“She Opened the Door in Silence What Happened That Night With My Office Partner Changed Everything”

Daryl was hunting for his missing sock under the bed when his hand grazed into something cold and metal. He took it out — a minuscule phone, black, one he had never seen before. It wasn’t his, and it was most definitely not Carol’s regular day phone. His stomach twisted. They have a phone in their room

why is it stashed away?

He pushed the power button with his finger. The screen came to life, displaying a generic lock screen. He tried a few passwords, including 1234, 0000 to no avail. Then, on an impulse, he tried their wedding date: 06-23. The phone unlocked. He gasped as he saw a string of text messages from a person saved in his phone as “Work Friend.” “Miss you already,” one said. “Can’t stop thinking about you,” said a second. Daryl’s heart pounded. Who was this? And why was Carol hiding it?

“Hey, honey,” Carol said, her voice buoyant. “I’m home!”

“Hi,” Daryl said, hope sticking in his throat. “How’d it go?”

“Oh, you know, same old,” she said, as she dropped her bags by the door. “Did you find that sock?”

“No,” he muttered, his thoughts whirling. She looked so ordinary — too ordinary. Was she lying to him?