- 8 hours ago
The Key Fob
Category
🎥
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
00:27together 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 key
00:43fad no 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
02:02me 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 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 like
02:37a
02:37machine warming up i didn't know what it was yet i would derrick got home at 7 30. he dropped
02:45his
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've just been slammed
03:18lately
03:19i probably tossed it in some drawer somewhere you know how it is he was already moving toward the kitchen
03:24trying to put space between us trying to end the conversation i'll stop by the building management
03:30office tomorrow and get a replacement no it came out too loud too sharp like i'd stepped on his tail
03:38he saw my face and recently dialed it back forcing a casual smile giving me a light shrug i mean
03:44those
03:44things cost like a hundred bucks right i'll look for it this weekend it's probably behind the night
03:48stain or something a hundred dollars my monthly co-op fees were 4200 and he was panicking over a
03:54100 key fob you sure of course he walked over and rested a hand on my shoulder his palm was
04:02warm
04:03familiar babe you've been stressed lately you're reading way too much into this don't worry i've got
04:09it i let him touch me pulling away now would tell him too much and i wasn't ready to show
04:14my hand okay
04:16i watched his shoulders loosen like air leaving a tire then he turned and headed for the kitchen
04:22already lighter already convinced he'd gotten away with it a man with nothing to hide would not panic
04:27because his wife mentioned replacing a key fob i set the magazine down my jaw was tight my pulse was
04:34steady and the machine inside my chest kept humming louder i waited until two in the morning derek was
04:41dead asleep his breathing filled the dark bedroom slow and even i reached for his phone on the nightstand
04:48passcode 0714 my birthday he'd never changed it that tiny cruel detail lodged between my ribs like a pen
04:58his texts were clean call log normal photo library standard his social media accounts were locked behind
05:07a three-day recovery setting everything had been wiped down neat controlled spotless i opened amazon and
05:15checked his orders protein powder phone charger running shoes i was about to close the app when my
05:23thumb hit the edge of the screen and a menu popped up i almost missed it archived orders people always
05:30forget 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 carat rose gold 2400 dollars shipped to derrick's office in murray hill recipient megan ellis
05:54the air left my lungs like i've been punched megan ellis 22. she'd been at derrick's firm for three
06:02months as a junior assistant last month i met her at a team dinner she wore a white dress had
06:08wide glossy eyes
06:10and a voice sweet as syrup she offered me the shrimp with an eager smile and told me i was
06:16even prettier
06:16than derrick said then she leaned over to refill his juice her eyes held as a second too long i
06:23noticed i
06:24noticed but i told myself not to because that's what love does it sands down the sharp edges until they
06:31fit a
06:32story you can live with on the drive home that night i brought her up casual light your new assistant
06:38is
06:38pretty 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
06:53where it was then i laid down and stared at the ceiling my throat burned my eyes burned every cell
07:01in
07:01my body wanted to shake him awake and ask who is she what is she to you what have you
07:07done but i didn't
07:09because all i had was a missing key fob 17 entry logs and a hidden jewelry order circumstantial and men
07:17like derrick could talk their way out of circumstantial all it took was the right smile the right tone and
07:23one soft little babe you're overthinking this i needed more i needed proof that couldn't be explained
07:29away the kind that hit one nerve and brought a man down on the spot i took a deep breath
07:34let it out
07:35slowly counted my heartbeat until it steadied part of me is stupid royal girl i used to be the one
07:42who
07:42first kissed him in washington square park in my early 20s was still screaming you're wrong this is
07:48nothing he loves you he's always loved you go back to sleep i could feel that girl dying inside me
07:56little by little i'm sorry i couldn't save her the next night derrick came out of the shower with a
08:03towel
08:03around his neck hair still damp i stood at the vanity brush in hand watching him through the mirror
08:09assistant at your office megan how's she doing in the mirror his hand paused over the hair dryer
08:17just for a second then it kicked on hot air filling the room megan his voice lifted over the noise
08:25convenient she's great crushed it on the henderson account total go get it
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 something
08:54shiny or they tune you up he walked over wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on
08:59my
08:59head you're not jealous are you not no she works on my team that's all he kissed my cheek come
09:09to bed he
09:10walked away i set the brush down his performance was flawless every pause every inflection precision built
09:18but he didn't know something about me something almost nobody did i don't trust words i stopped trusting
09:26them when i was 12 after my grandfather's funeral when my father pulled me aside and said natalie
09:32listen to me people say what they want you to hear i've known derek for eight years and tonight in
