- 1 hour ago
The Key Fob
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Short filmTranscript
00:03something was wrong with the key fob i didn't know it yet not really it would take another 48 hours
00:10until my life actually fell apart before i understood what this feeling was right now
00:15it was just a quiet ache a small persistent sense that something was off it hit me the second i
00:23stepped out of the elevator and saw rosa standing outside my door sweating twisting her hands
00:28together mrs hayes i'm so sorry dinner's gonna be late i was stuck downstairs for 40 minutes
00:33no one was at the front desk and mr hayes didn't answer his phone i stopped short one heel already
00:38off rosa didn't derrick give you the spare keyfab i gave it to him a month ago it was for
00:42you the keyfab
00:44no ma'am mr hayes never gave me anything never not once this month i've been sneaking in behind
00:49other residents or calling him to buzz me up today he didn't answer she looked confused my stomach
00:55tightened it was a subtle feeling like someone pressing a thumb into a bruise you forgot you had
01:02okay don't worry about it go start dinner she hurried off toward the kitchen relieved i stayed in the
01:08entryway of my 3 000 square foot upper west side penthouse and pulled out my phone i bought this
01:13apartment when i was 26 paid in full the deed was in my name natalie carter not hayes i kept
01:23my last name
01:23on every legal document because the first thing my father ever taught me was this always put your
01:28own name on the things you own our smart lock logged every entry fingerprint code key fob down to the
01:37second derrick and i both used fingerprints we never used the fob i opened the app scrolled through the last
01:4717 entries my thumb stopped i stared at the number until the screen did 17 times someone had entered
01:56my home 17 times using a fob that was supposed to be in rosa's hand it wasn't rosa it wasn't
02:03me and it
02:04wasn't derrick i remembered handing it to him a month ago right here in this exact spot that little blue
02:11fob in
02:11my hand the new housekeeper starts tomorrow give her this so she can get in he took it with that
02:16smile
02:17that warm easy confident smile that made me fall for him at 20 and somehow hadn't changed in eight years
02:24relax babe i'll take care of it i walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water
02:29my hand was steady my face was calm but somewhere deep in my chest something had started to hum
02:37like a machine warming up i didn't know what it was yet i would derrick got home at 7 30
02:44he dropped his
02:45briefcase by the console loosened his tie kicked off his shoes every movement looked exactly like
02:52every other night for the last four years hey babe brutal day i was stretched across the couch with a
02:59magazine i hadn't read a single word of rosa was late today she said she doesn't have the key fob
03:05his hand froze on his tie if i hadn't been watching for it i would have missed it oh yeah
03:11he gave a dry
03:13little laugh and avoided my eyes i gave it to you a month later right right i i've just been
03:18slammed
03:18lately i i probably tossed it in some drawer somewhere you know how it is he was already moving toward
03:23the
03:23kitchen trying to put space between us trying to end the conversation i'll stop by the building
03:30management office tomorrow and get a replacement no it came out too loud too sharp like i'd stepped
03:37on his tail he saw my face and instantly dialed it back forcing a casual smile giving me a light
03:43shrug
03:44i mean those things cost like a hundred bucks right i'll look for it this weekend it's probably behind
03:47the night stain or something a hundred dollars my monthly co-op fees were 4200 and he was panicking
03:54over a 100 key fob you sure of course he walked over and rested a hand on my shoulder his
04:02palm was
04:02warm familiar babe you've been stressed lately you're reading way too much into this don't worry
04:08i've got it i let him touch me pulling away now would tell him too much and i wasn't ready
04:13to show
04:14my hand okay i watched his shoulders loosen like air leaving a tire then he turned and headed for the
04:21kitchen already lighter already convinced he'd gotten away with it a man with nothing to hide
04:27would not panic because his wife mentioned replacing a key fob i set the magazine down my jaw was tight
04:33my pulse was steady and the machine inside my chest kept humming louder i waited until two in the morning
04:40derek was dead asleep his breathing filled the dark bedroom slow and even i reached for his phone on
04:47the nightstand passcode 0714 my birthday he'd never changed it that tiny cruel detail lodged between my
04:57ribs like a pin his texts were clean call log normal photo library standard his social media accounts were
