After the Toasts

On our tenth anniversary, my husband's secure work phone buzzed. "Sorry, honey. Emergency callout." He looked so anxious that I did what I had always done and let him leave without complaint. One second later, my phone recommended a viral video with more than a million likes. Derek Foster's best friend, Mason Reed, raised his glass to the camera, drunk and grinning. "First toast to me. My buddy disappeared, so I stood in as the groom. "Second toast to me. He went on a date, and I told his wife he was at tactical training. "Third toast to me. He handed me his kid to raise, and I became a dad without doing any of the work." The comments exploded. Everyone praised Mason for creating the perfect comedy account. I couldn't laugh. Mason really was raising an eight-year-old boy alone. I called him. "Where are you?" His voice was thick with sleep, but he answered, "Out grabbing barbecue with Derek." I hung up, picked up my newest Birkin, and took a selfie in front of Derek's prized whiskey wall. Then I posted: "Trading in my husband. Thirty-six, seeking two eighteen-year-olds. Ambition optional. DMs open." Chapter 1 My post hit the trending page within minutes, and notifications flooded my screen. "Six feet tall, eighteen, passport ready." "What are the odds your husband murders us?" "Lonely cougar seeking attention? The internet really has everything." Plenty of the replies were much uglier. I stared at them without expression. The cold light from my phone sharpened the tear tracks on my face. Then the phone rang. Derek's urgent voice came through the speaker. "Honey, what was that post? Did you see the stupid video Mason uploaded? "I knew you'd read too much into it. It was scripted for views. Don't let it get in your head." My nails dug into my palm as I forced my voice to remain steady. "He sounded convincing. For a second, I thought Leo might be your son." Derek hesitated, then answered too quickly. "Evelyn, you cannot believe that. I swear to God. "If I'm lying, may God strike me down." The oath came fast and frantic. At almost the same moment, I heard the keypad at the front door. I stared at Derek in disbelief as he walked in. It was the first time an emergency callout had brought him home this quickly. He was frowning too hard to notice anything strange about my reaction. "I'll have Mason explain it himself." He put his phone on speaker and pressed it into my hand. "Evelyn? You saw my video, didn't you? Don't take it seriously. The whole thing was scripted. "I've posted crazier stories than that. Please don't let some dumb joke make you doubt Derek." Derek ended the call and kissed my forehead. "Feel better now, silly? You're the only woman I have ever wanted." I spoke softly. "When you had real emergencies before, you disappeared for three days at a time." "I'm sorry, honey. I did lie to you." My heart dropped. Derek pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. "There wasn't an emergency. I wanted to surprise you." A diamond necklace glittered inside. "Do you like it?" he asked carefully. I searched his open, untroubled expression. Suddenly, everything had an explanation. And yet the unease inside me only deepened. Seeing my hesitation, Derek unlocked his phone and handed it over too. "Inspect everything, Your Honor. I'll make you something to eat." I didn't open his messages. Derek offered me his phone often, and I had never found anything suspicious. On impulse, I opened his purchase history instead. Most of the orders were gifts for me or things he had bought for himself. My thumb was aching from scrolling when one charge caught my eye. Swan House Private Maternity Care. The order was dated eight years earlier. Cold spread through my body. With shaking fingers, I opened the archived conversation with the company. Derek had asked whether the residence could make the down-home Southern cooking, the biscuits and gravy and chicken-fried steak, that people grew up on in Calder Hollow. Mason had always claimed Leo's mother was an ex-girlfriend from the coastal town of Harper's Bay who abandoned the baby after giving birth. There would have been no reason to order Calder Hollow cooking for a woman from Harper's Bay. Then another woman came to mind. The widow of Derek's late academy mentor had grown up in Calder Hollow. Valerie Pierce. Everyone in Derek's unit had always gone out of their way to help her. I had met her too. She seemed gentle, quiet, and fragile. My fingers went numb as I opened her message thread. It was empty. But she had posted a new story thirty minutes earlier. "Celebrating my little man's eighth birthday! Thank you, Daddy, for the enormous cake. He has not stopped smiling!" Leo beamed at the camera in the photo. Beside the cake, a man's hand was lighting the candles. Around his wrist was the watch I had given Derek for our tenth anniversary. Chapter 2 I practically fled to the bedroom. I ignored Derek when he called me to eat. In the darkness, I felt his familiar warmth settle beside me. His breathing slowly became even. I opened my eyes. The face I had loved and trusted for ten years looked terrifyingly unfamiliar. His secure work phone sat on the nightstand beside him. I reached for it as carefully as I could. Our anniversary date failed. His birthday failed. Finally, my hands trembling, I entered Leo's birthday. The screen unlocked. The contacts list was empty except for one unsaved number. The call history showed that same number on every night Derek had supposedly been sent out on an emergency. All those years of duty, sacrifice, and honor had been a performance. Every callout had been another lie carrying him to a woman and child. I opened the photo gallery with shaking hands. It was filled with family pictures. Derek, Valerie, and Leo. One image had clearly been taken after Derek and Valerie slept together. They were half dressed and wrapped around each other. The room behind them was painfully familiar. It was the bedroom where I was lying now. My entire body turned cold, and I couldn't stop shaking. Derek and I had been married for ten years without