Chapter 72

Brandon was soon out like a light, snoring softly beside me. I lay there, waiting, until I saw two quick flashes outside the window. That was Simon's signal.

I quietly slipped out of bed and grabbed Brandon's phone. To make sure he didn't wake up, I stepped on his leg. Normally, he'd wake up in pain, but this time he was out cold and didn't even flinch.

Satisfied, I headed downstairs, but not before leaving a strand of hair on Brandon's body to ensure everything was just as I left it.

Simon was waiting in his car outside. I handed him Brandon's phone.

"His phone's got two systems. He uses the first one for everyday stuff, but the second one is where he keeps the secrets."

I switched to the second system and showed it to Simon.

"Here, this is where he hides all his secrets."

Simon nodded and started searching through the phone.

"What was the name of that group you mentioned last time?"

"This one, the Car Enthusiasts Club."

Simon opened the group, but all the chat history had been wiped clean.

"He's really cautious. The more cautious he is, the more suspicious it gets."

I nodded, knowing all too well how careful Brandon could be.

"So, what now?"

Simon shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll install a monitoring app on his phone. That way, all the messages from this group will be saved on my end, even if he deletes them."

He opened his laptop and connected it to the phone, working quickly and efficiently. I couldn't even follow what he was doing.

In no time, he was done. He then checked the group members' profiles.

Everyone in the group was cautious, using black images and meaningless numbers as names. The only different one was the group admin, who had a picture of a red spider lily.

I was taken aback. "Is it her?"

Simon looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen this profile picture before when I checked Brandon's phone. Their conversations were... explicit, so it stuck with me."

I opened the chat with the admin. Thankfully, this time the messages hadn't been deleted.

Simon skimmed through them. "I see. We don't know their relationship yet, but I'll look into it."

I nodded. "Thanks for your help."

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing. I found out that Earl has been secretly picking up Elora's son, Jason."

I showed him the photos on my phone. "Do you think Jason might be Earl's son, not Brandon's?"

Simon examined the photos and shook his head. "It's hard to say. I'll need to investigate further."

"Thanks."

I said goodbye to Simon and returned to the bedroom with Brandon's phone. He was still asleep. The hair strand was undisturbed, indicating he hadn't moved.

I put his phone back and finally went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to see Brandon fiddling with his phone. I was worried he might notice something, but his expression seemed normal.

When he saw me awake, he quickly turned off the screen and came over to hug me. "Morning, babe."

The thought of him carrying an STD made me feel sick. I pushed him away and went straight to the bathroom without a word.

When I came out, Brandon tried to sweet-talk me, but I wasn't having any of it. He knew the only way to make things right was to return the money.

He left the house early that morning. Surprisingly, no one was following me today. I went about my usual routine, dropping off the kids and then returning home.

That evening, Brandon came home very late. I was already asleep by the time he arrived.

The next morning, he woke up early, looking exhausted. "Babe, the money's been transferred back. You can relax now."

"Really?"

I looked at him skeptically.

He nodded. "Yeah, I messed up big time, and I had to fix it myself."

I finally looked at him. "Let's have breakfast."

After breakfast, I took the kids to school. No one was following me again. Maybe Brandon was letting his guard down.

After dropping off the kids, I went to the bank to check our accounts. Sure enough, the money was back.

I immediately transferred it to my personal account.

That evening, Brandon asked me, "Babe, did you move the money?"

I nodded firmly. "Yes. You've proven to be unreliable. From now on, the money for the kids stays with me. If you need it, you can ask, and I'll decide."

Brandon looked conflicted but said nothing.

A few days later, it was the day of my meeting with Travis. I drove to the café near the hotel he had mentioned and met up with Kathy.

I filled her in on the situation and asked her to wait for me at the café while I went to the hotel.

At the hotel, I knocked on the door. A deep voice answered, "Just a moment."

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

The door opened, and the first thing I saw was a man's chiseled abs. I looked up to see him wrapped in a towel, fresh from the shower.

"Hello."

I looked up and was shocked to see a familiar face.

"Royce Castillo?"

Royce nodded. "Long time no see, Caroline."

Seeing his face brought back memories from high school. Royce had been my class president, and I had a huge crush on him. After a bold confession, we started dating, and my grades improved significantly. Even the teachers didn't mind our relationship.

We became the talk of the class. I thought we'd get married, but after graduation, he disappeared without a word. I even went to his house, but it was empty.

I was heartbroken for years until I met Brandon. He was kind and attentive, and I eventually married him.