Chapter 2I Saw Your Secret Stream

I didn't sleep a wink.

The next morning, David was his usual charming self before heading to work.

"I’m bringing some colleagues over for dinner tonight, Naomi. We finally closed that big project, and I owe them a celebration. Keep it simple, okay? I don’t want you overworking yourself."

I nodded, subtly leaning away when he leaned in to kiss me. He didn't seem to notice; his eyes were glued to his phone as a new notification popped up.

"These guys are important for my next promotion," he added. "I’ll have a dress delivered for you later. Something special. I want to show off my beautiful wife."

He reached out to ruffle my hair, a habit I used to find endearing, but I flinched away instinctively. Seeing his brow furrow, I quickly covered.

"I... I should go make a grocery list for tonight."

He smiled, that indulgent, paternalistic smile. "Good girl. I just wired you five thousand. Get whatever you need. Don't be thrifty."

Throughout the day, I was a ghost in my own home. Every time I changed clothes or nursed Daisy, I made sure I was out of the camera’s line of sight. My mind was a storm of doubt and fear.

Around noon, David's iPad, which he'd left on the kitchen counter, chimed. He had logged in once and forgotten to sign out. Curious, or perhaps driven by a dark intuition, I picked it up.

A notification from an app called Signal was flashing. The group name was "The Tasting Room."

An icy dread pooled in my stomach. David was the breadwinner; he didn't do the shopping, and he certainly wasn't the type to join "lifestyle" or "product sharing" groups. He was private. He was professional.

My hands shook as I tapped the chat. The world seemed to tilt on its axis as the messages loaded.