Andrew sat in the kitchen, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with his knuckles. For the fifth time, he was going over photos of his fiancée. She looked happy and in love in those pictures. Only, it wasn’t with him.
Beside her in the photo was a man, about Andrew’s age. As Andrew found out, they’d met at work. No, they didn’t work together; this man was a client of the company where she was employed. She was responsible for sealing deals with various companies and would deliver documents personally to some particularly important clients. This man was evidently one of those prominent clients, considering how close Mary had gotten with him.
Andrew began to suspect his fiancée of infidelity about two months ago. He noticed she spent long periods on her phone, texting someone. When he asked who was messaging her so late, she always said it was work-related.
Then she started to come home late, explaining she was swamped with work. Yet, she’d return not tired, but rather pleased and content.
By chance, Andrew stumbled upon a receipt from a lingerie store. It must have fallen out of her pocket. Normally, something like that wouldn’t be too suspicious, but Andrew hadn’t seen any new lingerie on her. While it’s common to assume guys don’t notice such things, Andrew certainly did. He adored watching Mary, appreciating her beauty after she stepped out of the shower, noting what she was wearing. But here, she’d bought new lingerie and hadn’t even shown it to him. She knew how much he enjoyed seeing her in delicate lace, yet she said nothing.
Two weeks ago, Andrew saw someone drop Mary off after work. He wasn’t the jealous type and didn’t find anything wrong if a colleague offered her a ride home. But this time, he happened to look out the window as a car pulled into the driveway. As if some sixth sense had kicked in, he waited to see who might emerge from the vehicle. Mary did, eventually, but not before spending at least five minutes in the idling car. A simple “thank you” doesn’t take that long.
Feeling like he was being paranoid, Andrew decided not to jump to conclusions or make unfounded accusations. Instead, he hired a private investigator. He was sure the investigator would return in a few days to reassure him that Mary wasn’t seeing anyone else or cheating on him.
But today, Andrew’s world collapsed when the private investigator brought him photos. While most pictures of Mary with another man could be explained, one, where she was kissing the man, could only be seen as betrayal.
Many in his position might have caused a scene, thumping the guy who stole his fiancée, or throwing her out in disgrace. But Andrew wasn’t like that. He wanted to make Mary feel the anxiety and worry he’d endured. An excellent plan formed in his mind.
The next day, Andrew bought a SIM card and inserted it into an old mobile phone. From this number, he sent Mary a photo. The very one where she was kissing the other man. No message, just the photo.
Mary quickly read the message. She tried calling the number immediately, but Andrew declined the call and switched the phone off.
That evening, he eagerly awaited her return. She called him earlier in the day, presumably to check if everything was alright, but he ignored it, texting her that he was busy.
“Hello, darling,” she chirped as she entered the apartment, closely observing Andrew.
“Hi,” he smiled, helping her off with her coat. “How was your day?”
“All good,” she replied cautiously. “Yours?”
“Fine. Let’s have dinner; I’ve ordered us something.”
Mary exhaled in relief, but Andrew wasn’t letting his guard down.
As they ate, Andrew poured them each a glass of wine.
“Have you decided on a wedding date?” he asked. Mary had been unsure whether to hold it in summer or autumn.
“Yes. I’m thinking late August, how does that sound?”
“Perfect. We should start preparing,” Andrew said, watching her intently. She relaxed completely. If he was talking about the wedding, everything must be fine.
“You know,” Andrew said, “I got a strange message today.”
He saw Mary tense up.
“What message?” she asked, pale-faced.
“Some stranger texted me saying they know a secret. And if I pay, they’ll reveal it. Can you believe such a scam?”
“Of course, it’s a scam!” Mary exclaimed. “Just block it, and that’s it.”
“I thought about that, but I’m curious about what they’ll cook up next,” Andrew smirked.
“Don’t wait,” Mary leaned forward, pleading. “I’ve heard these are con artists. They hack into your phone if you keep texting, and then steal your money.”
Holding her breath, Mary awaited Andrew’s response. She needed him to block that number. She knew exactly which secret the mysterious person mentioned. The only thing she didn’t know was that it was Andrew behind it all.
“How can they hack my phone?” Andrew laughed. “I’m not clicking on any links or sharing personal info. And what if they do have valuable information? Maybe something about the business.”
“I wouldn’t take the risk,” Mary said, breathing heavily. “It’s dangerous.”
