When Madison sees a note on the bathroom mirror, she chalks it up to her husband being sweet after their night out. But when she talks to him about it, his awkwardness makes her feel that the note isn’t for her. Could Ryan be cheating on her?

It started how things usually do: quiet and unassuming, with a sweet moment between my husband, Ryan, and me. Or so I thought. I was getting ready for the day when I noticed a love note written on a Post-it on the fogged-up bathroom mirror. The words threw me for a loop.

My first thought?

That Ryan left me a surprise. I felt a little spark, honestly. After a few years of marriage, little things like that can really brighten your day.

We had gone out for dinner the night before, and I had too many cocktails, so when we got home, I had just hopped into bed, makeup and all. I slept like the dead and only noticed the note now.

I grabbed my phone and texted him right away.

Hey Babe! I saw your little note on the mirror. So cute! I loved it! 😘

A few minutes later, those three dots appeared. I smiled, brushing my hair, and waiting for his response. But when his message finally came in, it was not anything sweet or cheeky that I was expecting.

Uh, what note, Madison?

Well, that was weird. I mean, maybe he forgot about it? Ryan wasn’t a morning person at all, and he would remain grumpy and unengaged until he had two cups of coffee.

A grumpy man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney
A grumpy man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney

I snapped a picture of the mirror and sent it to him. My smile faded as I waited, fingers tapping nervously on the bathroom counter. After a few long minutes, my phone buzzed with his reply.

Something about the way he typed it felt off. I could almost hear him saying it. My husband also loved emojis, so the lack of emojis in his text was different. The casualness, the awkwardness, it just didn’t sit right with me.

I went downstairs to make myself some breakfast before I logged on to work for the day. I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe the note wasn’t meant for me at all.

The thought crept in, chilling me to my core: Was Ryan cheating?

The entire day, my mind raced. As much as I tried to sit down and focus on work, I just couldn’t. I told myself that I was overreacting. There had to be an explanation.

Ryan wouldn’t do something like that. We were solid, weren’t we?

“Hey honey,” Ryan said when he got home that evening.

He came into the study and kissed my head, completely oblivious to the inner turmoil I was going through.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked.

“I’ve been a bit behind on work, honey,” I said stiffly. “Can you make something?”

Ryan smiled, nodded, and headed to the kitchen.

I was on edge. I could feel it taking over me. I watched him closely, and while he was acting normal, I felt like it was a mask.

Later, when Ryan went to bed, I did something I never thought I’d do.

His phone was clean, like too clean. There were no secret messages, no signs of an affair, nothing. But my gut told me something was off.

I felt sick. What was going on? My mind screamed at me to let it go, but something deep down wouldn’t let me.

I just couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something. But if Ryan wasn’t cheating, then who was that note meant for?

A few days later, things took a turn.

He was in the shower with the woman who had walked into my home.

Ryan came home from work earlier than usual, just as I was about to head to the gym. His body was tense, and when I asked him why, his answer felt rehearsed.

“My dad’s coming over,” he said. “He wants some help with his laptop. Enjoy your session, I’ll see you later!”

His dad? Bob rarely came over in the past. But recently, he had been dropping in all the time. Especially on the days when I worked from the office and not home.

Later that week, Ryan’s mom, Claire, called me. She sounded off, a little upset.

“Darling, have you seen Bob around lately?” she asked.

“Yes, Mom,” I said. “He was here the other day. Ryan said that he wanted help with his laptop or something.”

That’s when something clicked.

Bob had been here a lot recently.

Too much.

The next time Bob came over, I decided to do some digging of my own. I pretended to run errands but parked around the corner, out of sight. A few minutes later, a woman walked up to my front door!