Page 48 of Morally Corrupt

"Rico's got something to tell us," he says before dialing his cousin on his phone and setting it on speaker on the table.

"Yo, cuz." Rico starts, and I can see a nerve twitching in Marcel's eye. He clearly doesn't have any lost love for his cousin.

"I'm with Theo, tell us what you found."

"I got her usual schedule, and it says here she's at the foundation from nine to six with a lunch break at one."

"Yeah, that's her regular schedule," I agree, somehow hoping his next words will confirm that's exactly where she's been between those hours.

"Well… She left work at twelve, then went to an apartment building in Midtown, 67th Street. She was in there until a little over five pm. After that, she left and headed directly to your home. "

I am stunned.

Speechless.

I look at Marcel with what must be horror in my eyes because he's the one who hangs up on his cousin, thanking him for his work and telling him to continue watching her.

"I gather you don't know anything about that apartment?"

I just shake my head, still too shocked.

"Can you…" I barely find my voice to ask. "Can you please look into that apartment? Find out who owns it? If there's a… man?"

"On it. It will take a few days, though."

"Yes, don't worry. Take your time."

"I have to warn you, though, as a lawyer," Marcel starts, "You must not let her know you suspect she might be having an affair. Then we won't be able to gather the evidence. In the event of a divorce… You need all types of ammunition you can get."

"I know… I know," I sigh.

"I'm really sorry, Theo. I really thought she was different," Marcel adds, and I give him a sad smile. He's a good friend.

"It's still not certain. There could be another explanation. I'm willing to wait until I see irrevocable proof that she's having an affair. I just don't want to believe she would do that. Now, when I know how much we love each other." What I don't say is that I refuse to believe all her words of love were lies. Yes, there has to be another explanation.

"We will see."

We both leave the building, and during the drive home, I try my best to calm myself. Maybe other people would call me a fool to not believe she might be cheating when there's one piece of evidence after another, all pointing in that direction. But at the same time, if there ever was something that I trust with my life, it would be the depth of Bianca's feelings for me. There's just something between us. This connection I felt within seconds of meeting her. Just being in her presence fills me with so much peace… I just refuse to believe she'd let another man touch her.

When I get home, she's already there. I can see she's showered; her hair is wet, and she's wearing a towel wrapped around her body.

"Theo." She smiles when she sees me, and I do what I always do. I open my arms for her to come. She's a tiny thing, my wife, her head only reaching the middle of my chest. She wraps her arms around my middle and holds tightly. It's now that I notice the differences in our sizes and how easy it would be for me to crush her. My fists clench in the air before I remember and hug her in return.

"Long day at work?" she asks, probably because the stress is written all over my face.

"Too long." I try to make my mouth move in a semblance of a smile, hoping she won't think there's anything off with me.

"Do you like the smell of this shampoo?" she suddenly asks and wrinkles her nose. She's too cute.

I bend towards her to sniff, and I nod.

"Hmm… what is it? I can't put my finger on it."

"Ughh… so a couple days ago… or was it last week?" she starts, and her eyes move to the left as if she's trying to come up with the timeline. "Anyway, doesn't matter. I was about to go for a meeting in Brooklyn, and a pigeon pooped in my hair. So, I had to find somewhere quickly to get rid of that thing. I went to this hotel to quickly shower, and they had the most amazing shampoo I've ever smelled. I don't know what it was but God, Theo… It was that good," she moans as she recalls it. "I've been trying to find it ever since, which is the closest I've come. It's a combination of bergamot and orange, I think."

"It's really nice." I manage a smile as I take in the information she's just dumped on me. Surely…

"When was this? The pigeon poop?"