Kyle finally answered his phone on the fifth ring, his voice dripping with that fake, sweet affection I had fallen for years ago.
“Hey, love, how are you doing? Is everything okay over there at the office?”
“I am at home right now,” I replied, my voice steady and cool.
There was a sharp, sudden silence on the other end, followed by the screech of tires as if he had slammed on his brakes.
“At home? What do you mean you are at home? Did you just get back?”
“I finished up the contract ahead of schedule, so I decided to fly back early to surprise you,” I said, forcing a cheerful tone.
“Oh… of course… what a wonderful surprise,” he stammered, clearly trying to recover his composure. “Is everything alright? Was the project a success?”
I smiled, though there was no joy in it.
“That is actually exactly why I am calling you. I need you to listen to me very calmly. You cannot tell anyone about this, especially not your mother or Heather, because this has to stay strictly between us.”
“What are you talking about, Chloe? What happened?”
I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, as if I were handing him the keys to the kingdom.
“Kyle, I think we have an opportunity to change our lives forever.”
I could hear his breathing change, his greed instantly piqued.
“What do you mean?”
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