![\"May](\"https:\/\/scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/786755547_122110267137429357_1805388878265958997_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_tt6&cstp=mx1529x2048&ctp=p526x296&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=7d4shi8mIacQ7kNvwESVlyW&_nc_oc=AdpZFO7wga2bhiuKZ03rgKdExQ4h-U2HDbYqOf7Yii6Tk1G_jbWavG1q2ZQLra8t9Ac&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-msp1-1.xx&_nc_gid=XxgZA8s-AQRFFgKg52ze_Q&_nc_ss=792a8&oh=00_AQFxsfTkzkPT9dW84vqsp8j_EKfy5F0jiX3ZtSB-drpsFw&oe=6A94A053\")
<\/p>\nShe didn\u2019t answer immediately. Instead, she asked, \u201cHave you ever seen your husband\u2019s medical records?\u201d I felt a chill crawl up my arms. \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cThen you should.\u201d She pushed the envelope toward me. My fingers trembled as I opened it. The first page was a hospital report. The name at the top was Brad\u2019s. The date was six months earlier. I read the first few lines. Then stopped. I couldn\u2019t understand what I was seeing. \u201cWhat is this?\u201d Chloe sat down. \u201cBrad has been seeing a specialist.\u201d \u201cFor what?\u201d She looked at me. \u201cMemory loss.\u201d I stared at her. \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s been forgetting things.\u201d \u201cEveryone forgets things.\u201d \u201cNot like this.\u201d She reached into her purse and pulled out another document. \u201cHe forgot your anniversary last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I said nothing. \u201cHe forgot where he parked his car three times in one month.\u201d My mouth went dry. \u201cHe forgot a meeting with a client and blamed traffic.\u201d She slid another page across the table. \u201cHe forgot he had already fired an employee.\u201d I remembered that. Brad had come home furious that night, insisting the man had betrayed him. But the next morning, Brad had called the same employee and asked why he hadn\u2019t shown up for work. I had thought he was lying. Chloe\u2019s voice softened. \u201cHe isn\u2019t having an affair with me.\u201d I looked up sharply. \u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d She looked exhausted. \u201cI expect you to hate me. I probably deserve some of it.\u201d \u201cYou slept with my husband.\u201d Her eyes filled with tears. \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cThen don\u2019t tell me this isn\u2019t an affair.\u201d \u201cIt started that way.\u201d She looked down at her hands. \u201cBut then I realized something was wrong.\u201d \u201cWhat?\u201d \u201cHe wasn\u2019t meeting me because he loved me.\u201d My heart pounded. \u201cHe was meeting me because he couldn\u2019t remember who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would text me asking where we were meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were his secretary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he\u2019d know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne night, he called me by your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe apologized. Then five minutes later, he called me Chloe again.\u201d<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the report.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was angry at you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you were the reason he was becoming distant.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was leaving you for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed at the final document.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lifted it.<\/p>\n
It was a handwritten note.<\/p>\n
Brad\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
My husband had written:<\/p>\n
If Emily asks what happened, don\u2019t tell her about the first envelope.<\/p>\n
I looked at Chloe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat first envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said you did what he asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice dropped to a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mailed something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the open front door.<\/p>\n
Then toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t supposed to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Brad told me never to come to this house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if I ever came here, you would be in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
I thought of the phone on the floor.<\/p>\n
The message.<\/p>\n
The pharmacy bag.<\/p>\n
My name written across it.<\/p>\n
I suddenly remembered.<\/p>\n
The bag.<\/p>\n
I grabbed it from the counter.<\/p>\n
Inside was a prescription bottle.<\/p>\n
My name was printed on the label.<\/p>\n
But I had never been prescribed anything.<\/p>\n
I handed it to Chloe.<\/p>\n
She read the label.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the bottle over.<\/p>\n
There was a second label underneath the first.<\/p>\n
A different name.<\/p>\n
A different prescription number.<\/p>\n
And underneath that, a date.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Chloe whispered, \u201cEmily\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wasn\u2019t bought for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why is my name on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the bottle.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone wanted you to think it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, we heard a noise upstairs.<\/p>\n
A floorboard creaked.<\/p>\n
Both of us froze.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Slow footsteps.<\/p>\n
Coming down the staircase.<\/p>\n
Chloe grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anyone else in the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The footsteps stopped.<\/p>\n
We waited.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Brad\u2019s voice came from upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart slammed against my ribs.<\/p>\n
Chloe\u2019s face turned white.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
Brad called again.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, don\u2019t let her talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Chloe.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then Brad appeared at the top of the stairs.<\/p>\n
His blue shirt was soaked with rain.<\/p>\n
His hair was disheveled.<\/p>\n
And his face was completely different from the man who had kissed my forehead that morning.<\/p>\n
He looked terrified.<\/p>\n
Not angry.<\/p>\n
Terrified.<\/p>\n
He stared at Chloe.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad\u2019s eyes moved to the bottle in my hand.<\/p>\n
Then to the envelope.<\/p>\n
