Behind Closed Doors

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Lilian drove in a hurry, every traffic stop making her more nervous and infuriated. She had just received a call from Nosy Rose. Yes, Nosy Rose, the most annoying resident and neighbor of Johnyjoe neighborhood.

It all started one morning when she was leaving to work and Nosy Rose stopped her. Nosy Rose told Lilian that her husband Percy was cheating on her in her own house. Normally, Lilian wouldn’t even pay Nosy Rose any attention, no one ever did. But Nosy Rose wasn’t the first to tell her that Percy didn’t love her.

Her family never trusted Percy. Her sister would always say, "He’s just a gold digger, and I assure you he’ll cheat on you because he doesn’t love you but your money." Lilian ignored everyone. Percy was a delivery driver, and she was a high-earning accountant, but that didn’t matter to her because she loved Percy.

Lilian's paranoia started when Percy quit his job and stayed at home. After Nosy Rose's comment, she began to feel suspicious. And it only got worse when Nosy Rose showed Lilian a picture of Percy taking a woman into the house while Lilian was at work.

Lilian couldn’t shake the growing doubt. She had bought and fixed hidden cameras in the sitting room and bedroom. The picture Nosy Rose showed her had shattered the trust she had in Percy, and she just needed to see for herself what was happening.

Lilian was at work when Nosy Rose called. At first, she ignored it; she was busy. But then Nosy Rose called again. Lilian hesitated What if it’s about Percy? Her heart started to race and she answered, “Hello”

"Hey, I just saw your husband with that same woman again. They're both inside and I’m sure something is going down," Nosy Rose said with an unsettling excitement in her voice.

Lilian immediately hung up. She had her cameras, but something in her snapped; she needed to catch him red-handed. She stormed out of work without permission or explanation not caring that her job was on the line.

Her heart pounded the whole drive home. Every red light felt like an eternity, fueling her rage. Finally, she arrived barely parking the car before jumping out. Of course, Nosy Rose appeared as if she had been waiting for the drama to unfold. "I told you he was in there cheating on you. Men aren’t worth it," she chirped like a kid excited for the final episode of a soap opera.

Lilian shoved her aside too enraged to respond. She rushed to the front door, her hands shaking as she unlocked it. She didn’t even hesitate she grabbed the bat from the dining room, the one they kept for emergencies. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she made her way to the bedroom gripping the bat so tight her knuckles turned white.

She flung the bedroom door open. There stood Percy casually on one side of the bed. A woman wearing an orange shirt, a matching face cap, and jeans stood on the other side looking startled.

"Baby, you're back," Percy said, smiling as if nothing was out of the ordinary like there wasn’t an enraged woman holding a bat at the door.

Lilian’s anger faltered How could he be so calm? Her eyes flicked to the woman “Who is she?”

"Oh, I’m Helen," the woman said, stretching her hand for a handshake only to awkwardly withdraw it after Lilian glared at her.

Lilian shifted her gaze to Percy, her grip on the bat loosening. Percy smiled. “Okay, it was going to be a surprise, but—” he began as he reached under the bed. He pulled out a wrapped gift box "Helen is a party planner. It was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday.”

“Oh,” Lilian blinked, feeling embarrassment flood her face. How could she have jumped to conclusions so quickly?

"Okay, I’ll take my leave," Helen said, heading out of the room.

Lilian sat on the edge of the bed, feeling foolish Gosh, am I stupid? she thought. I’m just lucky Percy’s in a good mood. She glanced at Percy who was heading out to see Helen off.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Lilian's stomach knotted again. She still felt uneasy. She had a little time before Percy returned, so she decided to remove the hidden cameras. What a waste, she thought, reaching for one of them. She hadn’t even needed them after all.

But before she put the camera away something nagged at her. Curiosity got the better of her. She plugged it into her computer, fast-forwarding through the footage her heart still pounding in her chest. She didn’t expect to find anything but she just needed to make sure.

A minute into the video, Lilian gasped her hand flying to her mouth. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks Nosy Rose had been right all along. The so-called party planner was also Percy’s mistress.

A cold wave of betrayal washed over her and the embarrassment from earlier was replaced by a rage stronger than before. Without hesitation, she grabbed all of Percy’s belongings, throwing them outside the front door. She locked it, her heart heavy but resolute. It was over, Percy wasn’t going to trick her again.