Vanessa whispered, “That’s exactly what he used to say about me.”
I looked at her.
“The stairs.”
She nodded.
“We were supposed to get married five years ago.”
I already knew that.
At least I thought I did.
Evan told me Vanessa became increasingly jealous during their engagement.
He said she accused him of cheating with coworkers.
Checked his phone.
Showed up at his office.
Started fights.
He finally ended the engagement because he could not live under constant suspicion.
That story had made me feel sorry for him.
Vanessa told a different one.
She said Evan had been seeing another woman.
Not physically at first.
Messages.
Hotel meetings during business trips.
Late-night calls.
When Vanessa confronted him, he denied everything.
Then she found messages on an old tablet he had forgotten to wipe.
“He told me I was crazy,” she said. “Even while the messages were open in front of us.”
