CHAPTER 35: LIES UPON LIES

"Wh—what do you mean?"

He saw the girls didn’t join them in the dining and thought they simply left for the day.

She gave him a gentle shake of her head. "In the past, you would’ve waved a hand and said, ’I trust you, Nita. I don’t need to know.’ But now... your heart tells you I have bad intentions. That I’m behind everything going wrong here... That I poisoned you, that I’m scheming something."

She inhaled sharply through her nose. "When did you stop trusting me, David? When did your wife become your enemy; someone out to get you?"

That was exactly what he felt. But couldn’t just tell her that.

He swallowed. "That’s not—"

She waved him off, a small, dismissive gesture. "I know where my heart stands with you, David. This whole mess started because of that pregnancy prank at your office. I guess that was enough for you to stop trusting me. After all, I messed with what you desire the most. A child."

He stared at her, speechless, his fist clenched tightly on his lap. She hadn’t found out anything—yet. He was the one being paranoid. He needed to get himself together before he slipped and exposed everything.

He was at the most crucial part of the plan. At most, next month, everything she ever had would crumble to dust and all her wealth and connections would finally be his.

Until then, he mustn’t be caught.

He cleared his throat, grabbed the glass on the table, and took a long sip of water. Then began.

"Nita, you’re overthinking this. I’m not suspecting you of anything. Just..." He sighed, slow and heavy. "You didn’t tell me you were employing workers for the house. I came home to ten beautiful women I’ve never seen before. Then, for the first time, someone else cooked my meal."

His eyes met hers. "It got me thinking... Had I wronged you somehow and not realized it? I was thinking, Nita. Not suspecting."

"You would have known if you hadn’t stopped coming home."

His hand froze mid-motion, the glass hovering just above the table.

"But I’m sure it was work," she added, softer this time. "Still, David, I expect you to call me. At least let me know you won’t be coming home. Prepare me for the silence, the loneliness. Do you think I don’t get lonely in this..." her eyes scanned the expensive, echoing room, "this shell of a house?"

She took a steady breath. "I had to get helpers before I lost my mind."

David swallowed hard. That... that was truly his fault. Still, a stubborn part of him blamed her.

"Well, I was home last night," he said, voice low, "but you turned me away. I understand we were both angry." He exhaled slowly. "But you’ve always called, even when we fought. You always checked in. Lately, your calls have gone... scarce, Nita. Want to tell me why?"

"So has your presence in this house," she replied evenly. "And for some reason, I’m starting to think... maybe I shouldn’t trust you so blindly anymore."

Their eyes locked. His heartbeat stuttered.

What does she mean by that?

"What are you—" he started, but she raised a hand, cutting him off.

"I saw a movie the other night," she said softly. "The woman was like me; calm, devoted, loving her husband. And the man... he was like you, David; cheerful, sweet, romantic. And he cheated on her."

She tilted her head, her tone unreadable, expression still and serene – too serene. "It got me thinking... am I being too relaxed with you?"

She paused, then asked it like a whisper over a blade:

"Are you cheating on me, David Wales Blackwood?"

His palm grew slick with sweat, heart thudding like war drums.

His mother’s voice echoed in his mind, sharp and unwavering: "Wives know when their husbands are cheating. That feeling is inbuilt, David. We pick up everything – tone, distance, change in routine. And my hunch is never wrong. Anita knows something, and the earlier you kill that suspicion, the better for us all."

He rose from his seat with forced calm, walked slowly around the dining table, steps deliberate. His face held the mask of a composed husband, but inside, he was unraveling.

Stopping before her, he gently took her hands and pulled her to her feet.

His eyes searched hers, soft but unwavering. "What kind of man cheats on a woman like you?" he said, voice low, almost wounded. "A woman who stood by him when he had nothing. Who took his burdens, even when he couldn’t voice them. Who turned this house into a home."

He cupped her face. "You think I’d throw you away...for what? For what, Nita?"

She didn’t respond. He searched her gaze for anything. Any sign that she believed or didn’t believe, but all he saw was calmness. And it made him uncomfortable. But he continued.

Leaning closer, his thumb stroke her cheek slowly. "I swear by all the gods alive, I’m not doing anything to embarrass, humiliate, or betray you," he whispered. "You have my name, my house, my everything. You’re not just my wife, you are the very breath in my lungs."

But even as the words left his mouth like honey, his stomach coiled with dread. Because, the way she stared at him... It made his scalp go numb.

She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t touch him. The silence stretched taut, pulling David’s guts to the maximum, like a string on a bow, ready to go loose.

His heart pounded in his chest, like a man about to lose to heart attack.

Then, she gave him a small nod and murmured, "Okay."

That was all. Okay.

No sigh. No tears. No accusations. No relief.

Just okay.

David’s gut twisted. He didn’t like that. He thought she’d complain more, that way, he could have an idea what she hid in that stone-cold heart of hers but she didn’t even let him peep.

Okay...?

He swallowed. "A–about Linda." He began, and she looked up at him. No expression, no interest, no disinterest. Just a blank look.

That look scared him more than any rage ever could.

"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth. She was my childhood friend. We grew up together in the hoods. Before you came into my life, she was there. Her family supported mine when the community ostracized us. A while ago, she returned to the country from schooling abroad, on scholarship. I thought giving her a job at the company would be—"