05:06locked behind a three-day recovery setting everything had been wiped down neat controlled spotless i opened
05:15amazon and checked his orders protein powder phone charger running shoes i was about to close the app
05:23when my thumb hit the edge of the screen and a menu popped up i almost missed it archived orders
05:29people
05:30always forget about that they think deleting an order makes it disappear they don't realize amazon just tucks it
05:37away in a hidden folder and leaves it there like a landmine one item eight days ago a tiffany t
05:44smile
05:44pendant 18 karat rose gold 2400 shipped to derrick's office in murray hill recipient megan ellis the air left
05:55my lungs like i've been punched megan ellis 22 she'd been at derrick's firm for three months as a junior
06:03assistant last month i met her at a team dinner she wore a white dress had wide glossy eyes and
06:10a voice
06:11sweet as syrup she offered me the shrimp with an eager smile and told me i was even prettier than
06:17derrick
06:17said then she leaned over to refill his juice her eyes held as a second too long i noticed i
06:24noticed
06:24but i told myself not to because that's what love does it stands down the sharp edges until they fit
06:31a story you can live with on the drive home that night i brought her up casual light your new
06:37assistant
06:38is pretty he didn't even turn his head she's good still learning but sharp just needs the right guidance
06:46guidance apparently that included a 2400 tiffany necklace hidden from his wife i put the phone back where it was
06:54then i lay down and stared at the ceiling my throat burned my eyes burned every cell in my body
07:02wanted to
07:02shake him awake and ask who is she what is she to you what have you done but i didn't
07:09because all i had was a
07:10missing key fob 17 entry logs and a hidden jewelry order circumstantial and men like derrick could talk
07:18their way out of certain substantial all it took was the right smile the right tone and one soft little
07:24babe you're overthinking this i needed more i needed proof that couldn't be explained away the kind that hit
07:31one nerve and brought a man down on the spot i took a deep breath let it out slowly counted
07:37my heartbeat
07:37until it's steady part of me is stupid royal girl i used to be the one who first kissed him
07:43in
07:43washington square park in my early 20s was still screaming you're wrong this is nothing he loves you
07:50he's always loved you go back to sleep i could feel that girl dying inside me little by little i'm
07:58sorry
07:59i couldn't save her the next night derrick came out of the shower with a towel around his neck
08:04hair still damp i stood at the vanity brush in hand watching him through the mirror assistant at your
08:11office megan how's she doing in the mirror his hand paused over the hair dryer just for a second
08:19then it kicked on hot air filling the room megan his voice lifted over the noise convenient
08:26she's great crushed it on the henderson account total go-getter
08:32actually i got her a little congratulatory gift a necklace a team souvenir good job keep it up that
08:38sort of thing he brought it up himself volunteered it smooth easy like he'd rehearsed it in the bathroom
08:47a necklace nothing appropriate just a simple piece you know gen z kids you have to give them
08:53something shiny or they tune you up he walked over wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his
08:59chin on my head you're not jealous are you not no she works on my team that's all he kissed
09:07my cheek
09:08come to bed he walked away i set the brush down his performance was flawless every pause
09:15every inflection precision built but he didn't know something about me something almost nobody did
09:24i don't trust words i stopped trusting them when i was 12 after my grandfather's funeral when my father
09:30pulled me aside and said natalie listen to me people say what they want you to hear i've known derek
09:37for
09:37eight years and tonight in front of that mirror all he did was perform at two in the morning i
09:44slipped out of
09:44bed barefoot the apartment was pitch dark city light spilled through the windows laying silver bars
09:50across the floor i moved through my own home like a ghost six months earlier i'd installed a small
09:55security camera on the bookshelf back then we had a cat and i liked checking in on her during the
10:01day
10:01later she went to live with my parents in connecticut the camera stayed where it was unplugged
10:06forgotten behind a row of hard covers derek had forgotten it existed i pulled over a small step stool
10:13climbed up and found the camera tucked behind east of eden and a coffee table book on italian
10:18architecture it was coated in dust i brushed it off my hands were steady even though my heart was
10:24pounding so hard it felt loud enough to carry through the walls i plugged it in the red light
