“Yeah. He was eating lobster. With the lady in the red dress.”
Elena froze. She stood up, holding Leo’s hand, and looked through the tinted glass of the restaurant’s side window.
There sat Mark. He was at the Chef’s Table, the best seat in the house. He was laughing, holding a glass of champagne. Next to him sat a woman Elena recognized—the hostess he had hired last month, a stunning brunette in a crimson cocktail dress.
Mark was peeling a lobster tail and feeding it to her.
He was feeding his mistress lobster while his son sat in a hot car drinking tap water.
Something inside Elena broke. It wasn’t a loud break. It was the quiet, structural failure of a dam that could no longer hold back the ocean.
The love died instantly. The patience evaporated. The “supportive wife” was gone.
She pulled out her phone. She didn’t call Mark. She scrolled through her contacts until she found a number she hadn’t used in years.
Building Manager – Mr. Henderson.
“Leo,” Elena said, her voice terrifyingly calm. “Get in Mommy’s car. Turn on the AC. Here’s my iPad. Watch a movie.”
“Where are you going, Mommy?” Leo asked, climbing into her sedan.
“I’m going to turn off the bad man’s lights,” Elena said.
She slammed the door. The sound echoed in the alley like a gunshot.
Part 3: The Arrogance
Elena walked through the front door of The Golden Spoon.
She was wearing jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and sneakers. Her hair was in a messy bun. She looked like a tired mom. She looked like exactly what Mark despised.
The hostess stand was empty—the mistress was busy eating lobster, after all. Elena walked straight into the dining room.
