Receipts of Infidelity

At three in the morning, I stare at the unknown transaction record on my phone screen, my fingertips turning cold. The record is for a payment of 2980 dollars, made for an executive suite at the Wisteria. The time of payment was 8:00 pm last night.

My husband, Tristan Griffin, is a detective. He was on the night shift last night.

I clutch my phone, my knuckles turning white as I text Tristan, "I just saw your credit card bill for a hotel stay last night. What's up with that?"

His reply is instant. "Our team had to work overtime at the last minute, so they put us up at the hotel. I forgot to tell you about it."

I scan the text and sputter.

The Wisteria is located in the western region of the city, which is on the other end from where his squad is stationed.

I don't press him for more details and click on the bank app on my phone. Having found the vendor's address through the payment record, I sent it to my best friend, Rowena Sheffield, who works as a private detective.

She replies instantly with an "OK" emoji and follows up with, "Give me a second. I'll find out everything you want in a jiffy!"

The updates from Rowena arrived two hours later, consisting of security footage and a location. In the footage, Tristan was dressed in his police uniform as he led a woman in a white dress into the hotel elevator.

The woman sported long hair and a slender waist, and judging from her side profile, she was likely in her early 20s. Her eyes turned into crescents when she smiled, and the red woven bracelet on her wrist looked familiar.

The location Rowena had sent me was for the Starlight Orphanage. My heart tightened to the point where breathing became difficult.

I'd made that red woven bracelet for Tristan three years ago in hopes that it would become his lucky charm. He'd promised never to take it off, save for when he went on assignments.

The Starlight Orphanage? Among the orphans Tristan sponsored was a young lady named Lara Lincoln. She lost her parents at a young age and was withdrawn by nature.

Tristan told me the young lady had it rough and needed a lot of care and attention. I tagged along with him once to visit Lara at the orphanage and saw her from a distance. She'd been thin and quiet and always had her head down, looking nothing like the young woman beaming in the footage.

I changed into a fresh set of clothes and made a beeline for the orphanage. The guard knew me and didn't stop me from entering, only pointed out that Lara was in the back garden.

From a distance, I saw Lara sitting on the bench, her head down as she smiled at her phone screen. The sun hit the ends of her hair, casting a golden glow over them. The red woven bracelet on her wrist hurt my eyes.

Upon hearing my footsteps, Lara looked up. Her smile slipped when she saw me, and she quickly rose to her feet before greeting me timidly, "M-Mrs. Griffin."

She was just as shy and cautious as the last time I saw her.

I stopped before her, my gaze falling on her phone screen, where her conversation with "Tris" was on full display. The latest message was from Tristan: "Same place tonight? I've got a gift for you."

The reply Lara had typed was: "Okay! You're the best, Tris."

The timestamp was 7:30 pm last night. I said nothing and stared only at the red, woven bracelet on her wrist.

"That's a nice bracelet," I said blandly. "Is it a gift from Tristan?"

Lara's face blanched slightly as she instinctively hid her arm behind her back. She answered quietly, "Yes… He gave it to me for my birthday."

"Oh?" I raised my brow. "And when was your birthday? I don't remember Tristan mentioning it."

Lara's gaze flickered, and she struggled to get her words out. I smiled and fished out my phone from my purse, pulling up the security footage and holding the phone at her eye level.

"Last night, 8:00 pm, at the Wisteria. Was this the birthday present Tristan gave you?"

All the blood drained from Lara's face at that moment.