10:29blinked once then came alive i adjusted the angle full view of the living room the front door the
10:35hallway to the bedroom no blind spots i opened the app on my phone the feed loaded in sharp green
10:41night
10:41vision my couch my coffee table my front door my home reduced to a surveillance feed i climbed down
10:50put the stool back and slipped into bed derek was still asleep in his sleep he wrapped an arm around
10:57my waist and pulled me closer i let him lying there in the dark in the arms of a man
11:02i wasn't sure i knew
11:03it anymore i made a promise to myself if the camera caught nothing i would delete the footage and never
11:09bring it up again i'd book us a trip i'd try harder i'd tell myself it was stress exhaustion maybe
11:16paranoia
11:17but it was all just in my head but if it caught something my jaw locked so tight my teeth
11:22hurt
11:23if it caught something i wouldn't cry i wouldn't scream i would destroy him so completely he'd spend
11:29the rest of his life trying to figure out what exactly happened three days nothing happened day one
11:36rosa mopped the floors derek watched espn in bed by eleven day two empty apartment derek reheated
11:44leftovers scrolled his phone day three same thing normal by friday afternoon i was sitting in my
11:52office staring at the live feed of an empty living room feeling insane sunlight stretched across the
11:57leather couch a speck of dust drifted through frame the most dramatic thing that had happened in three
12:03days was rosa knocking over a vase maybe i really was losing it i closed the app and forced myself
12:09back to work maybe this weekend i'd uninstall the camera and book two tickets to turks and cacus
12:14maybe i even owed derek an apology for carrying my suspicion around like a loaded weapon at 3 30
12:20my assistant knocked on the door natalie the westfield deal hit a wall they need you in hartford tonight
12:26it's a two-hour drive meetings first thing tomorrow okay i'm going home to grab a bag
12:35i got back to the apartment a little after four pressed my thumb to the lock the door opened the
12:42shower was running i froze one foot in the entryway one still in the hall steam drifted out of the
12:49bathroom
12:49in hot waves the air smelled like body wash my body wash blue labo santal it was four on a
12:57friday
12:57afternoon derek had told me that morning he'd be in meetings until six my heart rate instantly shot
13:03from 60 to 100 the water shut off the bathroom door swung open derek stepped out in a towel hair
13:10dripping
13:10skin flushed from the heat he saw me and went completely still and for one naked second i saw it
13:17on
13:18his face real fear not inconvenience not surprise the kind that hits when you realize you've been
13:25caught in the center of something not near the edge of it his eyes widened his mouth parted every muscle
13:31locked then the mask dropped he smiled warm concerned perfect nat you're home early work trip hartford
13:41i need clothes my voice sounded normal i still don't know how i thought your meetings went till
13:48six they got moved up wrapped early came home to relax he was already opening his arms coming toward me
13:55you should have called i would have picked you up i'm fine i walked past him into the bathroom he
14:03didn't
14:03follow but i could feel his stare burning into the back of my neck the room felt like a sauna
14:08the mirror
14:09was fogged over every surface shimmered with condensation i scanned the counter his razor my
14:16skin care everything arranged exactly where it should be then i saw the body cream la mare 300
14:25i bought it two weeks ago i used it the way people use something that costs 300 with restraint with
14:31reverence a fingertip at a time i picked it up my stomach dropped it was almost weightless it should have
14:38been three quarters full instead it was nearly empty i held it up to light tilting it a thin smear
14:46clung to the bottom that was it two weeks three hundred dollars gone derek didn't use bottle cream
14:54in eight years he never had someone had been in my bathroom not passing through not as a guest someone
15:02comfortable enough to stand there and use my 300 cream like it was drugstore lotion in a gym locker room
15:07my hands started shaking i set the jar down turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto my face
15:14i watched it spiral down the drain and breathed again again again until the shaking stopped i dried my
15:23face i walked out i packed in under three minutes kissed derek on the cheek let him wheel my suitcase
15:30to
15:30the elevator let him press the button tell me to drive safe and wave as the door slid shut the
15:35second they
15:36closed i collapsed against the metal wall my reflection stared back at me in the brushed steel doors a woman
15:42with red eyes and a jaw tight enough to crack stone the key fob the necklace the four o'clock
