Andrew sat in the kitchen, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with his knuckles. For the fifth time, he was looking through pictures of his fiancée. She seemed so happy and in love in them. Just not with him.
Next to her in the photos was a man, about Andrew’s age. He’d discovered they’d met through her work. No, they didn’t work together; this man was a client of the company where she was employed. She was responsible for signing contracts with various firms and personally delivered important documents to key clients. This man must have been quite significant, given how close Lisa had gotten to him.
Andrew began to suspect his fiancée of infidelity about two months ago. He noticed she spent a lot of time with her phone in hand, texting someone. When he asked who was messaging her so late, she always replied it was about work.
Later, she started coming home later than usual, claiming she was swamped with tasks. Yet she returned not exhausted, but rather cheerful and contented.
Then Andrew stumbled upon a receipt from a lingerie store. It must have fallen out of her pocket. Although there wouldn’t be anything unusual about it, Andrew hadn’t seen any new lingerie around. There’s a belief that men don’t notice new things, but Andrew wasn’t one of them. He loved gazing at Lisa, admiring her when she emerged looking radiant from the shower, noticing what she wore. She had bought new lingerie and hadn’t mentioned it. She knew perfectly well that he loved seeing her in beautiful lace. Yet, there was silence.
A fortnight ago, he observed someone dropping Lisa off after work. Andrew had never been the jealous type and saw nothing alarming if a colleague gave his fiancée a ride home. However, this time he glanced out the window and noticed the car parked outside. It was as if a sixth sense was activated in Andrew, and he watched as Lisa lingered in the car for at least five minutes. A simple “thank you” for a ride shouldn’t take more than thirty seconds.
Andrew felt like he was becoming paranoid. To avoid jumping to conclusions or thinking ill of her, he hired a private investigator. He was sure the detective would come back in a few days, telling him everything was fine between him and Lisa, that she wasn’t seeing anyone else.
However, today his world crumbled when the detective returned with photos. Most of them, showing her with the man, could perhaps be explained away, but one of them, the one of them kissing, was unequivocal evidence of betrayal.
Many would probably create a scene, physically confront the man, and throw out their fiancée in disgrace. But Andrew wasn’t like that. He wanted Lisa to feel unsure and worried, just as he had been for some time. And an ingenious plan formed in his mind.
The next day, he bought a second-hand SIM card and put it into his old mobile phone. Then, using that number, he sent Lisa a picture message. The exact one where she was kissing her lover. No message, just the photo.
She read the text fairly quickly and immediately tried calling the number. But Andrew declined the call and turned off the phone.
That evening, he waited eagerly for her to come home. She had called him earlier, probably checking if everything was alright, but he had just texted her saying he was busy.
“Hello, darling,” she burst into the apartment, scrutinizing him.
“Hi,” he smiled, helping her off with her coat. “How was your day?”
“All good,” she replied cautiously. “And yours?”
“Fine. Let’s have dinner; I ordered us some food.”
He could see that Lisa exhaled, but Andrew wasn’t about to let her relax.
As they began to eat, he opened a bottle of wine and poured it into glasses.
“Have you decided on the wedding date?” he asked, knowing she was torn between summer or autumn.
“Yes. I think the end of August. What do you think?”
“Sounds great. We should start the preparations,” he commented, closely observing her. She unwound completely. Since Andrew was talking about the wedding, everything must surely be fine.
“You know,” he added, “I got an odd message today.”
He delighted in seeing Lisa tense up.
“What message?” she asked, paleness washing over her.
“I’m not sure,” he shrugged. “Someone from an unknown number messaged claiming to know a secret. And if I paid him, he’d tell me. Can you imagine such a scam?”
“Of course, it’s a scam!” Lisa exclaimed immediately. “Block the number and forget about it.”
“I was going to, but I’m curious what he’ll come up with next,” Andrew smirked.
“There’s no need to wait,” urged Lisa, leaning closer. “I heard they’re scammers. Somehow they access your phone if you keep texting, and eventually steal money from your accounts.”
Holding her breath, she awaited his response. She needed him to block the number. She understood well enough the secret the devious someone was threatening to reveal. She didn’t know, however, that it was Andrew behind it all.
“How would they get into my phone?” Andrew laughed. “I’m not clicking on any links or sharing personal information. What if this person truly has crucial information? What if it’s business-related?”
“I wouldn’t risk it,” Lisa said, breathing heavily. “It’s dangerous.”
“I doubt it,” he smiled, clearing the table.
All evening, his fiancée lingered around him. Andrew realized she intended to seize the opportunity to block the number on his phone. Indeed, he’d sent himself the message, just in case she decided to verify it, and now he decided to amuse himself just a little more.
Informing her that he was going to shower, he left his mobile on the side table. He was sure Lisa would use the chance to block the number. And that’s precisely what she did.
While she relaxed, watching TV and assuming the threat had passed, Andrew unblocked the number, and slipping into the kitchen, sent himself another message.
“Look, that number messaged again,” he stated innocently upon returning.
“What?!”
Lisa clearly wanted to say that this wasn’t possible since she’d sorted it, but couldn’t admit she’d personally interfered with his phone settings.
“Can you believe it,” he shrugged, “it says someone close to me is deceiving me. And they claim to have proof. Pretty funny, right?”
“Uh-huh,” said Lisa, turning pale. “I need to make a work call. Can I head to the kitchen?”
“Of course,” Andrew smiled at her.
Naturally, she tried calling that number again. But Andrew had turned off the phone immediately after sending the message.
“Did you get through?” he asked when she returned.
“No,” she muttered as she lay down to sleep.
The next day Lisa was on edge. By lunchtime, she received another message from that number. She tried calling again, only to find the phone off once more.
“Soon your fiancé will know everything,” the message read.
Unable to get through, she sent a reply.
“What do you want?”
And by the end of her workday, an answer came.
“Confess, or I will.”
Walking home felt like going to her execution. She braced for an outburst from Andrew, yet he remained his usual calm self. When they settled into bed, he finally broached the topic.
“I got another message. It says there’s only an hour left. I wonder what it could mean?”
Lisa sighed, closed her eyes, then after repositioning, spoke.
“Andrew, I have to confess something…”
“What’s that, my dear?” he asked smiling.
“I cheated on you,” tears welled up in Lisa’s eyes. “Forgive me! I don’t know how it happened! I love only you! I just couldn’t stay silent. It’s eating me up inside! I’m so ashamed…”
“I see,” Andrew replied unexpectedly composed. “But you only confessed because someone forced you. Or rather, I did.”
“What?” she asked, bewildered.
“I made you confess. I sent you and myself those messages. And though I’ve never been a sadist, I’ve derived a certain satisfaction these past few days watching you squirm. Because you can’t imagine how I felt, finding out you were cheating.”
“How could you?” she whispered. “We could’ve just talked…”
“We could have. But I thought this would be a fitting revenge. It didn’t make me feel better, unfortunately, but it made things harder for you. Now…”
Andrew looked at her, triumphantly smirking.
“Think you realize it’s time for you to leave. Oh, and you’ll be responsible for letting our families and friends know the wedding is off. I’ll ensure they know the truth and that you don’t paint me as the bad guy.”
Staring at Andrew in disbelief, she hadn’t realized he was capable of such actions.
Silently, she rose and started packing her things. Andrew turned on his favorite film, attempting to numb the ache gnawing away at his heart. He knew, given time, the pain would fade, just like Lisa would fade from his life.
