My Husband Used My Color Blindness to CheatChapter 1

I catch my husband cheating because I hang up the wrong pair of boxer briefs.

To be exact, I just grab the wrong color.

Because I'm red-green colorblind.

That afternoon, Ethan leaves in a rush. From the front hall, he calls back, "Babe, the boxer briefs by the laundry sink, can you hang them on the outside rail? They need air."

I forget for about fifteen minutes.

When I finally go to the laundry room, there are two pairs by the sink. Same brand. Same style. Different colors I can't tell apart.

I pick up the one closest to me and hang it on the balcony.

After that, I light a cigarette and step outside.

That is when I make eye contact with a woman sitting in a black car downstairs.

I think she is a neighbor, so I nod.

At eleven that night, the smart lock beeps.

The woman from the black car walks in like she lives here.

She changes shoes, drops her keys on the entry table, and does not even see me sitting on the couch.

With her back to me, she starts unbuttoning her coat and laughs toward the bedroom.

"Baby, I saw the green pair. Your wife isn't home."

The bedroom door opens.

Ethan steps out in pajama pants.

When his eyes meet mine, every bit of color drains from his face.

I look toward the balcony.

So that is what it means.

Red means the wife is home.

Green means the wife is gone.

And that day, I hang the wrong one.

For once, I finally get something right.

Paige Wells freezes by the entryway, one hand still on her coat button.

She clearly does not expect to walk into her lover's apartment and find me, the actual wife, sitting there.

Ethan reacts first.

He does not yell. He does not explain.

He walks straight to me, takes the cigarette from my fingers, and crushes it in the ashtray.

"Nora, your stomach's bad. Don't punish yourself like this."

His voice is steady, like I have caught him leaving dishes in the sink, not cheating on me in our home.

Paige stands by the door, pale and stiff.

"Ethan, I, "

Ethan looks back at her.

"Go."

Paige does not move. Her eyes flick to me, like she expects me to jump up and slap her.

I look down at the gray slippers on her feet.

Three months ago, I bought two pairs. One gray, one navy.

Ethan laughed at me then.

"Why would you buy two colors that close? You can't even tell them apart."

Later, the gray pair went missing.

I thought he threw them out.

Now I know he saved them for someone else.

I ask him, "How many times has she been here?"

Ethan's expression shifts.

"Do we have to do this right now?"

He takes my hand. His palm is still warm.

"Nora, tonight is my fault. I admit that."

"You can be mad. You can scream at me. I'll take it."

"But my dad checks into the hospital at seven tomorrow. His surgery is the day after. Let's not drag this in front of him."

My parents died when I was young.

In the seven years I have been married to Ethan, his father, George, has been genuinely good to me.

Every birthday, he bakes for me himself.

When he learns I can't tell red from green, he changes every color-coded label in the house.

Back then, Ethan wraps his arms around my neck and says, "You don't have to tell colors apart. Just trust me. I'll do it for you forever."

Now he uses the colors I can't see to open the door for another woman.

I pull my hand out of his.

"Got it."

Ethan pauses. Then he looks relieved.

He turns to Paige. "Leave. Don't contact me again tonight."

Paige bites her lip. When she passes me, she lowers her voice.

"Mrs. Whitmore, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were home."

I look up at her.

"So if you knew I wasn't home, it was fine to come in?"

Her face goes white.

Ethan steps between us at once, his voice dropping.

"Nora. Enough."

The door closes.

Ethan crouches in front of me and touches my knee.

"Don't look at me like that. You're scaring me."

His eyes turn red fast.

"I'm not saying I don't love you. I've just been a mess lately."

"You know what's been going on. My dad's surgery. Work. Everything at home."

"Paige just… she was there at the wrong time."

I let out a soft laugh.

"She was there all the way into our bed?"

His face tightens.

"Nora, don't make it ugly."

"Is the ugly part what I said, or what you did?"

Tears sit in his eyes, but they do not fall.

He waits for a long time. Then he stands.

"I'll sleep in the guest room tonight. You should cool off. Tomorrow, Dad's still going to need you."

At the door, he turns back.

"Nora, I know you won't abandon him."

When the guest room door closes, I take out my phone.

Tonight's recording, the balcony photos, the smart lock entry log, I upload everything to my cloud drive.

Four months ago, I noticed Paige's car parked downstairs.

Ethan told me she was a new neighbor.

I believed him once.

The second time, I checked the building security footage.

The third time, I hired a lawyer.

Tonight only gives me the final piece.

I open my messages and text Ms. Carter.

We can file.

She replies fast.

Are you sure?

I look at the empty spot in the shoe rack, where the gray slippers should have been.

I type back.

I'm sure.