15:48shower the
15:48empty jar this wasn't suspicion anymore by nine i was in hartford i didn't unpack i didn't turn on the
15:57lights i sat on the hotel bed in my coat and opened the camera app with shaking hands the feed
16:02loaded
16:02stretched out on the couch sweaty phone in hand scrolling endlessly laughing at something on his
16:10screen a man with nothing on his conscience and nowhere else he needed to be i watched for 10 minutes
16:1715 minutes my eyes burned my body was exhausted but my brain wouldn't stop i was just about to close
16:25the app just about to tell myself again that i was out of my mind then the speaker on my
16:29phone caught a
16:30sound beep the electronic chirp of the front door unlocked 10 47 pm my heart stopped i felt it one
16:39hard
16:39useless beat inside my chest i felt my life split cleanly in two at that exact moment derek on the
16:45screen
16:45heard it too but he didn't flinch he didn't jump up he didn't grab a weapon didn't call the police
16:52and didn't do any of the things a man does when a stranger opens his front door at almost 11
16:56at night
16:57he sprang off the couch like he'd been waiting for that sound all evening his expression changed
17:02the boredom vanished instantly replaced by an emotion i knew well that hadn't seen direction of me in a long
17:07want hunger joy he practically ran into the foyer the door opened the girl walked in young early 20s
17:17wearing a white bodycon dress stiletto heels she tossed a small blue object onto the entry table
17:24without even looking the key fob my key fob she tossed it down casually like she'd done it a hundred
17:31times before she bent down and picked up a pair of pale pink silk slippers by the door my slippers
17:37the pair derek had given me for my birthday last year she threw her arms open crossed the last three
17:43steps and launched herself into derek's arms baby i missed you i knew that voice i'd heard that same
17:50voice tell me you're even prettier than derek said offering me shrimp wearing a sugar sweet smile
17:55megan ellis derek caught her lifted her up and kissed her neck jesus you took forever i was dying over
18:03here i had to get ready besides your wife's gone for the week we've got plenty of time relax derek
18:13laughed he scooped her up carried her through the living room into the primary bedroom my bedroom door
18:19slammed shut the screen showed an empty living room her heels abandoned on the floor the blue key fob
18:25glinting under the lights i stared at it until my vision blurred hot tears welling up like a spring
18:31burning down my cheeks my thumb found derek's contact and hovered over the call button every
18:36nerve in my body screamed at me to dial to make him hear me breaking to force him to explain
18:40beg lie
18:41do something anything because the silence was crushing me my finger trembled over the screen no
18:47i closed my eyes and i pressed the phone to my forehead i let myself cry i let out ugly
18:53broken
18:53sobs burying my mouth in the hotel pillow so no one next door would hear i gave myself five minutes
18:59five minutes to be the girl who loved him then i stopped i wiped my face blew my nose i
19:06sat up
19:07straight if i called now he'd know i was watching him he'd destroy the evidence he'd build a flawless
19:13lie before sunrise and i'd be left looking like the paranoid wife who destroyed herself over a
19:18misunderstanding no i was going to document every second every visit every word they were sleeping
19:25in my bed under my sheets using my things laughing at me every single night when i had gathered enough
19:32evidence i would walk into a room packed with every person he had ever tried to impress and project these
19:37videos onto a screen the size of a wall he wouldn't suspect a thing he would walk out of my
19:42life with
19:42absolutely nothing i opened the app i hit record i worked until dawn i didn't go back to the apartment
19:50the next morning i called derek and told him the hartford deal was more complicated than expected
19:55it could take a week he sounded pleased take your time baby i'll hold down the fort that night
20:01i sat in my hotel room with every light off the security feed glowing on my phone screen room
20:06service sat untouched on the table i couldn't eat my stomach was clenched so tight it wouldn't let
20:12anything in at 9 38 pm the front door unlocked she walked in like she lived there she kicked off
20:18her
20:19heels and slipped into my slippers moved quietly into the kitchen opened my fridge pulled out a
20:25bottle of sancerre i'd been saving for friday night with my husband she poured herself a glass
20:31derek came up behind her wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his face in her neck
20:35she laughed and pushed his hand away let me have one sip first you can drink later unbelievable she
