Part 1The Dog Walker Affair

While I was walking Caramel, he darted off with a confident sense of purpose, making a beeline for the 22nd floor of the building next to ours. He stopped at apartment 2201, his tail wagging furiously. I was still trying to process it when the door opened.

A pretty girl in slippers appeared.

She knelt and joyfully ruffled Caramel’s fur, then looked up at me. “You must be the courier. Just tell Leo I’ll take good care of his dog.”

She turned back to the golden retriever. “Come on, sweetie. Mommy’s making you a venison salad today.”

Leo is my husband. Caramel is the dog we’ve raised for three years.

It turns out that during the six months I was away on business, Leo found a new mommy for our dog.

* * *

I had just gotten back from a six-month work assignment overseas, the jet lag still clinging to me like a heavy shroud, when Caramel insisted on his walk.

He’s a three-year-old Golden Retriever, usually gentle, but with a surprising amount of strength. Right now, he was practically vibrating with excitement, dragging me forward, and confidently veering towards the building next to ours.

I was a little confused. We live in building 11, but Caramel was pulling me into the elevator of building 12.

The elevator ascended to the 22nd floor. The second the doors opened, Caramel bolted down the hallway to 2201, propping his front paws on the door, his tail a high-speed propeller.

My mind was a complete blank, the leash nearly slipping from my grasp.

What was going on? Why was Caramel so familiar with this apartment?

As I stood there, bewildered, the door clicked open.

A pretty girl stood in the doorway.

“Caramel! Did you miss me?” she cooed, crouching down to affectionately rub his big, fluffy head, completely ignoring my presence.

Caramel licked her face enthusiastically, whining with contentment. The display of affection was more intense than any greeting he ever gave me, his actual owner.

My heart began to sink, stone by heavy stone.

The girl finally straightened up, her eyes landing on me with an air of casual authority.

“You’re the courier, right? Thanks for this.” She gestured towards Caramel. “Tell Leo I’ll take good care of his dog. Oh, and he’s already paid, right?”

She turned to Caramel. “Come on, sweetie. Mommy’s making you a venison salad today.”

Leo…?

Leo. My husband.

A buzzing filled my head, and my limbs went numb. But some shred of rationality stopped me from exploding, urging me to confirm it wasn't some bizarre misunderstanding.

“Leo is—”

“My boyfriend. Didn’t he ask you to bring Caramel over?” she said. Seeing my hesitation, her smile faded, replaced by a flicker of impatience. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you hear me? Give him to me.”

She reached for the leash, which I was gripping with white knuckles.

So, this was it. While I was working my ass off halfway across the world to build a future for us, my husband hadn't just cheated; he had thoughtfully found a new mother for our dog.

How utterly ridiculous. His mistress thought I was a delivery service.

I looked at Caramel, who was now fawning over her, and a wave of icy coldness washed over the initial pain.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t demand answers.

Instead, I slowly, deliberately, pulled my lips into a smile and loosened my grip on the leash.

“Of course,” I said, my voice steady. “Mr. Knight’s instructions were to deliver him directly to you.”

The girl took the leash, satisfied, and casually shut the door.

Just as it closed, I heard her say, “Good boy. Mommy will get you your treat right now.”

I stood in front of apartment 2201 for a long, long time. The elevator doors opened and closed several times before I finally turned and walked back to my own home.

The apartment was spotless. Leo’s perfectly ironed shirts hung on the balcony. Everything was just as neat as when I had left six months ago.

But there was something else in the air. The faint, unfamiliar scent of perfume.

It was the exact same scent the girl at the door had been wearing.

If I hadn’t decided on a whim to fly halfway across the world to surprise him, I never would have discovered any of this.