09:40front of
09:40that mirror all he did was perform at two in the morning i slipped out of bed barefoot the apartment
09:46was pitch dark city light spilled through the windows laying silver bars across the floor i moved
09:51through my own home like a ghost six months earlier i'd installed a small security camera on the bookshelf
09:57back then we had a cat and i liked checking in on her during the day later she went to
10:02live with my
10:02parents in connecticut the camera stayed where it was unplugged forgotten behind a row of hard covers
10:08derek had forgotten it existed i pulled over a small step stool climbed up and found the camera
10:15tucked behind east of eden and a coffee table book on italian architecture it was coated in dust i brushed
10:21it off my hands were steady even though my heart was pounding so hard it felt loud enough to carry
10:26through the walls i plugged it in the red light blinked once then came alive i adjusted the angle full
10:32view
10:32of the living room the front door the hallway to the bedroom no blind spots i opened the apple
10:38on my phone the feed loaded in sharp green night vision my couch my coffee table my front door
10:46my home reduced to a surveillance feed i climbed down put the stool back and slipped into bed derek was
10:53still asleep in his sleep he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer i let him lying
11:00there in
11:01the dark in the arms of a man i wasn't sure i knew anymore i made a promise to myself
11:05if the camera
11:06caught nothing i would delete the footage and never bring it up again i'd book us a trip i'd try
11:12harder
11:13i'd tell myself it was stress exhaustion maybe paranoia but it was all just in my head but if it
11:20caught something my jaw locked so tight my teeth hurt if it caught something i wouldn't cry i wouldn't scream
11:27i would destroy him so completely he'd spend the rest of his life trying to figure out what exactly
11:31happened three days nothing happened day one rosa mopped the floors derek watched espn in bed by 11.
11:40day two empty apartment derek reheated leftovers scrolled his phone day three same thing normal by friday
11:50afternoon i was sitting in my office staring at the live feed of an empty living room feeling insane
11:55sunlight stretched across the leather couch a speck of dust drifted through frame
12:00the most dramatic thing that had happened in three days was rosa knocking over a vase
12:05maybe i really was losing it i closed the app and forced myself back to work
12:10maybe 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
12:19at 3 30 my assistant knocked on the door
12:22natalie the westfield deal hit a wall they need you in hartford tonight it's a two-hour drive
12:28meetings 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
12:42was running i froze one foot in the entryway one still in the hall steam drifted out of the bathroom
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 skin flushed from the heat he saw me and went completely still and for one naked second
13:16i saw it on his face real fear not inconvenience not surprise the kind that hits when you realize
13:25you've been caught in the center of something not near the edge of it his eyes widened his mouth parted
13:30every muscle locked then the mask dropped he smiled warm concerned perfect nat you're home early work trip
13:40hartford hartford i need clothes my voice sounded normal i still don't know how i thought your
13:47meetings went till six they got moved up wrapped early came home to relax he was already opening his
13:54arms coming toward me you should have called i would have picked you up i'm fine i walked past him
14:01into
14:01the bathroom he didn't follow but i could feel his stare burning into the back of my neck the room
14:07felt
14:07like a sauna the mirror was fogged over every surface shimmered with condensation i scanned the
14:14counter his razor my skin care everything arranged exactly where it should be then i saw the body
14:21cream la mer 300 i bought it two weeks ago i used it the way people use something that costs
14:29300
14:29dollars with restraint with reverence with reverence a fingertip at a time i picked it up my stomach
14:35dropped it was almost weightless it should have been three quarters full instead it was nearly empty
14:42i held it up to the light tilting it a thin smear clung to the bottom that was it two
14:49weeks 300 gone
14:52derrick didn't use body cream in eight years he never had someone had been in my bathroom not
14:59passing through not as a guest someone comfortable enough to stand there and use my 300 cream like it
15:05was drugstore lotion in a gym locker room my hands started shaking i set the jar down turned on the
15:12faucet
15:12and splashed cold water onto my face i watched it spiral down the drain and breathed again again again
15:21until the shaking stopped i dried my face i walked out i packed in under three minutes kissed derrick
15:28on the cheek let him wheel my suitcase to the elevator let him press the button tell me to drive
15:33safe and
15:34wave as the door slid shut the second they closed i collapsed against the metal wall my reflection stared
15:40back at me in the brushed steel doors a woman with red eyes and a jaw tight enough to crack
15:44stone the key
15:45fob the necklace the four o'clock shower the empty jar this wasn't suspicion anymore by nine i was in
15:53hartford i didn't unpack i didn't turn on the lights i sat on the hotel bed in my coat and
15:59opened the
16:00camera app with shaking hands the feed loaded derrick stretched out on the couch sweaty phone in hand
