AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Matt stopped, leaning into the doorway in a way that emphasized his lithe but muscular physique. As if he was taunting her, showing her what she would be throwing away. As if he knew what was on her mind. As if he was daring her to put it out there.
Chloe took a deep breath and opened her laptop. “You want to explain this?” she said.
He didn’t move. “Explain what?”
Chloe twisted the computer toward him. “This.”
“What is it?” He remained stubbornly where he was, glancing only briefly at the screen.
“You really going to make me spell it out?”
“Apparently so,” he said. Then, “What is it you think you see, Chloe?”
“I don’tthinkI see anything,” she said, fighting to stay calm, to keep her growing anger in check, even as she felt her voice rising. “Iknowwhat I’m seeing. I’m seeing your picture on a fucking dating site. On a whole bunch of them.”
“Please watch your language and lower your voice.”
“Don’t tell me to lower my fucking voice.”
“Do you want to wake up the kids? Do you want them to hear their mother swearing like a truck driver?”
“Do you want to explain this?”
“No, I don’t. I’ve been working my ass off all day and night. I don’t appreciate coming home to a bunch of crazy accusations.”
“Crazy accusations?” Chloe lifted the laptop off the kitchen table, waving the screen toward him. “Are you seriously going to deny this is a picture of you?”Please deny it! I’m begging you to deny it. I’ll find a way to believe it. Just say it’s all a big misunderstanding, that you can explain everything.
“What are you doing on a dating site?” he asked instead.
“What?”
“You heard me. Are you checking out guys behind my back?”
“Are you kidding me? You’re actually trying to turn this around?”
“You can’t troll these sites without being a member,” he said, moving quickly to the table, commandeering her laptop, and quickly tapping on the keys. Seconds later, Chloe found herself staring at the selfie she’d taken this morning and submitted along with a brief profile.Outgoing and curious.Loves kids and traveling.“Well, what do you know?” he said. “Look who we have here—looks like the pot calling the kettle black.”
Chloe fought to retain control, even as she felt the ground giving way beneath her. “I’m not the one who needs to explain anything.”
“I think you do.”
“Fine. I’ll explain. At least Icanexplain. I joined these sites this morning after some woman called to tell me you were on them…”
“Some woman being Paige Hamilton? You know how that bitch is always trying to stir up trouble…”
“Paige isn’t a bitch, and it wasn’t her. I don’t know who it was. It doesn’tmatterwho it was. What matters is that you’re on these sites, pretending to be single…”
“What matters is that you joined these sites to spy on me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“You don’t trust me, Chloe. You never have.”
“Don’t you dare make this about me.”
“You’ve always been insecure and needy, no matter what I do, no matter how hard I work or try to please you, to reassure you…”
“This is your way of reassuring me?” Chloe brought her hands to her head, as if to keep it from exploding. The conversation was becoming increasingly surreal. “By looking for women online?”