His expression collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gripped the railing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom me.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then he said something that made every betrayal I\u2019d ever suffered suddenly feel small.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember what I did to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The house went silent.<\/p>\n
I stared at my husband.<\/p>\n
He looked at me like a stranger.<\/p>\n
Then he whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cBut someone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n
From somewhere inside the house came the sound of a phone ringing.<\/p>\n
Not Brad\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not mine.<\/p>\n
A third phone.<\/p>\n
One I had never seen before.<\/p>\n
And it was ringing from inside our bedroom.<\/p>\n
Chloe whispered, \u201cDon\u2019t answer it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I was already walking upstairs.<\/p>\n
I was halfway up the stairs when Chloe grabbed my wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers were cold.<\/p>\n
I pulled away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that phone is in my bedroom, I have a right to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad remained at the bottom of the stairs.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t try to stop me.<\/p>\n
That frightened me more than if he had.<\/p>\n
I reached the bedroom door.<\/p>\n
The ringing had stopped.<\/p>\n
For three seconds, there was complete silence.<\/p>\n
Then the phone rang again.<\/p>\n
One sharp vibration.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
I pushed the door open.<\/p>\n
Our bedroom looked exactly as I had left it that morning.<\/p>\n
His side of the bed was untouched.<\/p>\n
My book was still on the nightstand.<\/p>\n
The curtains were half open.<\/p>\n
Nothing looked wrong.<\/p>\n
Except for the phone.<\/p>\n
It was sitting beneath Brad\u2019s pillow.<\/p>\n
A small black phone I had never seen before.<\/p>\n
I picked it up.<\/p>\n
No wallpaper.<\/p>\n
No case.<\/p>\n
No contacts.<\/p>\n
Just one notification.<\/p>\n
1 new voicemail.<\/p>\n
My thumb hovered over the screen.<\/p>\n
Then I pressed play.<\/p>\n
At first, there was only static.<\/p>\n
Then my own voice filled the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrad, if you\u2019re listening to this, something has gone very wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly dropped the phone.<\/p>\n
Chloe appeared behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I raised a hand.<\/p>\n
My recorded voice continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll remember making this recording. That\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Brad.<\/p>\n
He was standing in the doorway now.<\/p>\n
His face had gone completely pale.<\/p>\n
The recording continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not trust anyone who tells you the accident was your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Accident?<\/p>\n
What accident?<\/p>\n
The message continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd whatever happens, don\u2019t let them take you back to the clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recording ended.<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Brad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you don\u2019t remember what you did to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why does my voice know about a clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlay it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
The same voice.<\/p>\n
My voice.<\/p>\n
The same warning.<\/p>\n
But this time, I noticed something I had missed.<\/p>\n
At the very end, beneath the static, there was another sound.<\/p>\n
A door closing.<\/p>\n
Then a man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
Very faint.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
Brad suddenly grabbed the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled it away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause whoever recorded that knew where we lived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer my question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad looked at me.<\/p>\n
For the first time that morning, I saw genuine panic in his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that voice isn\u2019t from today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat recording\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was made before the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrad, what accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Chloe.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was driving home six months ago, I crashed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the room become strangely distant.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you slipped on the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you hit your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you didn\u2019t remember the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know you crashed?\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the police told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Chloe.<\/p>\n
She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the police report says there was no other vehicle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I turned back to Brad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n
Chloe did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means his car left the road by itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the phone again.<\/p>\n
The recording.<\/p>\n
The clinic.<\/p>\n
The accident.<\/p>\n
The hidden phone.<\/p>\n
The prescription bottle.<\/p>\n
None of it made sense.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed something else.<\/p>\n
A tiny red light was blinking on the phone.<\/p>\n
Recording.<\/p>\n
Someone was recording us now.<\/p>\n
I held it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is listening?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, put it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if they\u2019re listening, they know we\u2019re talking about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer immediately. Instead, she asked, \u201cHave you ever seen your husband\u2019s medical records?\u201d I felt a chill crawl up my arms. \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cThen you should.\u201d She pushed the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,21,22,1,5,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aita","category-daily-article","category-reddit-stories","category-story","category-story-daily","category-viral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5170,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5165\/revisions\/5170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}