That night, while Stephanie slept beside me, I stared at the ceiling for hours.
I tried convincing myself I was imagining things.
Maybe there was some explanation.
Maybe I was wrong.
But the doubt kept eating at me until eventually I did something I never imagined myself doing.
I picked up her phone.
It took a moment to unlock it.
Then I opened her messages.
At first, everything looked normal.
Family chats.
Friends.
Nothing suspicious.
And then I saw a contact saved as:
“M ❤️”
My stomach tightened.
I opened the conversation.
And instantly wished I hadn’t.
Stephanie: He believed me. Men like him are easy when they’re scared to lose you.
Stephanie: I don’t love him. I love what he owns.
Stephanie: The house. The money. The ring. I want ALL of it.
Stephanie: Just stay quiet until I secure everything. Then I’ll take his money and leave him crying.
I reread the messages over and over, hoping I had misunderstood.