20:43took a long sip set the glass down and turning his arms i want to try on more of her
20:49clothes tonight
20:50that valentino in the back of the closet the black one go ahead she has amazing taste megan pulled open
20:58my walk-in closet like she was browsing a boutique her fingers moved across my clothes pausing on fabrics
21:04checking labels too bad her personality doesn't match does she seriously do nothing but work and
21:11sleep is that it derek dropped onto my bed my bed the two thousand dollar mattress i bought because of
21:18my
21:18back he stretched out hands behind his head and watched megan undress natalie's basically a machine
21:25she knows how to make money that's her function everything else nothing no warmth no fun no spontaneity
21:34living with her is like living with a really efficient appliance my throat closed nausea rolled through
21:40me i watched megan try on three of my dresses she modeled each one turned posed asked derek what he
21:47thought he gave lazy little opinions like a man flipping through a catalog my hands were shaking
21:52so badly the image shook up with them so i propped my phone against a pillow locked both hands between
21:57my knees and watched them disappear into the bedroom together while the living room went dark and silent
22:02by the second night something deep inside me had cracked megan was stretched across my couch with
22:08her head in derek's lap eating strawberries out of the ceramic bowl my mother gave us as a wedding gift
22:13the one with the hand-painted blue rim she flaunted in from ohio wrapped in layers of bubble wrap
22:18because she'd been terrified it would break you think she suspects anything not a chance natalie's
22:23sharp in business but when it comes to me she doesn't question me that's the beauty of it i've played
22:28the perfect husband for eight years you could knock on her door and introduce yourself and she still
22:33wouldn't believe i was cheating what if she finds out she won't and worst case scenario i walk away
22:40with half the apartment that place is worth four million now two million to end a marriage i'd sign
22:47those papers with a smile megan rolled over and looked up at him and then what you and me we
22:54get a place
22:55in tributa rooftop full service building this time my name goes on the deed your name goes on everything
23:02she hooked a finger in his collar pulled him down and kissed him i watched all of it from a
23:08hotel room
23:09two hours away through a fire screen that blue ring pole sat on the coffee table while my husband
23:14promised another woman like it was to give away this time i didn't cry something had changed over those two
23:21nights something fundamental shifted inside me like a bone snapping back into place the grief was
23:27still there it sat in my chest like a shard of glass cutting deeper every time i breathed but around
23:33it
23:34something else was forming something cold something solid something that would not bend by friday morning
23:42i had enough hours of footage clear video clean audio megan called me boring a dried up workaholic
23:50a woman who couldn't keep a man interested derrick called me an appliance promised her my money
23:56my home my future i saved every second three cloud backups one flash drive one encrypted email account
24:06only i could access then i picked up the phone and called the best divorce attorney in manhattan
24:11claire song's office was on the 43rd floor of a glass high-rise on park avenue she charged 1100 an
24:17hour
24:17she had never lost a case she cared about i sat across from her desk and talked for 45 straight
24:23minutes no pause no hesitation i showed her the security footage the key fob records and the archived
24:30necklace order she watched everything in silence like a hawk tracking movement on the ground when i
24:36finished she sat down her pen and looked at me how badly do you want to ruin him i want
24:43him out of my life
24:44with nothing left no money no legal claim no dignity then let's talk about what you have she tapped the
24:52flash drive
24:53in new york divorce doesn't automatically mean a 50 50 split the apartment was yours before the
24:59marriage it's in your name and you paid for it he has no claim to the principle he might try
25:06to go after
25:06the post-marital appreciation but with this footage a cheating spouse caught on camera planning to steal
25:11his wife's assets no judge in this city would give him a glass of water let alone a settlement
25:17what else claire raised an eyebrow i opened my bag and pulled out a second folder inside were 12 months
25:24of bank statements every withdrawal circled in red 200 000 taken from our joint account over the last
25:31year he said it was business expenses investment opportunities and loans to college friends i laid
25:37the statements out in front of her it all went to offshore gambling sites sports betting online poker
