Beyond the Divorce novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Looking for Evidence

I had almost finished preparing the food when Matthew returned with our daughter. Ava ran in, exclaiming in her sweet and childish voice, “Mommy, I’m back! Daddy picked me up!”

Her adorable voice brought tears to my eyes, but I suppressed my emotions. “I got you some pineapples. They’re your favorite, right?”

“Oh! Mommy, you’re the best! I can’t wait to eat them” She ran out and headed to Matthew, saying, “Daddy, I want to eat pineapples!”

“You can have a small piece for now. You can have more after dinner, okay?” Matthew washed his hands and took a small piece to hand to our eager little girl. Then he squeezed into the tiny kitchen and hugged me from behind. “Why did you make so much food?”

I felt terrible because this once-happy family of three was now on the verge of collapsing.

“You just came back from a business trip. You must be tired.” I forced a smile and asked, “Were you busy today?”

He hummed a reply, and my heart immediately sank. I playfully nudged him with my elbow. “Set the table and get ready for dinner.”

His intimate attempts made me sick. I wondered if he thought of the other woman whenever he held me. When I finished cooking, I smiled and asked, “Do you want a drink? It’s been a while, and I want a glass of wine.”

Mathew looked at me questioningly. “Why do you suddenly want to drink?”

“No reason. Are you still going out?” I asked as I turned to get the wine. “Since I made so many dishes, we need to celebrate.”

I felt my heart shattering into a million pieces as I spoke. I knew Matthew couldn’t handle alcohol well, so I poured him a little to avoid arousing suspicion. Then I poured myself half a glass and toasted with him.