Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

Chapter 7 Looking for Evidence

I had almost finished preparing the food when Matthew returned with our daughter. Ava ran in, exclaiming in her sweet and childish voice, “Mommy, I’m back! Daddy picked me up!”

Her adorable voice brought tears to my eyes, but I suppressed my emotions. “I got you some pineapples. They’re your favorite, right?”

“Oh! Mommy, you’re the best! I can’t wait to eat them” She ran out and headed to Matthew, saying, “Daddy, I want to eat pineapples!”

“You can have a small piece for now. You can have more after dinner, okay?” Matthew washed his hands and took a small piece to hand to our eager little girl. Then he squeezed into the tiny kitchen and hugged me from behind. “Why did you make so much food?”

I felt terrible because this once-happy family of three was now on the verge of collapsing.

came back from a business trip. You must be tired.” I forced a smile

heart immediately sank. I playfully nudged him with my elbow. “Set the table and

held me. When I finished cooking, I smiled and asked, “Do you want a drink? It’s been a while, and I want a glass

looked at me questioningly. “Why do

you still going out?” I asked as I turned to get the wine. “Since I made so many dishes, we need

my heart shattering into a million pieces as I spoke. I knew Matthew couldn’t handle alcohol well, so I poured him a little to avoid arousing suspicion. Then I poured myself half a glass and toasted with

as I reminisced about our college days,

and poured himself another glass of wine while reminding me not to drink too much. Ultimately, he

was my first time looking through his things in so many years. I

his pockets and bag but found nothing valuable.

had a fingerprint lock. I quietly approached him, trying to grab his hand, but he suddenly turned

water,” he slurred at

Then he collapsed back onto the bed, fast asleep. I unlocked and looked through his phone but found no suspicious names in the call history. I recognized most of them, and it

opened the conversation of the first contact and