16:07scrolling endlessly laughing at something on his screen a man with nothing on his conscience and
16:13nowhere else he needed to be i watched for 10 minutes 15 minutes my eyes burned my body was exhausted
16:21but
16:22my brain wouldn't stop i was just about to close the app just about to tell myself again that i
16:27was out of
16:27my mind then the speaker on my phone caught a sound beep the electronic chirp of the front door unlocked
16:3410 47 p.m my heart stopped i felt it one hard useless beat inside my chest i felt my
16:42life split
16:42cleanly in two at that exact moment derrick on the screen heard it too but he didn't flinch he didn't
16:48jump up he didn't grab a weapon didn't call the police and didn't do any of the things a man
16:53does when
16:54a stranger opens his front door at almost 11 at night he sprang off the couch like he'd been waiting
16:59for that sound all evening his expression changed the boredom vanished instantly replaced by an emotion
17:05i knew well but hadn't seen directly to me in a long time want hunger joy he practically ran into
17:12the
17:12foyer the door opened the girl walked in young early 20s wearing a white bodycon dress stiletto heels
17:21she tossed a small blue object onto the entry table without even looking the key fob my key fob
17:28she tossed it down casually like she'd done it a hundred times before she bent down and picked up a
17:34pair of pale pink silk slippers by the door my slippers the pair derrick had given me for my
17:39birthday last year she threw her arms open crossed the last three steps and launched herself into derrick's
17:45arms baby i missed you i knew that voice i'd heard that same voice tell me you're even prettier than
17:52derrick said offering me shrimp wearing a sugar sweet smile megan ellis derrick caught her lifted her
17:59up and kissed her neck jesus you took forever i was dying over here i had to get ready besides
18:07your
18:07wife's gone for the week we've got plenty of time relax derrick laughed he scooped her up carried her
18:15through the living room into the primary bedroom my bedroom door slammed shut the screen showed an
18:21empty living room her heels abandoned on the floor the blue key fob glinting under the lights
18:27i stared at it until my vision blurred hot tears welling up like a spring burning down my cheeks
18:32my thumb found derrick's contact and hovered over the call button every nerve in my body screamed at
18:37me to dial to make him hear me breaking to force him to explain beg lie do something anything because
18:43the silence was crushing me my finger trembled over the screen no i closed my eyes and i pressed the
18:50phone to my forehead i let myself cry i let out ugly broken sobs burying my mouth in the hotel
18:55pillow so
18:56no one next door would hear i gave myself five minutes five minutes to be the girl who loved him
19:01then i stopped i wiped my face blew my nose i sat up straight if i called now he'd know
19:09i was watching
19:10him he'd destroy the evidence he'd build a flawless lie before sunrise and i'd be left looking like the
19:16paranoid wife who destroyed herself over a misunderstanding no i was going to document
19:21every second every visit every word they were sleeping in my bed under my sheets using my things
19:28laughing at me every single night when i had gathered enough evidence i would walk into a
19:33room packed with every person he had ever tried to impress and project these videos onto a screen the
19:38size of a wall he wouldn't suspect a thing he would walk out of my life with absolutely nothing
19:43i opened the app i hit record i worked until dawn i didn't go back to the apartment the next
19:50morning
19:51i called derrick 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 i
20:01sat in
20:01my hotel room with every light off the security feed glowing on my phone screen room service sat
20:07untouched on the table i couldn't eat my stomach was clenched so tight it wouldn't let anything in
20:12at 9 38 pm the front door unlocked she walked in like she lived there she kicked off her heels
20:19and
20:19slipped into my slippers moved quietly into the kitchen opened my fridge pulled out a bottle of
20:25sancerre i'd been saving for friday night with my husband she poured herself a glass derek came up
20:31behind her wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his face in her neck she laughed and pushed his
20:37hand
20:37away let me have one sip first you can drink later unbelievable she took a long sip set the glass
20:45down
20:45and turned his arms i want to try on more of her clothes tonight that valentino in the back of
20:52the
20:52closet the black one go ahead she has amazing taste megan pulled open my walk-in closet like she was
20:59browsing a boutique her fingers moved across my clothes pausing on fabrics checking labels too bad her
21:06personality doesn't match does she seriously do nothing but work and sleep is that it derek dropped onto my bed
21:14my bed the two thousand dollar mattress i bought because of my back he stretched out hands behind
21:20his head and watched megan undress natalie's basically a machine she knows how to make money that's her
21:28function everything else nothing no warmth no fun no spontaneity living with her is like living with
21:36a really efficient appliance my throat closed nausea rolled through me i watched megan try on three of
21:43my dresses she modeled each one turned posed asked derek what he thought he gave lazy little opinions
21:49like a man flipping through a catalog my hands were shaking so badly the image shook with them so i
