Chapter 3 - The Front Door Swings Open
Eliza arrived home at 6:40 Sunday evening.
The sound of the rideshare pulling away from the curb was Wade’s cue to step out of the garage. He had spent the afternoon methodically packing three large cardboard boxes with his personal tools, his father’s vintage drafting compass, his camping gear, and his clothes. They were neatly stacked in the back of his Ford F-150 beneath the locked tonneau cover.
The front door clicked open.
""Babe?"" Eliza called out, her voice slightly hoarse from two nights of shouting over country music. ""I'm home! Oh my God, my feet are killing me.""
She dragged her rolling suitcase into the foyer, kicking off her heels with a dramatic sigh. She was wearing leggings and the same cashmere sweater from the airport photo. When she looked up and saw Wade standing in the doorway of the living room, she offered a warm, theatrical pout.
""You wouldn't believe the flight,"" she groaned, stepping toward him with open arms. ""Turbulence the entire way from Nashville. I thought we were going down over Louisville.""
Wade stood still. He did not step forward to meet her embrace. He kept his hands in the pockets of his dark denim jeans.
Eliza paused mid-stride, her arms dropping slightly. Her eyes, sharp and assessing despite the lingering exhaustion of the weekend, flicked across his face.
""What's that look for?"" she asked, a small defensive laugh creeping into her tone. ""Are you mad I didn't text you back last night? Wade, I told you, Tessa literally ripped my phone out of my hand at the rooftop. It was her bachelorette party. I couldn't exactly sit in the corner texting you about bank stuff.""
""Bank stuff,"" Wade repeated quietly.
""Yes, your weird text,"" she said, waving a hand dismissively as she walked past him into the kitchen. She set her designer handbag on the kitchen counter, right next to the cutting board. ""You asked 'what transfer' like I was robbing a casino. I looked at the app before boarding. It was just an automatic balance re-allocation between our high-yield bucket and the checking. You know how the credit union shifts pending funds before the weekend.""
It was a magnificent lie. She delivered it without a hitch in her breathing, without blinking, and with the exact amount of mild condescension she always used to make him second-guess his own eyes.
""Is that right?"" Wade asked, following her into the kitchen.
""Yes, that's right,"" she snapped, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of sparkling water. ""Honestly, Wade, we've been over this. You obsess over every penny. The down payment is fine. We're on track for the house. Can we please not do this right now? I have the biggest presentation of my career tomorrow morning at Calder Tech. Reid and I are pitching the regional expansion to the board.""
""Reid was in Nashville,"" Wade said.
The kitchen went instantly quiet.
Eliza froze with the sparkling water halfway to her lips. The refrigerator door slowly swung shut behind her with a dull magnetic thud. For a fraction of a second, raw panic flashed across her features, but she smothered it beneath an indignant scowl.
""Excuse me?""
""The video you sent me,"" Wade said, his voice entirely devoid of anger. ""Reid walked out of the bedroom in your suite. He had champagne. He asked if the transfer clears Monday, and you laughed and said, 'Of course he does.'""
Eliza stared at him, her face flushing crimson. ""Are you spying on me? Are you literally dissecting a ten-second party video to manufacture some disgusting fantasy?""
""I don't have to manufacture anything, Eliza.""
""He was there for business!"" she shouted, stepping forward, her voice rising to that commanding pitch she used in executive meetings. ""He flew in Saturday afternoon to meet with an investor from Atlanta who happened to be staying at the Omni! He stopped by our suite for five minutes to drop off a celebratory bottle for Tessa! That was it! And the transfer he was talking about was the corporate software license for our team!""
She took a deep breath, shaking her head as if deeply wounded by his lack of faith.
""I cannot believe you,"" she whispered, her eyes welling with ready tears. ""I work eighty hours a week so we can finally buy a house in Upper Arlington, and you sit here in your dirty work shirts imagining that I'm cheating on you with my boss? Do you know how pathetic that is, Wade? Do you know how small you look right now?""
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Wade looked at her. He didn't see the woman he had married on a sunlit lawn six years ago. He saw a stranger wearing an expensive sweater, burning down everything they had built while trying to convince him the smoke was his imagination.
""Get some sleep, Eliza,"" Wade said softly. ""You have a big presentation tomorrow.""