“I don’t think so,” Andrew smiled, clearing the table.
The entire evening, Mary buzzed around him. Andrew knew she wanted access to his phone to add the number to the blocked list. He had indeed sent himself the message earlier, in case she tried to check, and now he decided to have a bit more fun.
Saying he was going to shower, he left his phone on the table. He was sure Mary would seize the opportunity to block the number. She did.
While Mary relaxed, watching TV, sure that the threat was over, Andrew removed the number from the blocked list. He then sent himself another message from the kitchen.
“Look, that number texted again,” he said casually.
“What?!”
Mary clearly wanted to express that it wasn’t possible, as she’d fixed the issue, but didn’t have the guts to admit she personally blocked the number.
“Check this out,” Andrew said. “They claim a close person is deceiving me. And they’ve got proof. Hilarious, right?”
“Yeah,” Mary muttered, paling again. “I need to make a work call; can I go to the kitchen?”
“Sure,” Andrew grinned.
Naturally, Mary tried calling the number again. But as soon as Andrew sent himself the message, he turned off the phone.
“Did you get through?” he asked when Mary returned.
“No,” she mumbled, getting ready for bed.
The next day, Mary was on edge. And by afternoon, she received another message from that number. She immediately tried calling, but again the phone was off.
“Your fiancé will soon learn everything,” the message read.
Unable to call, she replied via text.
“What do you want?”
By the end of her workday, she received a reply.
“Confess yourself, or I will.”
Mary walked home as if heading for execution. She expected a showdown with Andrew, but he was as calm as ever. So, she took the initiative.
“Did you get any more messages from that number today?”
“Which number? Oh, that one. No, nothing. Why?”
“Just curious.”
As she was about to fall asleep, Andrew sent another message.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours. Time’s ticking. I also have a video.”
Andrew didn’t actually have a video, nor did he need one.
Mary was awoken by the phone beeping, and she quickly read the message, hiding the phone under her pillow.
“Who’s texting you so late?” Andrew asked as he settled down.
“Oh, just some… Advertisement.”
“These advertisers are shameless,” he sighed. “No sense of timing. Messaging at nearly midnight.”
The following day, Mary wrestled with what to do. Yes, she had cheated on Andrew. But was it her fault that passion washed over her? Max was extraordinary, whereas things with Andrew had grown too routine. Yet, she had no future with Max since he was married. Whereas, she and Andrew were set to marry. But confessing would undoubtedly end it all. And if she didn’t confess and the mysterious person told him, it would be over anyway.
She even pondered if Max’s wife had discovered their secret. Meeting Max, she hysterically shared her concerns, but Max assured her that his wife had no clue, and he didn’t want any trouble. He said they shouldn’t see each other anymore and left.
Returning from work, Mary was still uncertain. She hoped for a miracle where this mystery person was bluffing and wouldn’t tell Andrew. But as they were about to sleep, another message came through to Andrew.
“Strange,” he remarked. “It says I have one hour left. I wonder what that means?”
Mary closed her eyes, sighed, then sat up in bed and started speaking.
“Andrew, I need to admit something to you…”
“What is it, dear?” he asked with a smile.
“I cheated on you,” Mary said, tears welling up. “Forgive me! I don’t know how it happened! I only love you! I couldn’t stay silent. It’s eating me up inside! I feel so ashamed…”
“I understand,” Andrew said, unexpectedly calm. “But you’ve only confessed because you were forced. Well, forced by me.”
“What?” she asked, bewildered.
“It was me who made you confess. I sent both you and myself those messages. I’ve never been a sadist, but I’ve enjoyed watching you squirm these past few days. You can’t imagine how I felt discovering your betrayal.”
“How could you?” she whispered. “We could have just talked…”
“We could have. But I chose to get my revenge this way. Did it make me feel better? No, unfortunately, it didn’t. But it did make you feel worse. Now then…”
Andrew looked at her, smiling victoriously.
“You know it’s time for you to go. Oh, and inform your parents and friends about the wedding cancellation yourself. I’ll be making sure you state the real reason and not put the blame on me.”
Mary didn’t recognize the man she was looking at. She never thought he was capable of such a thing.
Silently, Mary stood up and began packing her belongings. Andrew turned on his favorite film, trying to focus elsewhere, away from the ache in his heart that wouldn’t go away. But he knew with time, it would fade. Just as Mary would fade from his life.
