Chapter 6: Snooping and Social Media Smokescreens

For the next few days, I played it cool in front of her. When she showered, I secretly checked her chat history with that guy.

My heart thudded as I scrolled through her messages, half-expecting her to step out of the shower and catch me. Only two words: filthy, shameless.

I never knew my girlfriend could be so wild.

Proper in public, wild in bed—that’s her. Worse yet, not in my bed, but someone else’s.

I contacted the guy on Facebook, said my budget was big—critical illness, medical, life, accident insurance, whatever he had, make as many plans as possible for me to compare.

To show off my financial power, I posted photos of my buddy’s Tesla and his house with a pool on my Facebook, just letting him see, but never posted my own stuff to avoid exposing myself.

He got even more enthusiastic, calling me "buddy" left and right, sending good morning texts every day, reminding me to dress warm or bring an umbrella if it rained.

Damn, sometimes I woke up groggy thinking my mom was messaging me.

I’d reply with a thanks now and then.

A few more days went by, then I saw my girlfriend’s finsta post:

"You say our love is deep but fate is shallow. I say it’s just you not being brave enough to love."

That pissed me off.

If he’s not brave enough for love, fine, I’ll make the first move.

Anyway, after chatting with the guy for a while, the groundwork was set.

Every night, the ache twisted tighter. I’d watch her toss her hair back while she brushed her teeth, the way she giggled at reruns of The Office, and wonder how much of it was real. All the while, I kept the act going, waiting for my moment.