Chapter 4The Wife Who Demanded A Split

In the fifth year, I found the other thing.

It wasn't a grand detective moment. It was a push notification on her iPad while I was paying the utility bills. I knew her passcode—her birthday plus 123. She never bothered to change it because she didn't think I was smart enough to be curious.

The credit card statements were normal at first. Gas, SoulCycle, salads.

But then I saw it.

On the 15th of every month: a $5,000 Zelle transfer.

The recipient's nickname: Babe.

At first, I thought maybe it was for her mother. But Mallory called her mother "Erica" or "Mom." Never "Babe."

I scrolled back. January. February. March. April.

Eight months in a row. Forty thousand dollars.

I didn't recognize the account number. I took a screenshot and stayed quiet.

That night, Mallory came home in a radiant mood.

"Had dinner with the Skyline team. Tyler was there."

"Tyler?"

"I’ve mentioned him. Tyler Stone. The new project manager at Skyline. He’s... brilliant."

She didn't look at me when she said it. She was staring at her phone, a tiny, ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"What’s he like?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing special. Just very competent. It’s nice to work with someone on my level for a change."

She went to shower. I picked up her phone.

Passcode: same.

Pinned at the top of her iMessage: Tyler.

The last message was a selfie. Not of Mallory. It was a man—square-jawed, gym-shredded, wearing a heavy silver chain.

The text: Missing you.

Mallory’s reply: A kissing emoji.

Sent at 3:17 PM. Three hours ago.

I put the phone down. I went back to the kitchen.

The soup was simmering. I turned off the burner.

I stood there in the silence of the kitchen for a long time.

Then I pulled out my own phone and texted Jack: Check on a guy named Tyler Stone at Skyline. I want everything. Background, finances, the works.

Jack replied instantly: On it. Give me forty-eight hours.

I sent another: That contract renewal for next month? Stall it.

Copy that.

The soup went cold on the stove. I wasn't in a hurry.