She looked at him, waiting for anxiety to lurch back into her chest. But instead, she felt lighter.
Golf. Yes, that suited Frank perfectly.
She nodded and took another sip of the cold coffee.
“I see,” she exhaled.
So she really had worked herself up over nothing.
“Are you going to bed?” he asked.
“Yeah. In five minutes.”
Frank nodded and went into the bedroom. Nina relaxed. God, the things she’d imagined. If she told anyone about it, they’d laugh.
She bit her lip, and looked after Frank. He walked calmly and confidently, without the slightest hint of guilt. If he had something to hide, he’d probably be acting differently.
Nina shook her head, trying to finally push the stupid suspicions out of her mind.
She stood up, took the empty cup from the table, and turned off the TV. That was it. Bed. Tomorrow she had a full day at the charity center. She needed to be in shape.
But just as she was about to go to the bedroom, her gaze slid over Frank’s jacket, carelessly tossed on the armchair.
And suddenly something tightened inside her.
The pockets.
Her fingers moved on their own. She hesitated, as if expecting Frank to walk out and catch her in the act. But the sound of running water came from the bedroom. He was already in the shower.
Nina didn’t even understand why she was doing this. She was calm now, right?
But something inside still wouldn’t settle.
She carefully slipped her hand into the pocket of his jacket and almost immediately felt the crisp edge of paper.
Her pulse jumped. She pulled it out and, when she looked at it, an icy shiver ran down her spine.
It was a receipt from a bar. But the bar wasn’t at the golf club. It was in afive-star hotel in the center of the city.
CHAPTER 3
The next day, Nina had a full shift at the charity center. She had been volunteering there for years. Perhaps it was her way of atoning for her past.
It was a children’s center for kids from troubled families, for those temporarily without parents, and for those who simply needed care and attention. Nina came here every week, spent time with them, organized creative activities, read books. She liked feeling useful.
At the entrance, she ran into Stella Reed, the wife of a city councilman. Stella was carefully building her public image, playing the role of the caring, compassionate wife of a future mayoral candidate. Everyone here adored her, though Nina was almost certain that once the campaign was over, Stella would vanish without a trace.
"Nina, darling, I'm so happy to see you," Stella said warmly, kissing her on the cheek.
Nina smiled back. Putting her prejudice aside, Stella wasn’t such a bad person.
“How was your weekend?” Nina asked as they walked toward the playroom. Just small talk, to keep the conversation going. But at her words, Stella’s eyes flashed with sudden irritation.
“Can you imagine? Yesterday Mr. Black threw a party and rented out the entire golf club,” she rolled her eyes and waved her hand irritably.“I was just about to go play golf, and they wouldn’t let me in. Can you believe that?”
Nina stopped abruptly. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Wait. What do you mean they wouldn’t let you in?” she asked, barely keeping her voice steady.
