Chapter 2

Sergio glanced over, his brows knitting slightly. "I don't know. Maybe you dropped it a while ago?"

"I don't wear pink."

"Then maybe..."

Sergio paused, thinking.

"Oh, right! It must be Belle's. Eric brought his daughter along in my car last week. That little girl loves going through my stuff."

Belle was only five years old. Would a five-year-old wear an adult-sized pink scrunchie?

The light turned green, and the car surged forward.

I clutched the pink scrunchie, my knuckles turning white.

Outside, the world was bustling and normal, but I felt like my entire life was quietly fracturing.

When we got home, I slipped the pink scrunchie into my purse.

Sergio started making dinner like usual.

He was a great cook, which was one of the reasons I fell in love with him in college.

The rich aroma of searing steak filled the kitchen. He was even humming a song, looking completely normal.

I sat on the couch, my phone screen lighting up and going dark in my hands.

Taking a deep breath, I opened Instagram.

Eric’s last post was from three days ago—a gym selfie captioned "Monday Motivation."

Monday. That was four days ago.

Scrolling further down, he indeed had posted a picture of his BMW last weekend, showing off a new dashcam he’d installed.

Broken transmission?

I switched to Sergio’s Instagram.

On Tuesday, he had posted a photo of a coffee cup and a contract, captioned "Busy day."

The location tag was his office downtown. No Silicon Valley. No tech park.

"Scarlett, dinner's ready!" Sergio called from the kitchen.

I locked my phone, stood up, and walked to the dining room.

The table was set with all my favorites.

Sergio pulled out my chair, his actions tender and sweet, just like any other day.

"Tired? Did those little monsters at school give you a headache today?" he asked.

"Not too bad."

I cut a piece of steak. "By the way, driving to Silicon Valley on Tuesday must have taken over an hour, right? Was the traffic bad?"

"Yeah, pretty brutal," Sergio replied smoothly. "But chatting with Eric made the time fly."

"What exactly is the project about?"

Sergio hesitated for a fraction of a second, then laughed. "Since when are you interested in my work? You usually say tech talk bores you to death."

"Just curious," I smiled back. "If we're investing our savings, it’s a big deal for our family."

"It's not that complicated. Just smart home integration systems," Sergio explained seamlessly. "Great market potential, but the upfront cost is high. That's why I'm hesitant."

Smart home integration. It sounded plausible, and he had the details down.

But something still felt deeply off.

"Is Eric's car really having transmission trouble?" I asked casually. "Is it fixed yet?"

This time, Sergio’s fork paused in mid-air. It was only for half a second, but I saw it clearly.

"Should be soon," he said. "I didn't ask for details."

"You should ask him tomorrow," I said with a smile. "I want to invite him and Jenna over for dinner this weekend. It's been a while."

A flash of unease crossed Sergio's face, quickly masked by a warm grin.

"Sure. I'll ask them tomorrow if they're free."

After dinner, I offered to do the dishes.

Sergio curled up on the couch to watch a football game, cheering occasionally. He looked exactly like the perfect, loving husband.

I stood by the kitchen sink, watching his reflection in the dark window pane.

Sergio picked up his phone, tapped it a few times, then set it down.

A moment later, he grabbed it again, stood up, and walked into the bedroom.

I turned off the faucet and quietly crept to the bedroom door.

The door was slightly ajar. Through the crack, I could see Sergio with his back to me, speaking in a hushed, urgent whisper.

"Yeah... I know... let's lay low for a few days... I'll handle it..."