25:44blackjack he lost every cent claire picked up the statements and started reading her face stayed
25:51unreadable but her jaw tightened there's more i placed the last file on her desk three weeks ago he
25:58applied for a five hundred thousand dollar private loan to secure that loan he submitted a document with
26:05my company seal on it as collateral but he never had access to that seal so he faked it claire
26:11read the
26:11document twice when she looked up her eyes were sharp that's corporate forgery if money moved
26:18electronically that can become wire fraud federal charges three to seven years i know you want to go
26:26to the police not yet i leaned forward because of his gambling i get my money back and cut off
26:31any claim
26:32he has to our joint assets the forged document is my backup if he fights the divorce if he stalls
26:39i hand
26:39this over to the police and we can negotiate from a holding cell claire studied me for a moment when
26:45will you move out on my birthday two weeks from saturday my heart was pounding but my voice stayed
26:52calm i'm throwing a party at the apartment our families his co-workers our friends everyone who
27:00matters to him will be in that room you want to serve him at the party i want the footage
27:05playing on the
27:0565-inch tv in my living room in front of everyone he's ever tried to impress then i hand him
27:12the
27:12papers by then he'll sign anything and if he doesn't i tapped the forgery file then he can sign in
27:20jail
27:20claire took out a fresh legal pad tell me exactly how you want this to go
27:26we worked for three hours when i left her office the sun was dropping over midtown manhattan and the sky
27:32looked like it was on fire i stood on park avenue with my bag on my shoulder and felt something
27:37i
27:37hadn't felt in weeks control over the next 14 days i built the trap carefully derek handled the party
27:44himself the catering the liquor the flowers even the cake he was excited babe it's just that simple
27:51celebrating with family and close friends you deserve the best i let him take care of everything
27:56but i added three things he knew nothing about two private security guards at the front door
28:01and one signal for me meant no one was getting out a smart lock on the bedroom closet that i
28:06could
28:06control with my phone and my phone synced to the tv via bluetooth the footage showed that megan ellis
28:11came back twice over the next two weeks the last time two days before the party she pulled my
28:17reformation slip dress out of the closet the one derek gave me for our anniversary i'm keeping this
28:22it's yours he said i saved the clip added it to the file and closed my laptop my alarm went
28:29off at five
28:30on the morning of my birthday i lay in the dark beside derek breathing deeply in out in out today
28:39i
28:39felt calm not a fragile forced calm but a deep grounded one like every decision had already been
28:46made i got up i showered i put on my best dress i did my makeup with a steady hand
28:53tonight it ends
28:55everything in the apartment was perfect white peonies filled every corner cold appetizers and
29:02crab cakes were laid out on the marble countertop in the corner a bartender mixed cocktails candlelight
29:08flickered soft music drifted through the room guests started arriving between six and seven
29:13derek's parents came first his mom patricia wore a silk blouse heavy gold jewelry and high heels her
29:21shoes clipped across my hardwood floor as she looked around the apartment with the pride of someone
29:25who thought she had arranged it herself his dad came in behind her silent as always then my parents
29:31arrived my dad robert wore a navy blazer he stood straight carrying the calm of a man who had spent
29:3830
29:39years picking lies apart my mom wore beige cashmere she looked elegant but her eyes were sharp then came
29:45derek's co-workers our college friends my business partners 23 guests gathered in my living room
29:52filled with laughter champagne and the easy hum of conversation that comes with a successful life
29:57derek was incredible there was no better word for him he took coats for me refilled glasses led my mom
30:04to the best seat in the room and told my dad the knicks looked good this season he placed one
30:08hand at
30:08my waist and said the same thing to every guest who walked in i'm the luckiest man in the world
30:13natalie
30:14sweetheart you look exhausted have you been sleeping well i worry about you working so hard
30:20a woman who pours all her energy into her career can sometimes lose sight of what really matters
30:26thank you for your concern patricia my dad saw me from across the room he went alert at once he
30:33knew
30:33something was wrong he read people the way a pilot reads instruments and right now i shook my head
