Skip to content
Novel Catalog
Chapter_4
The Truth Hurts
I hurried back to the bedroom, practically tearing the phone from its charger, desperate to unload my frustrations. “You’re something else, huh? You really left me hanging!”
Ivanna’s voice sounded tired, the usual sharpness softened by exhaustion. “Something came up at work, so I was in a rush. Just finished handling it. Why are you complaining? Do you think my life is as easy as yours?”
I hesitated, feeling the weight of my questions settle heavily in my chest. I needed to ask her—needed to know the truth. “Um, you mentioned seeing Matthew two days ago. Where was he? What time was it?”
The question had been gnawing at me all day. The TikTok video, the cryptic message, Ivanna’s strange timing—it was all too much to ignore. My hands were clammy, and my pulse had quickened.
Ivanna paused on the other end. I could almost hear her fidgeting. “Honestly, I forgot the exact location. It was just a quick glance while I was driving. Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh.” Her answer stung more than I expected. A disappointed breath escaped me. I unclenched my fists, realizing how cold and clammy my palms were. Her words didn’t bring the clarity I had been hoping for. It wasn’t concrete enough to be proof. But something inside me still twisted with doubt. Was I imagining all of this?
Then, Ivanna’s voice cut through my haze. “Chloe, I realize how obsessed you are with your husband. You light up whenever I even mention him. You’re always talking about Matthew—don’t you think it’s time to prioritize yourself? Ava’s in kindergarten now. What about you? When are you going to stop being just ‘Matthew’s wife’ and start being ‘Chloe’ again?”
Her words were sharp, cutting through the fog in my mind, but they also carried a kernel of truth I didn’t want to admit.
“Don’t tell me you plan on being Matthew’s accessory for the rest of your life. You’re turning into a fool,” she continued. “You’ve completely disconnected from the outside world because all you care about is him. And whatever he says goes. Will you just keep jumping when he tells you to?”
Her words hit harder than I expected, my stomach twisting in knots. I tried to brush it off, but my voice faltered when I responded, “Matthew said…”
“See? There you go again! ‘Matthew said this, Matthew said that.’ Don’t you see what’s happening?” Ivanna’s voice grew more urgent. “You revolve around him, and it’s making you lose yourself. Love isn’t about being his shadow. It’s about two people standing together, not one hiding in the background. Do you even know who you are anymore, Chloe?”
I went silent. The room felt suffocating. What had I become? I used to be someone.
Ivanna must’ve sensed my hesitation, because her tone softened. “I just want to see the confident, radiant Chloe again. The one who used to be a top student, the one who lit up the room. You’re wasting yourself here, stuck at home, always doing chores. It’s a shame.”
Her words hung in the air, and I could feel the weight of them pressing down on me. It was a wake-up call I didn’t want to hear, but maybe I needed to.
I couldn’t help but chuckle weakly. “Enough. This is like giving me a pat on the back after slapping me. Who got on your nerves today, Ivanna?”
We both laughed at that, the tension briefly lifting, but the unease lingered. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ivanna wasn’t just speaking from a place of concern. Maybe she was trying to tell me something, something more about my relationship with Matthew.
Just then, Matthew knocked on the bedroom door. His voice, warm and familiar, filtered through. “Honey, it’s time to eat!”
Ivanna heard him too. She lowered her voice as if to make sure he couldn’t hear. “All right, go have your dinner,” she said, then paused. “But really, Chloe, consider what I said. Don’t get blinded by all the shiny things in your life. Take my words to heart.”
And then, before I could respond, she hung up.
Matthew entered, his usual warmth filling the room. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed my cheek. “Who was it?”
“Ivanna,” I replied, trying to sound casual.
“What did she say? Was she nagging again?” He smiled tenderly, seeming unfazed. He knew how close Ivanna and I were, the three of us having been classmates back in the day.
My mind was still spinning, though. Matthew had just said he hadn’t seen Ivanna in a while, which meant she was far away when she saw him. That gave me a strange sense of relief. I was overthinking things. Right?
I forced a smile, trying to push away the discomfort. “Nothing. Let’s eat.”
Matthew, still oblivious to the storm brewing inside me, pulled me closer, kissing me once more before we headed out to the dining room together. But despite his affectionate gestures, a seed of doubt had been planted, and it was growing.
The truth, when it came, would hurt more than I ever anticipated.