Not wanting to risk it, she switched on his MacBook, knowing he used the same password across all his devices.
“Ginny, I have to go... Ring me back.” Adrian’s voice sounded small and tinny from her mobile.
“Youasked me to do this,” she called out while logging in to the travel website.
“Okay,okay.”
Adrian’s MacBook pinged as email notifications started to appear in the top right-hand corner, virus protection software and something from Vodafone.
Ginny ignored them and clicked on the holiday cancelation policy. It was several pages long and her eyes flitted as she tried to find the relevant information.
A direct Facebook message briefly flashed on the screen, from Dave.Sorry things are tough right now, mate...
Ginny narrowed her eyes. So, Adrian could talk to his friend about their problems but not to her?Great.
Another ping sounded and a pink face icon grinned at her.You have a wink, it read.
Ginny frowned. A wink? What did that mean? It didn’t look like any app she knew. She clicked on it, to get rid of it.
Instead, the face grew larger on screen. Pink hearts burst forth and twinkled.
She found herself staring at a photograph of Adrian she hadn’t seen before. He grinned and wore mirrored sunglasses, resting his head on his hand. From the angle of his shoulder, she could tell it was a selfie and her blood cooled in her veins.
“Are you still there?” Adrian asked.
Ginny read the website name,ChainReaxions—Confidential Connections.
Oh, god. She bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood. Swaying with nausea, she had a masochistic urge to read more.
Adrian, age 45, looking for interesting women, for fun and companionship...
Her vision fuzzed and Ginny gripped the desk to stop herself from keeling over. Even though she felt sick, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen.
“Ginny?”
Her hand shook as she clamped the phone to her ear. “I’m trying to cancel the holiday on your laptop and your dating profile has popped up,” she said numbly.
“Why are you using my stuff?”
“You’re cheating on me...”
“No, I’m not.” He went silent for a while. “I was just curious and wasn’t actually going to—”
“It’s still cheating...” Ginny squeaked. She felt like she was falling off a skyscraper, tumbling through the air and ready to hit the pavement. “Miss Peach was right.”
Adrian’s breath grew hoarser. “No, it’s not like that. I swear I don’t knowher...”
Not able to bear listening to his excuses, Ginny ended the call.
Adrian made several attempts to ring her back and each time she cut him off. Eventually, he stopped trying and his office fell silent.
Ginny pressed her hands against her chest and felt the heavy thrum of her heartbeat. She stared at the total cost of the holiday on the laptop screen and felt like curling into a tight ball. She fumbled with the mouse and located the holiday booking policy again.
Cancelation within 28 days—100% of the cost.
She did a quick calculation of the dates and swallowed hard. There were only twenty-six days to the holiday, but surely there must be some way to get the money back, a cooling-off period or a get-out clause.
Scanning through all the details again, she prayed she’d read them wrong. However, they were there in black-and-white. Ginny slumped down in her chair and cried.
