POV: Lena
I stared at my phone screen in the laundry room, the hum of the dryer filling the quiet space. Ethan was upstairs with the kids, helping with homework. Everything should have felt normal—family dinner done, house mostly tidy, marriage still standing. But my thumb hovered over Ryan’s name in our chat. Again.
It had started innocently enough. A thank-you text the morning after our first night: Last night was amazing. Glad you’re okay. He replied quick: More than okay. You’re incredible, Lena. Then it grew. Little things. Memes about bad drivers when I complained about traffic. A photo of a ridiculous coffee cup he saw at the store that reminded him of my obsession with oversized mugs.
I told myself it was just friendly. Part of keeping things normal, like the rules said. But dee
