Cleo returned home earlier than expected. The apartment was unusually quiet.
She went upstairs slowly, her footsteps barely making a sound against the tiled floor. Her room was also quite.For a moment, she considered calling Mathias, but then her eyes caught something .... Mathias phone on the table, blinking with a notification ... .
that's unusual.
Her heart skipped. She moved closer and reached for it. To her surprise, it wasn't locked. For years, Mathias had always kept his phone secured, private,locked and unreachable. Today, it was on the table without a lock.
Cleo swiped the screen. The first voice she heard made her freeze.
It was Mathias, speaking intimately. And then there was another voice …Nat's, their cleaner.
Cleo's eyes widened. Her mind refused to accept what she was hearing. Tears of betrayal and doubt rolled down her cheeks with sudden speed. She kept watching, unable to look away.
The video showed them close together, their actions intimate, their movement wasn't like the first time.
Every gesture, every laugh, every glance screamed infidelity, and Cleo's heart shattered.
Tears began to run down her cheeks as anger mixed with disbelief. Her hands shook. How could he do this in their home? In their marriage? And he had recorded it.
Mathias' footsteps made her flinch. He had returned, entering the room just as she held the phone. Panic flashed across his face as he lunged to grab it.
"You don't have any right to invade my privacy!" he barked.
Cleo stood her ground, with fury burning in her chest. "Oh, your privacy is public now," she said, moving to forward the video to her phone.
Mathias tried to snatch the phone from her, but Cleo's desperation overrode her fear.
They struggled briefly, their hands clashing over the device. Finally, with a swift, decisive motion, Cleo smashed the phone against the wall. Pieces scattered across the floor, and only the SIM card was salvageable.
"You are heartless, Mathias," she spat, tears streaming.
He tried to find words, stammering. "I… I didn't know it was… recording," he muttered, eyes darting for an excuse.
Cleo's voice shook, raw and cold. "Mathias, we've been married seven years. All I've ever done is try to understand you, to stand by you. And every day, you give me a reason to hate you."
"I… I care about you, but I don't know what's wrong with me," Mathias said, his voice faltering. "Not that I wanted to do this, but I… I don't know how to stop. Please forgive me. Maybe I need help."
"You want to play the victim, but I'm not buying it," Cleo said, her eyes blazing.
"I'm… sorry, Cleo," Mathias begged, taking a step closer.
But Cleo was beyond words. Her fury had taken control.
"Mathias, women are simple creatures," she said, her voice sharp. "We just need love and attention. If you love us, you show it with your actions. But when you keep making fools of us, cheating, lying… there will be consequences. Do you understand?"
"I'm not justifying my actions," Mathias said quickly, "but… you've been nagging lately, always finding faults. I needed something… to take my mind off it."
"How about I go out to cheat on you to take my mind off the cheating I caught you doing?" Cleo asked, her tone icy.
"It's different. I'm a man, and you are a woman… but please, Cleo, forgive me," Mathias pleaded.
"Leave. I want to be alone," Cleo said firmly.
Mathias hesitated, then silently turned and left the room.
Cleo sank into a chair, her chest heaving. She picked up her phone and dialed Mary.
"Mary, please… come. I need to see you," she said, her voice tight with emotion.
"Is everything okay?" Mary asked.
"Yes… just come," Cleo replied.
"I'll be there early tomorrow," Mary promised.
Cleo hung up and bent her face in her hands. Tears streamed freely as she tried to steady herself.
She whispered to herself, softly but firmly, "Wipe your tears, Cleo. He doesn't deserve them."
For a long moment, she sat in silence, the apartment around her empty, still, suffocating.
Or should I divorce him? she asked herself quietly.
No. Not yet, she answered herself.
Her mind replayed everything: the video, the betrayal, the arrogance. The heat of anger still burned in her chest.
The storm inside her wasn't over. She is determined to confront every piece of the truth, Cleo rushed downstairs.With rage, almost reckless.
She arrived at the cleaning supply closet where Nat usually kept her belongings. But the space was empty. Nat had already packed her things and left quietly, leaving no trace of her presence.
Cleo's fists clenched. Anger, frustration, and helplessness collided inside her. She had wanted confrontation, answers, maybe even a chance to express her fury to Nat. Now, all that remained was the echo of betrayal and an empty apartment.
She began to talk to herself.
"I, Cleo, will not let anyone take my place in this house. I've come to stay, and this is not the usual story of a wife running away from her husband's side chick. I won't leave this marriage without a fight."
She continued talking to herself with a determined voice.
Cleo took a deep breath, trying to regain control. She picked up her phone again, wiping her tears, and whispered to herself, "The heat is already on… but will Mathias stop?"
This is the beginning of this heat.