After dinner, Chloe went to the bathroom. When she came out, the podcast had been replaced by Kind of Blue. Her blue mug was in the dishwasher. The garlic bread had been scraped into the trash.
She started investigating.
Chloe said nothing.
Behind her, the turntable clicked off. Then on again. Then off.
Chloe knew the house before she knew the man. She had seen it in an old magazine spread from 1987: “A Masterpiece of Isolated Ambition.” Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a slate-gray lake. A staircase of raw steel and white oak. Every angle sharp, every shadow intentional. -ENG- Until Chloe- the New Wife- Falls Uncensored
“Did you buy me this?” she asked, holding it up.
She flipped pages. “She doesn’t like Coltrane. How can anyone not like Coltrane? I played it for Elise on our first date. Chloe is wrong. I will make her right.” “The blue mug. She puts it on the left. Elise put hers on the right. I moved it back. Chloe didn’t even notice for three days. That’s how little she pays attention.” “If Chloe loved me the way Elise did, she would become her.” Chloe closed the notebook. Her hands did not shake. They went very, very still. After dinner, Chloe went to the bathroom
She stepped out onto the porch. The gravel bit her bare feet.