I Can Smell Every Lie, and My Husband Reeked of Betrayal Chapter 12

I Can Smell Every Lie, and My Husband Reeked of Betrayal Chapter 12

“Shannon, did you and Finn fight again?”

My mother-in-law’s call came out of nowhere.

I’d only been staying at Mallory’s two days. Finn hadn’t come after me, hadn’t sent any messages. Instead, his mother Elaine Carter reached out first.

“Chloe called me. She says you’ve been really upset lately and she’s worried about you.”

I held the phone tighter to my ear while sitting on the couch.

“She also said your temper’s changed a lot since you got pregnant, that you snap at Finn constantly. She told me I ought to check up on you.”

Chloe had called Elaine?

She’d said she was worried about me, and that my temper had changed.

My chest felt tight, but I kept my voice steady.

“Mom, how do you even know Chloe?”

“Finn brought her over for dinner once. Seemed like a nice girl.”

When had Finn taken Chloe to meet his mother? I’d never heard a word about it.

“Mom, when was that?”

Elaine hesitated. “Last month. She dropped off some shortbread she baked herself. She’s quite

handy.”

One weekend last month. Finn told me he was at a company team-building thing the whole day.

“Shannon, I’m not getting in the middle of your marriage, but don’t pick fights while you’re

pregnant. If Finn messed up, talk it out calmly. Running off won’t fix anything.”

“Mom-”

“Chloe means well. She says you keep imagining something’s going on between her and Finn.”

“Shannon, aren’t you overthinking? That poor divorced woman already has so much on her plate

raising a kid. Don’t pile more stress on her.”

My blood rushed to my head.

She’d gotten to Elaine.

Played the kind-hearted victim and turned my own mother-in-law against me–and Elaine bought every word.

“Mom, nothing Chloe told you is true.”

Elaine sighed down the line. “Listen to me, honey. Pregnant women overthink things. She was probably just trying to be nice.”

Click.

The call ended.

I set the phone down. My hands were shaking.

Mallory poked her head out from the kitchen.

“What did your mother-in-law say?”

“Chloe went over to their house. Brought shortbread. Then she called Elaine, told her I’m

bad-tempered and biased against her.”

Mallory’s face darkened.

“Every move that woman makes is calculated. She’s wrapped Finn around her finger, and now

she’s won his mom over too.”

“Are you still waiting around for something to change?”

I rested one hand over my belly. The baby gave a tiny soft kick, like trying to comfort me.

“Mallory, do you know a good divorce lawyer?”

“I do.”

“Book me a meeting.”

“When?”

I closed my eyes.

“As soon as possible.”

Mallory paused two seconds.

“You’re one hundred percent sure?”

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

That familiär soft lily scent hung around her, unchanged for over ten years.

“I’m sure.”

She nodded without pushing for more, and started scrolling her contacts. She pulled up a couple

names, then glanced back to me.

“Has Finn even tried to talk you around?”

I unlocked my phone. The last text from him was the night I left.

Finn: [Chloe says Wren has a fever again. I’m heading over there.]

Nothing since.

Mallory leaned over to read it. She went quiet for a beat.

“Shannon, do you see the pattern?”

“What pattern?”

“Every time you two fight, Wren spikes a fever. Every time you leave home, Wren spikes a fever.”

“If that kid gets sick this often, it’s not her temperature we should be checking. It’s her mom.”