracted, her mind often wandering back to conversations with Daniel or the meals he had prepared. She grew defensive when I casually asked about her day, brushing off my inquiries with vague responses.

I couldn't ignore the way Daniel's presence had altered our home dynamics. His influence extended beyond the kitchen, infiltrating our conversations and routines. Claire and I drifted further apart, our interactions overshadowed by an unspoken tension that Daniel seemed to effortlessly navigate.

One evening, as I returned home from work earlier than expected, I caught Claire and Daniel sharing a quiet moment in the garden. Their heads were close together, their voices low and intimate. My heart sank as I watched them, a wave of betrayal crashing over me.

That night, lying in bed beside Claire, I couldn't shake the nagging doubt that had taken root in my mind. Was I imagining things, or was there something more between Claire and Daniel? The familiar scent of herbs lingered in the air, mingling with the bitter taste of suspicion.

Tomorrow, I resolved, I would confront Claire. I needed answers, even if they shattered the fragile peace we had been clinging to.