Page 4 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“Certainly, I can email it to the email address we have on file.”

“No, could you please send it to my email address?” Then Emily recited off her email address.

“Certainly, I’ll send the statements over immediately. Once you’ve reviewed them, if you still believe it’s a case of fraud, please give us a call to let us know, and we will initiate an investigation,” the operator assured her.

“Thank you,” Emily replied, feeling a mix of anxiety and determination as she ended the call.

Anxiously checking her email account for the next ten minutes, Emily opened the email the moment it appeared and sent it straight to the printer. She rushed to Gabriel’s office on the other side of the houseand stood in shock, witnessing page after page spilling out of the printer. With her mouth agape, her eyes grew wide as she scanned line after line of recent purchases, totaling more than $10,000 worth of purchases for just one month alone.

What the hell is going on?Seeing multiple hotel room transactions, she thought,Thishas got to be a mistake.Urgently, she printed out the prior month’s statement, and sure enough, there were several hotel transactions once again. She sank into Gabriel’s desk chair, overwhelmed with emotions,Gabriel was having an affair, she thought.

Just then, her cell phone rang, and Gabriel’s name appeared on the screen. Although she was anxious for answers, she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him at that moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek, her heart shattering as she rejected the call.

Emily spent the next several hours sifting through Gabriel’s belongings, desperately seeking additional evidence of his affair. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, she quickly turned to leave Gabriel’s walk-in closet and unexpectedly collided with Agnes. Startled, Emily placed a hand on Agnes’ shoulder and managed to put on a thin smile. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” she said, trying to mask her anxiety.

Agnes’ eyes widened in shock. “What are you doing in here?” she exclaimed. “Mr. Anderson doesn’t like anyone going through his closet.”

Annoyed that Agnes dared to question her in her own home, Emily stepped around her and exited the closet. “Did you need something?” she asked curtly.

“Yes, I came to tell you a package arrived for you.”

“Okay, thank you. I’ll be down in a minute,” Emily replied dismissively.

As soon as Agnes left the room, Emily collapsed onto the bed and covered her face with her hands, her heart pounding in her chest. After a few moments, she collected herself and played Gabriel’s voice message.

“Hey, I got your message. We need to talk.” She thought his voice carried a tinge of remorse. “I’ll be home at six—I’ll explain everything then.”

3

Given everything that had transpired earlier that day, Emily thought it best to cancel her weekend plans. However, Sydney was insistent. At precisely seven p.m., a car horn echoed through the evening air. Emily rushed to the front door and called out, “I’m leaving!”

Ava and Agnes strolled into the foyer to see her off. Emily bent to Ava’s eye level and said, “Be a good girl for Agnes.”

A big grin spread across Ava’s face, revealing her missing front tooth. “I will, Mommy,” she replied cheerfully.

“I know you will. Give Mommy a hug,” Emily said, wrapping her arms around Ava and holding her tightly. “I’ll miss you so much.” She kissed her daughter gently on the cheek.

Emily then stood and turned to face Agnes. “I’ll be back on Sunday.”

Agnes nodded reassuringly. “We’ll be fine,” she assured Emily with a calm smile.

The car horn honked again, and Emily grabbed her luggage and darted out the door. “I’m coming.”

Emily approached Sydney, who stood beside the open trunk of the car, an anxious look on her face.

“So, how did it go?” Sydney asked with concern etched into her expression.

Emily placed her luggage into the trunk with a heavy sigh. “He didn’t come home.”

“What? You’re kidding, right?” Sydney exclaimed in shock as she shut the trunk.

“Nope,” Emily replied curtly, walking away and getting into the car.

Sydney slid into the driver’s seat; her curiosity piqued. This was so unlike Gabriel. “Did he call you? Why didn’t he come home?”

“No call, no text,” Emily replied, her voice tinged with frustration and hurt. “I don’t know why he didn’t come home. Obviously, he doesn’t care.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Let’s just go.”

Sydney glanced at her friend with empathy before starting the engine.

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