I Can Smell Every Lie, and My Husband Reeked of Betrayal Chapter 06

I Can Smell Every Lie, and My Husband Reeked of Betrayal Chapter 06

It was that line again.

He’d had that exact same reaction the day Chloe showed up unannounced at our house.

Chloe lifted her head, her smile perfectly polished.

“Shannon!”

Wren curled up in her lap, blinked half-open eyes at me, then reached out and tugged at Finn’s

sleeve.

“Uncle Finn, orange.”

Finn quickly handed over the peeled fruit. “Here you go, kiddo.”

His scent had shifted again.

Traces of roses and lilies still lingered, but fainter than they’d been a few days ago.

vinegar swirled all around, nearly drowning out the soft lily sweetness.

The sharp

The rot was no longer faint and fleeting. It was distinct now, like discarded meat scraps left under a butcher’s counter after closing. Not fully rotten, but already sour and rank.

“You told me you were at the hospital.”

Finn’s hands froze mid-motion.

“Wren’s fever broke, so we headed over to the office. I texted you on the way, and you didn’t

replied.”

I checked my phone. No new messages from him at all.

“Service must’ve been bad. It never sent,” he said.

Chloe jumped in right on cue.

“Shannon, this is my bad. When Wren spiked that fever I panicked, and Finn was the first person I thought of.”

She dropped her gaze.

“You have no idea how lost I get when things go wrong. Ever since Wren’s dad left, Finn’s the only

person I can count on.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks, right on schedule.

Finn sighed and glanced back toward me. “Shannon, she’s got her hands full raising that little girl

alone.”

“I know she does.”

“Then why are you acting like this?”

“Acting like what?”

“You haven’t said a single hello since you walked in the door.”

I stared straight at him.

His brows drew tight, as if I was the one giving him a hard time.

Yet the way he knelt in front of Chloe and her daughter felt so easy, so practiced, as if he’d played

out this moment dozens of times before.

“Finn, I had my OB appointment today.”

His expression went rigid.

“You made me to move it because Wren was sick. I went to the hospital all by myself. I got that ultrasound all by myself.”

“Then I drive to your office, and I find you here peeling oranges for them.”

He stood up, his mouth parted.

“Shannon, I-”

Wren burst into loud, shrill tears.

Chloe bent down to soothe her instantly. “Easy, baby, Mommy’s here.”

She looked back up at Finn, eyes glistening.

“Finn, I think Wren’s temperature is climbing again.”

Finn’s gaze flicked between me and her.

He hesitated for three full seconds.

Then he stepped toward Chloe.

He pressed his palm to Wren’s forehead. “She’s burning up. We ought to take her to the hospital

again.”

I stood frozen in the doorway.

At that moment, the rose scent on Finn faded almost completely.

Nothing remained but vinegar and rot.

From behind Finn’s shoulder, Chloe glanced over at me. Her thick gardenia scent masked every

hint of her true feelings.

The corner of her mouth tugged upward in a faint, subtle lift.

It vanished in an instant, and she slipped right back into her fragile, sorrowful act.

“I’m so sorry, Shannon.”