21:55propped my phone against a pillow locked both hands between my knees and watched them disappear into the
21:59bedroom together while the living room went dark and silent by the second night something deep inside
22:05me had cracked megan was stretched across my couch with her head in derek's lap eating strawberries out of
22:10the ceramic bowl my mother gave us as a wedding gift the one with the hand-painted blue rim she'd
22:15flown it in from ohio wrapped in layers of bubble wrap because she'd been terrified it would break
22:19you think she suspects anything not a chance natalie's sharp in business but when it comes to me
22:24she doesn't question me that's the beauty of it i've played the perfect husband for eight years
22:29you could knock on her door and introduce yourself and she still wouldn't believe i was cheating
22:34what if she finds out she won't and worst case scenario i walk away with half the apartment
22:42that place is worth four million now two million to end a marriage i'd sign those papers with a smile
22:49megan rolled over and looked up at him and then what you and me we get a place in tributa
22:55rooftop full service building this time my name goes on the deed your name goes on everything she
23:02hooked a finger in his collar pulled him down and kissed him i watched all of it from a hotel
23:09room two
23:09hours away through a fire screen that blue ring full sat on the coffee table while my husband promised
23:15another woman like it was to give away this time i didn't cry something had changed over those two nights
23:22something fundamental shifted inside me like a bone snapping back into place the grief was still
23:27there it sat in my chest like a shard of glass cutting deeper every time i breathed but around it
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 my
23:57home 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
24:43my life with nothing left no money no legal claim no dignity then let's talk about what you have
24:51she tapped the flash drive in new york divorce doesn't automatically mean a 50 50 split the apartment
24:58was yours before the marriage it's in your name and you paid for it he has no claim to the
25:04principal
25:04he might try to go after the post-marital appreciation but with this footage a cheating
25:10spouse caught on camera planning to steal his wife's assets no judge in this city would give
25:14him a glass of water let alone a settlement what else claire raised an eyebrow i opened my bag and
25:21pulled out a second folder inside were 12 months of bank statements every withdrawal circled in red
25:27two hundred thousand dollars taken from our joint account over the last year he said it was
25:32business expenses investment opportunities and loans to college friends i laid the statements out
25:38in front of her it all went to offshore gambling sites sports betting online poker blackjack he lost
25:46every cent claire picked up the statements and started reading her face stayed unreadable but her jaw
25:52tightened there's more i placed the last file on her desk three weeks ago he applied for a five
25:59hundred thousand dollar private loan to secure that loan he submitted a document with my company seal on
26:06it as collateral but he never had access to that seal so he faked it claire read the document twice
26:12when
26:12she looked up her eyes were sharp that's corporate forgery if money moved electronically that can become wire
26:19fraud federal charges three to seven years i know you want to go to the police not yet i leaned
26:28forward
26:28because of his gambling i get my money back and cut off any claim he has to our joint assets
26:34the forged document is my backup if he fights the divorce if he stalls i hand this over to the
26:40police
26:40and we can negotiate from a holding cell claire studied me for a moment when will you move out
26:46on my birthday two weeks from saturday my heart was pounding but my voice stayed calm i'm throwing
26:53a party at the apartment our families his co-workers our friends everyone who matters to him will be in
27:01that
27:01room you want to serve him at the party i want the footage playing on the 65 inch tv in
27:06my living room
27:07in front of everyone he's ever tried to impress
27:11then i hand him the papers by then he'll sign anything and if he doesn't i tapped the forgery file
27:19then he can sign in jail claire took out a fresh legal pad tell me exactly how you want this
27:25to go
27:26we worked for three hours when i left her office the sun was dropping over midtown manhattan and the
27:32sky looked like it was on fire i stood on park avenue with my bag on my shoulder and felt
27:37something
27:37i hadn't felt in weeks control over the next 14 days i built the trap carefully derek handled the
27:44party himself the catering the liquor the flowers even the cake he was excited babe it's just that
27:51simple celebrating 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 and one
28:02signal for me meant no one was getting out a smart lock on the bedroom closet that i could control
28:06with my
28:06phone and my phone synced to the tv via bluetooth the footage showed that megan ellis came back twice
28:12over the next two weeks the last time two days before the party she pulled my reformation slip
28:17dress out of the closet the one derek gave me for our anniversary i'm keeping this it's yours he said
28:24i saved the clip added it to the file and closed my laptop my alarm went off at five on
28:30the morning
28:30of my birthday i lay in the dark beside derrick breathing deeply in out in out today i felt calm
