Threads of Deceit

I stumbled upon the lipstick-stained receipt tucked inside his jacket pocket, my heart immediately

sinking with a dread I couldn’t shake. As I stood there in the dim light of our bedroom,

a flash of betrayal pierced through my chest like a shard of glass. This slip of paper

wasn’t just a receipt—it was a key to a hidden life I never knew existed. My mind raced as

images of Marcus laughing, leaning into another woman, flooded back from

the Instagram story I had watched earlier. It was supposed to be a night out with the guys,

but the way his hand lingered on her waist told a different story. I felt my breath

catch as if the air itself had turned solid and sharp. In that moment, everything about