Chapter 4

Mia's POV

The dim light of the flat I stood in felt like a cocoon. I had found it by chance just a couple of days ago after discovering my selfish husband's betrayal. The place was opposite my own home, which I shared with him. We had bought that place only a year ago; it was supposed to be our forever home, our happy place. Yet, now, it wasn't. It was tainted with his lover's touch. Even now, as I stood with my camera tightly in my hands, I could observe the man I had sworn my life would be spent alongside, the man I had bowed to love in sickness and health.

I aimed the lens at the kitchen window, drawing in a deep breath as I forced myself to spy on my husband. I knew he was there. Colin and I had followed him on the GPRS after he had finished fucking Erin. I wondered how Colin could remain so calm knowing that the woman was his fiancee, his childhood sweetheart. She was cheating on him with my husband. It hurt me to know how James could stoop so low and yet that wasn't all. He had the nerve to have another woman in our home.

"Are you ready, Mia?" Colin stepped forward and placed a mug of steaming hot coffee on the table behind me.

"Hmm, I suppose I'm as ready as I will ever be," I muttered, not bothering to look at him. He stood beside me, a reminder of his loyalty to me even though we barely knew each other. We shared this pain of betrayal and determination to make them see justice.

"I am here. Don't worry." Colin's voice broke through my nerves. I glanced at him, noticing how serious he seemed.

"Yes. I know. Thank you." I nodded my head and forced down the rising bile of anxiety that was enveloping me like a blanket. "I have to do this," I affirmed, needing the self-assurance—a mantra that resonated in my mind."I want to drag his arse through that divorce and be done with him. He will know how much he has hurt me." I clenched my fist and grunted.

"You are doing great so far," Colin said encouragingly.

Focusing on the cameras, the lens zoomed in further to my house, the kitchen. I recalled how excited James and I had been to choose that kitchen, right down to the tiles and colour of the walls.

Suddenly, movement caught my eye, and I gasped, almost dropping the camera. James and Sarah appeared in my view. It looked as if they were laughing, and she threw her arms around his neck as he scooped her up onto the kitchen side.

It made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. How could he do that to me in my own home? Didn't he care about me deep down in his heart? He had no shame.

"Take the photo, Mia." Colin urged me as I took a deep breath to compose myself.

"This is it." I breathed. Pressing the button continuously, capturing the moment my husband ran his hands down her body, and then it was that I noticed the nerve of that bitch. She was wearing my nightgown. I shuddered at the thought of her going through my own personal items. It was good for nothing now, only the bin.

The way James caressed her breasts and kissed up and down her neck sent me into a frenzy of nausea. He hadn't touched me for months and this was the reason.

Was this shit for real?

"Oh my god," I murmured, closing my eyes for a second and fighting back the tears. "He is doing it with her. Not just Erin but his damn secretary. That arsehole!" My mind raced, desperately trying to rationalise this moment that felt both surreal and damning.

"Let's stop for a while." Colin insisted, noticing my discomfort, and his face was etched with concern. I sensed his protective nature and smiled weakly. Why could someone who hardly knew me show me such kindness, yet my own husband could forget that I existed whilst he poked other women behind my back like a serial sexaholic?

I shook my head, unable to speak because I knew my words would get all choked up in the back of my throat.

"Do you want to keep going?" Colin glanced at me, his voice heavy with concern. His respect for my journey was evident.

"I need to see it all. I can't go home and face him. I can't pretend everything is okay and normal between him and me. Not after this."I finally manage to splutter.

"Are you sure? It's okay if you want to stop," he said calmly.

"No. I have to have proof; I have to know the truth." My words came out more forcefully than intended, a rush of anger mingling with anxiety and fear.

"Okay, but just remember you're not alone in this. I know how you feel, and I am here." Colin replied in a soft tone that only made me feel more emotional.

I nodded, grateful to him that I wasn't facing this reality alone. "Thank you, Colin. For everything." I whispered. Glancing back at the window, I felt my heart hammer in my chest, and my knees weaken a little more. James. My James was now fucking that whore. I watched as he was thrusting himself into her, and I could imagine the screams of pleasure that would be echoing off those walls.

The camera slipped from my grip, landing heavily on the floor like the ache in my heart, like the final nails in the coffin of our marriage. "No," I gasped, realisation flooding my senses as the betrayal washed over me like icy waves. "This can't be real." I shut my eyes tight, willing the scene to disappear, but when I reopened them, he was still there, a living reminder of the love I thought we shared.

Colin approached me cautiously, his concern palpable. "Mia, let's take a break," he suggested again, his voice low and soft. I could tell he worried about my emotional state and how easily the pain could overtake me. "Come on. I won't take no for an answer this time."

"I feel so humiliated, Colin," I choked out, the words barely making it past my lips. "He... he has everything I've given him. And now this?" I I felt my eyes brim with tears of betrayal and anger, the torrent of devastation suffocating me.

"I know," he replied gently, stepping closer, offering his comforting arms as a refuge. "You didn't deserve this, Mia. You deserve someone who sees you and appreciates you for everything you are." And as I looked up at him, I realised how close his lips were to mine. I wondered how it would feel to kiss him.