I understand, replied Alice, and quickly rushed into the kitchen to fetch her phone. After sending a brief message to someone, she returned to the sitting room. From that moment, Richard became even more convinced of his suspicions that his wife was being unfaithful. Oddly, she let him go out with friends and head off on business trips with such ease. She never seemed upset when he came home rather worse for wear from the pub. His mates all insisted that women like Alice were rare, and that there were no secret traps to uncover. Still, Richard was tormented by doubts.
He was eight years older than his wife. Had she perhaps found a younger man and lost interest in him? At least Richard was wise enough to keep his suspicions to himself. It would have been dreadfully improper to accuse someone without a shred of proof. He wanted to be absolutely certain. And so, Richard could think of nothing better than to install cameras around their flat.
Richard set out on a business trip in a foul mood. Even Alice noticed how troubled he looked and almost offered him some tablets. Her concern comforted Richard somewhat, and for a while he believed all was well. He wasnt particularly eager to view the footage online, and scarcely had the time for it. Come nightfall, Richard would open the app, watch a few minutes of the recordings, and then shut the laptopbanishing it far from temptation.
The trip flew by. On the day he returned, Richard saw Alice off to work, opened his laptop, and began reviewing the videos. He wasnt quite ready to discover the whole truth.
With some trepidation, he opened the device and ran through the footage. For a while, everything seemed perfectly ordinary. Alice woke up, had breakfast, and tidied up the flat. But later in the afternoon, Richard watched his wife, always impeccably dressed, sitting in shorts and his oversized t-shirt, stationed at the computer, playing a game. The voices of other players came through the speakers. Alice, he realised, was hooked on gaming.
Well, its not ideal, but everyone has their own hobbies, Richard reassured himself. He then skimmed through the rest of the footage at a brisk pace. There was nothing out of the ordinaryjust the computer and chores around the home. Most importantly, not a single other person had entered the flat during that time.
Richard closed his laptop and breathed a sigh of relief, now feeling only guilt for having such thoughts about his wife. He resolved to buy Alice a grand bouquet of roses and organise a romantic dinner. Still, he decided not to remove the cameras just yet. He hadnt realised thatThat evening, Richard surprised Alice with roses and her favourite meal. She laughed in delight, teasing him about his newfound romantic streak. As they ate, Richard watched herreally watched herseeing not the shadow of suspicion, but the warmth and ease he had fallen in love with years ago. He felt lighter than he had in months.
Later, he hesitated at the laptop, finally opening the footage from the day. What he saw instead was Alice setting up a camera herself, carefully aiming it at her computer, and recording a message. She looked directly into the lens and spoke quietly, For Richard: in case you ever doubt, you have my heart. And if you ever look for secrets, youll just find loveand maybe some high scores.
Richard stared at the screen, amazed. He smiled, closed the laptop, and unplugged every camera. That night, he lay beside Alice, her hand in his, and felt a quiet certainty: trust, once lost, was worth finding again. In the darkness, he whispered, Youre rare, Alice, and she squeezed his hand, both of them safe in the truth they shared.
