But Ethan had mentioned his apartment was next to Victoria’s. Assuming the leftmost door was his, Emily took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and pressed the doorbell. A few moments passed with no answer.
The hallway’s silence felt heavy, and she wondered if she’d gotten the address wrong. Reaching for her phone to check with Ethan, the door suddenly swung open, startling her. There stood Victoria, in a short, rather bold robe, glaring at her.
“What do you want, dear?” Victoria raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp as usual, her face radiating disdain. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Emily stammered, her heart racing. “I think I rang the wrong door. I meant to visit your neighbor.”
Victoria gave a dismissive nod and moved to close the door. But in that moment, Emily’s eyes caught something that froze her in place. In the hallway behind Victoria stood a painfully familiar suitcase.
It was the very suitcase she’d packed for Noah’s trip just days ago. She recognized it instantly, especially the little monkey toy dangling from the handle, the one she’d attached to help Noah spot his luggage. Staring at it, shock washed over her.
Why was Noah’s suitcase here, at Victoria’s? Seconds stretched endlessly, and Emily didn’t know what to do. Questions swirled in her mind, but shock silenced her. She stood paralyzed before the still-open door.
Her eyes widened, and before Victoria could slam the door, Emily instinctively pressed her hand against it. Victoria yelped in surprise, stumbling back, clearly unprepared for such boldness. “Have you lost your mind?” she shrieked, her voice rising in confusion.
Emily didn’t respond. Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialed Noah’s number. The call rang, and her heart pounded harder.
From deep within the apartment, a familiar ringtone echoed, making Emily freeze. Seconds later, Noah burst out, rushing toward her. “Please, let me explain. I’ll explain everything, sweetheart,” he repeated frantically.
Emily stood stunned, trying to process the scene. She glanced from her husband to his mistress, unable to believe her eyes.
It all clicked—Noah had been deceiving her, and not for the first time. Every “business trip” was just a visit to the neighbor living two doors away. While she struggled alone with problems like leaking pipes, her husband was comfortably in another woman’s bed.
The reality of his betrayal brought tears to Emily’s eyes. Her heart ached with hurt. Unable to hold back, she slapped Noah hard across the face, turned, and ran home without a word, leaving him bewildered at the doorstep.
But Noah didn’t give up easily. For an hour, he tried to get back into their apartment, knocking and ringing the bell, begging to talk. Emily remained resolute.
Sitting with clenched fists, she took comfort in knowing the apartment was hers, thanks to her parents. If divorce was inevitable, at least she wouldn’t end up homeless. Let Noah move in with his lover if he liked it so much.
His suitcase was ready—he could take it. A phone call snapped her out of these grim thoughts. Startled, Emily answered.
“Emily, good evening!” a pleasant male voice said. “It’s Ethan. Have you reconsidered the concert?” But Emily wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
Her heart had no room for joy or distractions. Cutting him off firmly, she said, “You know, Ethan, don’t bother.”
“All the best.” “Fair enough,” he replied. “Just so you know, the concert starts at 10 a.m., and I’ll swing by for you,” Ethan said confidently, adding, “You’re strong, Emily. Putting up with cheating and disrespect isn’t worthy of you. You deserve better.”
“If you decide to divorce, I’d be happy to support you however I can.” Emily tensed at his words. How did Ethan know what happened with Noah? Why mention divorce? She hadn’t told anyone.
Shaking off the momentary confusion, Emily lifted her head, squaring her shoulders. “Thank you, Ethan. I’ve made my decision.”
“I’m definitely getting a divorce. No more tolerating this humiliation and deceit. It’s time for a new life, free of this,” she said confidently, though inwardly she wondered how Ethan knew.
The next day, Emily filed for divorce without hesitation. Noah tried to sway her, pleading for another chance and promising to fix everything, but she stood firm. She knew there was no going back.