“A guy I’m dating and I have been going through a little rough patch. He’s supposed to be going downtown to meet a friend. But I’m not sure I trust that he’s not meeting a woman.” I sucked in a breath. “I want to follow him to make sure he’s being honest.”
Pam sighed. “Some guys are impossible to tame.” She rolled her eyes. “Say no more.”
“Thank you.” I let out a relieved breath. “I know this seems crazy, but I appreciate you helping me out.”
“You do whatever you need to, Juliette. And give him hell.” She disappeared for a moment to get her keys.
“I shouldn’t be too long,” I told her as she handed them to me. “I just need to see where he’s going. Then I’ll bring the car right back.”
“Be careful driving.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t crash.”
“Not concerned about the car, honey. Take care of yourself.”
“Will do. Thank you, Pam.” I smiled nervously. “You’re a good friend.”
I hid in Pam’s beige Toyota Camry in her driveway until I spotted Wes leaving the house. After pulling his hood up to shield my identity, I took off and followed him.
This was probably the craziest thing I’d ever done, but I didn’t see any other way to handle my growing doubts. At one point, a box truck cut in front of me, blocking my view of Wes’s car.
“Damn it!” I started to sweat. If I lost him, that would be it.
When the truck turned onto a side street, I was relieved to find Wes’s car still right in front of me. I exhaled.
Then it hit me that Wes wasn’t going toward the police station. This was the total opposite direction. My eyes watered with disappointment and fear. He was lying to me. And this was so much bigger than a lie. Wes was the one man I’d trusted in my entire life. I’d likely never get over him breaking my trust.
When he turned off the main road, I continued to follow. A minute later, he pulled into the parking lot of the Hotel Adventura. I parked several yards behind him and watched as he went inside.
Rushing out of the car, I entered the building after him and luckily spotted him walking down a hall. Wes was moving fast, considering the injuries he’d sustained, clearly in a hurry to get to whomever he was meeting.
Slipping into a small alcove with some vending machines, I hid behind a wall and watched as Wes knocked on a door to one of the rooms.
And then I heard it: a female voice. My stomach sank.He’s seeing a woman! This was the worst-case scenario come true. She never came out far enough to allow me a view of her face, though.
My heart pounded. After Wes slipped into the room, I wasn’t sure of my next move. I took a moment to breathe as I leaned against the vending machine, which made a humming sound that vibrated against my back.
I had to hear what they were saying. Despite the risk of getting caught, I made my way over to the door and placed my ear firmly against it. But I struggled to hear because their voices were muffled.
Then a maid wheeling her cart nearly scared the crap out of me.
Damn it.
“Can I help you?” she asked. “Are you locked out of your room?”
For a moment, I considered telling her I was and having her let me in. But I wasn’t ready to handle that. I needed to play my cards more carefully, and I wasn’t sure I wanted Wes to know I’d outed him just yet.
I shook my head and whispered, “No.”
Thankfully, she let it go and continued to push her cart down the hall.
I still couldn’t hear anything. But did it matter what Wes and the woman were talking about? I’d already confirmed he was lying to me.
Devastated, I decided to head home before Wes opened the door and caught me spying. I needed time to think before facing him.
The Earth seemed to sway as I walked back to the car. I took a moment to settle my breathing before getting behind the wheel again. I had no energy to drive but couldn’t risk Wes spotting me. So I forced myself to start the engine.
As I drove home, my mind raced back and forth on how to handle this.Should I hit him with my discovery the moment he comes back?Or do I hold it in to see how much further he’ll take his lie?I started to cry, tears blurring my view of the road. This made no sense. Why would Wes save my life only to cheat on me? And maybe it wasn’t exactly cheating, but what the hell was it? I might’ve considered that maybe it was a female copifhe hadn’t lied about the location. Then again, therewasa whole lot of talking going on behind that door, not sex, from what I could hear. I felt more confused than ever.
