I understand, I replied, and dashed straight into the kitchen to grab my phone. After sending a quick message to someone, I returned to the living room. Afterwards, Richard grew even more certain about his suspicions that his wife was cheating on him. She let him go out with friends and on business trips far too easily. She never made a fuss if he came home drunk. His mates all insisted, unanimously, that women like her were rare and there surely couldnt be any catch. But Richard couldnt shake off his guilt.
He was eight years older than his wife. Had she found herself a younger man simply because she wasnt interested in him anymore? At least Richard was smart enough to keep his doubts to himself. It would have been completely inappropriate to accuse someone without evidence. He wanted to be absolutely certain. So, he couldnt think of a better option than installing cameras throughout the flat.
Richard departed for his business trip in a foul mood. Even Angelina noticed how downcast he seemed. She was about to offer him some pills. Her concern comforted Richard, and for a moment he wondered if everything was actually alright. He didnt rush to view the video footage online and barely had the time for it anyway. Only in the evenings did Richard boot up the app and watch the clips. After five minutes, hed shut it down and put his laptop awaysafely out of reach of temptation.
The trip passed by quickly. On the day he sent Angelina off to work, he opened his laptop and began to watch the recordings. Yet, he still shied away from the full truth.
He scrolled slowly through the footage. At first, everything was just as always. Angelina woke up, had breakfast, tidied the house. But later, in the afternoon, Richard spotted his wifealways so well dressedsitting at the computer in shorts and one of his oversized t-shirts, playing a game online. He could hear the voices of other players through the speakers. It turned out that Angelina was a bit addicted to online gaming.
Thats not really a good thing, Richard reassured himself. But everyone has their own hobbies. He then fast-forwarded through the rest of the footage. Nothing new appeared: just the computer and household chores. Most importantly, there hadnt been a single other person in the flat during that time.
Richard closed the laptop and exhaled deeply. What struck him now was only shame for suspecting his wife so harshly. He resolved to buy her a huge bouquet of roses and have a romantic dinner together. Still, he chose not to remove the surveillance cameras just yet. What he didnt realise was…