30:39slightly not yet soon by 7 30 everyone was there the security guards were in place in my bedroom closet
30:48megan ellis was curled up in the dark squeezed between my winter coats and a row of dusty handbags
30:53trying to breathe as quietly as she could i knew she was there three hours earlier while i was at
30:59the
31:00salon i had watched on my phone as derek sneaked her in through the back entrance she was wearing my
31:05anniversary dress she was supposed to stay hidden until the party was over then leave the same way
31:10she came that was derek's plan thank you all so much for coming this is the best birthday ever
31:23people smiled and raised their glasses derek stood beside me smiling too before we cut the cake i want
31:30show you something derek's been getting a little surprise ready for me in the bedroom and i think
31:35now is the perfect time to open it nat the bedroom's not ready it's a mess let's stay out here
31:43a little
31:43longer don't be shy everyone come with me i walked toward the primary bedroom and all 23 guests followed
31:50derek stumbled after us his eyes darting around sweat already beating on his forehead i opened the bedroom
31:56door the bed was neatly made the curtains were closed and everything looked perfect thud a dull
32:03sound hit from inside the closet something had slammed against the door derek threw himself in
32:09front of the door arms spread wide pressing his back against it sweat darkened his shirt under the
32:15arms his smile was the worst i had ever seen it's a cat a stray cat got in somehow derek
32:22we're on the 32nd
32:24floor i know i know but city cats are crazy they get into pipes vents all kinds of places a
32:28cat locked
32:29itself in the closet it must have hit the lash listen i'll call animal control no need i already
32:37asked security to come upstairs frank should be here any second mrs carter i was told there's an animal
32:45in the closet frank would you mind sir step aside oh oh it's locked from the inside see
32:55the cat must have jammed the lock we should just leave it there really it's probably terrified
33:00i lifted my phone put my thumb on the screen derek cats can't lock doors i tapped the screen the
33:08lock
33:08clicked open i looked at derek one last time he was shaking not a little his eyes were full of
33:15pleading
33:16but i was never going to give him anything again the door slid open a screen tore through the room
33:22megan ellis was curled up in the corner behind my winter coats her knees were pulled close to her chest
33:28while mascara ran down her face in thin black trails she was wearing the reformation dress no one spoke
33:35no one moved no one even breathed the silence lasted three full seconds so heavy as if it had weight
33:43texture and gravity then the room exploded people gasped someone cursed under their breath a glass
33:51shattered my mom covered her mouth in shock patricia let out a cry like an animal in pain
33:56derek's knees gave out he didn't sit down he didn't ease himself to the floor he just collapsed like a
34:04building coming down his knees hit the hardwood with a hard crack i stood over them my husband on
34:10the floor his mistress in my closet i looked at both of them cold spread through me all the way
34:17to my
34:17fingertips everyone i said my voice was steady precise like a surgeon's hand come take a look at the stray
34:24cat i turned and walked back into the living room the others followed in horrified silence megan
34:31scrambled out after us she was panicking words tumbling over each other it's not what you think
34:38i was helping with a surprise derek asked me to derek grabbed that lie like a drowning man grabbing a
34:46lifeline right yes she was planning a birthday surprise she was supposed to wear my dress i said without
34:56turning around the one you stole from my closet two days ago silence i walked to the tv picked up
35:02the
35:02remote and connected it to my phone then i turned to face the crowd derek says megan was here planning
35:09a
35:09surprise great then let me show you all a video of them getting ready natalie don't derek shot to his
35:17feet
35:17and munged at me my dad moved not fast not careful robert carter stepped between us like a wall derek
35:25slammed into his chest and stumbled back you touch her again my dad said his voice shaking with rage and
35:32i'll snap every bone in that hand derek sat down i pressed play the tv lit up 65 inches of
35:41high definition
35:42security footage megan walking through the front door a key fob in her hand my slippers on her feet
35:48my robe wrapped around her walking around my apartment trying on my clothes drinking my wine
35:55the audio filled the room every word was clear she really thinks you love her natalie's a machine
36:01she makes money that's all she does what about me baby you and me try becca your name on everything
36:12you
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