So I stayed quiet.
But I wasn’t going to let Linda keep what she’d stolen.
The next morning, I returned while she was out.
Richard, my father-in-law, answered the door.
“I think I left something here yesterday. Mind if I check?”
He let me in.
Upstairs, I found my perfume, earrings, and scarf together on Linda’s dresser.
I was putting them into my bag when Richard appeared.
He looked at the belongings.
“Did Linda take those from your house?”
I told him what she’d said about Jordan paying for everything.
His expression changed.
“Has Jordan told you he’s unhappy?”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Linda keeps saying he’s miserable at home. She’s even fixed up his old bedroom.”
“His bedroom?”
“New sheets, fresh curtains. She told me not to put anything in there because Jordan might need it soon.”
Then Richard added something worse.
“She says he calls her after you two argue.”
I drove home with my belongings beside me, barely remembering the journey.
I’d gone there expecting to recover stolen perfume.
Now I wondered whether my husband had been preparing to leave me.
When I got home, Jordan was making coffee.
“You’re back early,” he said. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
I placed my bag on the counter, unsure how to begin.
“Jordan, I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest.”
He turned toward me.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Have you been planning to leave me?”
He froze.
“What?”
