I read it out loud: “I’m a cheater.”
The room fell silent, although I later discovered that everyone in the room knew about the cheating except me. I stared at the note, then at Luke. My voice cracked when I asked, “What is this supposed to mean?”
Luke cleared his throat.
“It’s a joke.”
But before I could say anything else, Emily—my Emily—started to cry. Her hands trembled in her lap, and her voice broke when she whispered, “He’s lying, Avery, it’s not a joke. I’m pregnant.”
It was like time stopped.
I could hear the soft buzz of the fridge from the kitchen, the dog snoring in the corner. My world went silent. “What?” I asked, almost too quietly to hear.
Emily, who’d once called Luke “the luckiest guy alive,” did not look at me. “He told me you could not give him a child, that he needed someone who could. He said he loved me and promised to leave you.”
I turned to Luke.
“Is this true?”
He slammed his fist against the table, making the glasses jump. “She’s lying! This is insane!”
Emily stood up, her voice louder now.
“You told me you only stayed for her dad’s inheritance. That once you had the money, you’d walk out!”
“You stupid—” Luke shouted. “Enough!” I yelled.
My voice shook, but I had never felt more certain. “You blamed me for something I could not control, belittled me for years, and now this? You cheated on me with my best friend?”
Luke opened his mouth, but Emily’s voice cut through like ice.
“You know what, Luke? Enjoy prison.”
She left her purse, coat, and everything but her phone behind as she ran out the door. Luke ran after her, barefoot on the cold concrete.
But before he reached the sidewalk, flashing blue lights bathed our street. Two police officers stepped out of a cruiser and ordered him to stop! I discovered, from the police, that Emily had already handed over all the proof—text messages, bank records, even voice recordings of Luke’s crime.
My so-called husband had been moving money from my late father’s trust account into a secret bank account under Emily’s name. He called it “investing.”
Luke was cuffed right there on the front porch, in front of our friends and me. He turned his head and screamed, “Avery, you set me up!”