a child. I had miscarried four times, each loss sudden and unexplained. I had blamed myself, and Derek had held me while I cried. "It isn't your fault. Maybe children just aren't in the cards for me, but I will always be here with you." The memory pulled a soundless laugh from me. Children had been in the cards for him all along. Early the next morning, I met with a divorce attorney. Afterward, I drove to Leo's school. From across the street, I saw Derek and Valerie waiting for dismissal. Leo ran straight into their arms. Derek held the boy's hand, wrapped his other arm around Valerie's waist, and bent to whisper in her ear. They looked like a real family. The tenderness of it made me sick. They entered a restaurant, and I took the booth directly behind theirs, separated by a high wooden divider. Derek's quiet laugh carried clearly. "Who upset my sweet Val?" "Who do you think? Your wonderful wife." My stomach clenched. Valerie gave an irritated little huff. "That post was shameless. Has she looked in a mirror lately? Who would even want her?" Derek lowered his voice, sounding annoyed too. "Forget the post. She probably did it to punish me." "Punish you? She is bored and desperate." Valerie laughed under her breath. "She lives like a single woman anyway. Of course she wants attention. You're the only person who still treats her like something precious." "You know who my precious girl is." A moment later, I heard their muffled breathing change. Through a gap in the divider, I watched Derek pin Valerie against the booth and kiss her hungrily. I covered my mouth and backed away until I reached my car. Derek came home that evening. He had even brought me flowers. He brushed a finger over my nose and spoke with familiar affection. "Evie, the department is holding a support luncheon for families of fallen officers next week. "I'll be home late, so don't wait up." I looked into his calm, honest-looking eyes. My own voice sounded unnaturally steady. "I'm coming too." Derek froze. "Those events are boring. It's mostly speeches and formalities." "Your mentor did a great deal for you. We should both support his family." Panic flashed through Derek's eyes. Then he smiled and placed food on my plate. "All right. Everyone should get to see how beautiful my wife is." I lowered my head and chewed food that tasted like nothing. Yes, Derek. Everyone was going to see. They were going to see exactly what kind of man you were. Chapter 3 The memorial luncheon had been set up to feel both solemn and warm. Derek stood beside Captain Ross, the precinct commander, in his dress uniform. The moment he saw me, he hurried over and lowered his voice. "You actually came? There is nothing for you to do here. Why don't you head home?" I wore my best coat, carried my nicest handbag, and smiled. "I'm already here. Supporting an officer's family is the right thing to do." The program began. Captain Ross spoke about Derek's late mentor and the other officers the department had lost in the line of duty. The room grew heavy and quiet. Eventually, the conversation turned to Valerie. Captain Ross patted Derek on the shoulder. "You have done a great deal for Valerie over the years. Thomas would be grateful if he could see it." People around the table immediately agreed. "Lieutenant Foster has always been loyal." "Valerie has had a difficult life. Thank goodness Derek has helped her." "Look at them. They might as well be married." Someone offered the last comment as a joke. Valerie sat on Derek's other side. She wore a modest cream sweater. Her reddened eyes made her look especially delicate. Every few minutes, she glanced at Derek with open dependence. At the teasing, she blushed and said softly, "I truly don't know what I would have done without Derek." Then she lifted her head and looked directly past him at me. There was nothing fragile in her eyes now, only triumph and challenge. "I'm also fortunate Evelyn has always been so understanding. Otherwise, I would be too ashamed to accept his help." Her gentle voice cut like a blade. Silence swept briefly across the table. Several people shifted with visible discomfort. Derek grabbed my hand beneath the table and whispered, "Don't read into it. She's emotional today. She lost her husband, so try to be patient." The panic in his face made my stomach turn. I slowly pulled my hand away without answering. I only smiled. After dinner and several rounds of drinks, the room relaxed. I raised my glass and stood. Every head turned toward me. I approached Captain Ross at the head table with a pleasant smile. "Captain, I'd like to make a toast." "First, though, I have a question. Is this city really so dangerous that Derek is called out in the middle of the night several times a month?" Captain Ross blinked and answered without thinking. "Called out? No. The unit has been quiet for months." The entire table went still. Derek shot to his feet and reached for me. "Evelyn! What are you doing?" I shook him off and walked onto the small stage. The screen behind me lit up with the presentation I had prepared. The first slide displayed a report. An independent DNA test identified Derek as Leo's biological father. The final slide played an intimate video, and unmistakable audio filled the hall. Photo after photo followed, leaving no room for denial. The room erupted in shock. I carried my glass to the center of the floor. My voice remained perfectly clear. "My first toast is to my husband, whose devoted care for his mentor's widow somehow carried him all the way into her bed and produced an eight-year-old son. "My second toast is to his best friend, who raised that son for eight years to protect Derek's reputation. What extraordinary loyalty. "My third toast is to myself. On my wedding night, my husband ran to his mistress and left his friend behind with his bride. "For all I know, the friend was expected to finish the groom's duties too. What a distinctive beginning to ten years of marriage." The audience sat frozen until Valerie screamed. "Turn it off!" Derek finally snapped out of his stupor and charged toward me.