She passed me without looking over.
I could smell her perfume.
Orange blossom.
I had smelled it on Victor’s shirts for almost a year before I confronted him.
The first time, he said it belonged to a customer.
The second time, he said I was paranoid.
The third time, I found a photograph on his tablet.
Victor and Melissa kissing in the wine cellar beneath Hale & Ember.
I had expected discovering my husband’s affair to feel explosive.
Instead, I had felt tired.
Just tired.
Because betrayal from Victor had become so ordinary by then that adultery almost seemed uncreative.
What I had not known was that Melissa had been carrying a betrayal of her own.
She took the oath.
Sat.
Grace approached.
“Please state your full name.”
“Melissa Ana Ward.”
“Your age?”
“Thirty-two.”
“Occupation?”
“Until six weeks ago, director of events and partnerships for Hale Restaurant Group.”
