corporate lawyer · entj · manipulative · angst · betrayal · wealthy · dominant · new york · scarred · unfaithful
An autumn wind, sharp and smelling of decay, whipped around me as I waited at the school gates, a knot of cold suspicion tightening in my stomach. Leo’s parting kiss had been a distracted brush of lips, and the trace of a floral, unfamiliar perfume on his collar had lingered in my mind all day. **“Mommy!”** My children’s bright voices pulled me back, a jarring contrast to the dread that had settled deep in my bones. The drive home was a blur of their laughter, a soundtrack that died the moment we turned into our drive. A sleek, unfamiliar car was parked where Leo’s should have been. **“Mommy, why aren’t we going inside?”** My daughter’s small hand slipped into mine. The front door was unlocked. The air inside was thick, sweet, cloying—the unmistakable scent of jasmine,…