Chapter Discovery
Daniel stood in the foyer of his home, a glass of whiskey cradled loosely in his hand, his thoughts as scattered as the papers strewn across his desk earlier that day. The house was silent—too silent. He could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen and the distant tick of the grandfather clock in the hallway. But there was something more, something off about the stillness.
It had been a long day—too long—and he was ready to sink into the comfort of routine. The smell of dinner still lingered in the air, but Lily wasn’t there to greet him, as she usually did. The house seemed emptier without her voice, without the quiet hum of her presence. She had been distant lately, but he hadn’t thought much of it. Work had consumed him, and he trusted her—no, he had trusted her.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from his thoughts. A quick glance at the screen showed a message from his assistant, asking if he’d reviewed the quarterly reports. He typed a quick reply—an acknowledgment, a promise to deal with it tomorrow—and shoved the phone back into his coat pocket.
His gaze wandered toward the staircase, the path leading up to their bedroom. His mind replayed the recent moments—Lily’s offhand remarks, the late nights, the quiet arguments that had begun to surface. He told himself it was just the stress of their busy lives, but the nagging feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away.
As if on cue, he heard the faint sound of keys jangling at the door. Lily. He didn’t move, waiting, watching the entrance, expecting the soft click of the lock turning. When the door finally swung open, he caught a glimpse of her silhouette in the doorway—her eyes wide, her expression unreadable.
“Hey, you’re home late,” Daniel said, his voice too casual, betraying none of the suspicion that had been growing inside him.
Lily paused. A brief hesitation. “I… I had some things to take care of.” Her smile seemed forced, strained. There was something about it that didn’t sit right with him.
He narrowed his eyes but said nothing as she walked past him, heading straight for the stairs.
But then, something caught his eye. A small detail—one that he hadn’t noticed before. A photograph, half-hidden under a pile of mail on the hallway table. The edges were worn, the picture slightly faded. His fingers brushed against it as he picked it up.
It was an old picture—one from a trip they’d taken years ago. But there, at the edge of the frame, was something new. A name scrawled across the back of it. A name he didn’t recognize.
His heart skipped a beat.
Lily.
He turned the photograph over in his hand. The name was unmistakable, the handwriting familiar yet strange. “David.” It was too close, too personal. And the photo itself… it looked like they were far too comfortable together, too close for a simple friendship.
His pulse quickened.
Before he could process what he was feeling, Lily’s voice broke through the silence. “Is everything alright, Daniel?”
She was standing at the top of the stairs now, watching him, her expression unreadable, her eyes dark.
His stomach churned as the pieces began to fall into place.
Everything about his life was about to change.
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