The Joke That Wouldn’t Fade

At first, she chuckled nervously, assuming it was one of his coworkers messing around. But as she lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the words replayed in her head like an echo she couldn’t silence.

By morning, curiosity turned into dread.

“Who wrote this?” she asked Travis over breakfast.

He waved it off. “Don’t be ridiculous, Micaela. Probably one of the guys at karaoke. You know how stupid they get.”

But his laugh didn’t reach his eyes. And that small detail gnawed at her.

A Mother’s Advice

Unable to shake the unease, Micaela turned to the one person she trusted most — her mother. After listening quietly, her mother gave a suggestion that made Micaela’s heart pound.

“Put a tracker in his car. Better to know the truth than wonder.”

At first, Micaela resisted. It felt extreme. But the words “keep the change” echoed louder than her doubts. By that evening, the tracker was installed.

The Friday Night Detour

For a week, everything seemed painfully ordinary. Work. Gym. The grocery store.

Then came Friday.

The dot on her phone veered far from his usual route. Her breath caught as the signal stopped in front of a gated mansion on the edge of town.