28:40not a fragile forced calm but a deep grounded one like every decision had already been made i got up
28:47i showered i put on my best dress i did my makeup with a steady hand tonight 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
29:13derrick's parents came first his mom patricia wore a silk blouse heavy gold jewelry and high heels
29:20her shoes clicked across my hardwood floor as she looked around the apartment with the pride of
29:25someone who thought she had arranged it herself his dad came in behind her silent as always then my
29:31parents arrived my dad robert wore a navy blazer he stood straight carrying the calm of a man who had
29:38spent 30 years picking lies apart my mom wore beige cashmere she looked elegant but her eyes were sharp
29:44then came derrick's co-workers our college friends my business partners 23 guests gathered in my living
29:52room filled with laughter champagne and the easy hum of conversation that comes with a successful life
29:57derrick was incredible there was no better word for him he took coats for me refilled glasses led my
30:03mom to the best seat in the room and told my dad the knicks looked good this season he placed
30:08one hand
30:08at my waist and said the same thing to every guest who walked in i'm the luckiest man in the
30:12world
30:13natalie sweetheart 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 slightly
30:39not 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 derrick 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 derrick's plan
31:19thank you all so much for coming this is the best birthday ever people smiled and raised their glasses
31:25derrick stood beside me smiling too before we cut the cake i want to show you something
31:31derrick's been getting a little surprise ready for me in the bedroom and i think now is the perfect
31:36time to open it
31:40nat the bedroom's not ready it's a mess let's stay out here a little longer don't be shy
31:45everyone come with me i walked toward the primary bedroom and all 23 guests followed
31:50derrick stumbled after us his eyes darting around sweat already beating on his forehead i opened the
31:56bedroom door the bed was neatly made the curtains were closed and everything looked perfect thud a
32:03dull sound hit from inside the closet something had slammed against the door derrick threw himself in
32:09front of the door arms spread wide pressing his back against it sweat darkened his shirt under the
32:14arms his smile was the worst i had ever seen it's a cat a stray cat got in somehow
32:22derrick we're on the 32nd floor i know i know but city cats are crazy they get into pipes vents
32:27all
32:27kinds of places a cat locked itself in the closet it must have hit the lash listen i'll call animal
32:34control no need i already asked security to come upstairs frank should be here any second
32:42mrs carter i was told there's an animal in the closet frank would you mind sir step aside oh
32:51oh it's locked from the inside see the cat must have jammed the lock we should just leave it there
32:57really it's probably terrified i lifted my phone put my thumb on the screen derrick cats can't lock
33:05doors i tapped the screen the lock clicked open i looked at derrick one last time he was shaking not
33:13a little his eyes were full of pleading but i was never going to give him anything again the door
33:19slid
33:20open a screen tore through the room megan ellis was curled up in the corner behind my winter coats
33:26her knees were pulled close to her chest while mascara ran down her face in thin black trails
33:31she was wearing the reformation dress no one spoke no one moved no one even breathed the silence lasted
33:39three full seconds so heavy as if it had weight texture and gravity then the room exploded people gasped
33:47someone cursed under their breath a glass shattered my mom covered her mouth in shock patricia let out
33:55a cry like an animal in pain derrick's knees gave out he didn't sit down he didn't ease himself to
34:01the
34:01floor he just collapsed like a building coming down his knees hit the hardwood with a hard crack
34:07i stood over them my husband on the floor his mistress in my closet i looked at both of them
34:14cold spread through me all the way to my fingertips everyone i said my voice was steady precise like a
34:22surgeon's hand come take a look at the stray cat i turned and walked back into the living room the
34:28others followed in horrified silence megan scrambled out after us she was panicking words tumbling over each
34:35other it's not what you think i was helping with a surprise derrick asked me to
34:43derrick grabbed that lie like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline right yes she was planning a birthday
34:49surprise she was supposed to wear my dress i said without turning around the one you stole from my
34:58closet two days ago silence i walked to the tv picked up the remote and connected it to my phone
35:04then i turned to face the crowd derrick says megan was here planning a surprise great
35:10then let me show you all a video of them getting ready natalie don't derrick shot to his feet and
35:17munged at me my dad moved not fast not careful robert carter stepped between us like a wall derrick
35:25slammed into his chest and stumbled back you touch her again my dad said his voice shaking with rage
35:32and i'll snap every bone in that hand derrick sat down i pressed play the tv lit up 65 inches
35:41of high
35:42definition security footage megan walking through the front door a key fob in her hand my slippers on
35:48her feet my 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
Comments