The third showed them walking away from the rest of the group. I looked at the pictures for several seconds before setting my phone down. I didn't call Karen. There was still room for an explanation. The next morning Samuel called again.
"We've confirmed the man's name, Aaron Bennett. " "Keep going. " "We followed them to his hotel last night. " I waited. "They entered together around 12:40 a.m. " "And? " "They didn't come out until 8:15 this morning. " There wasn't much left to wonder. Still, I kept my voice steady. "Do you have photos? " "You'll have them within 5 minutes. " The pictures arrived one after another. Karen and Aaron walking into the hotel.
Karen leaving the elevator on his floor. Karen and Aaron coming out together the next morning wearing different clothes than the night before. I stared at them. Then locked my phone. By Saturday evening, Samuel called again.
They're together again. They're still seeing each other? Yes. This time they had dinner at a steakhouse before walking through an outdoor shopping area. Another set of photos arrived.
Aaron bought Karen a silver necklace. He fastened it around her neck himself. Then, he kissed her. Sunday morning brought the final report. "They spent both nights together," Samuel said.
"We've documented everything with timestamps, photographs, surveillance records were available, and witness statements. " Anything else I should know? Samuel paused. There is. What? "Aaron Bennett is married. " I leaned back in my chair.
"Good," I said. He sounded surprised. "Good? " If this ends up in court, the truth won't only belong to me. I thanked him, ended the call, and immediately scheduled the first appointment with a divorce attorney for Monday morning. Karen was due home later that evening.
She had no idea our marriage was already over. Karen walked through the front door around 8:00 that evening, carrying a shopping bag and wearing a smile like she just come back from any normal weekend. "There he is," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "I missed you. " I hugged her back just enough to avoid making a scene. "Glad you made it home. " She handed me a small box.
"I brought you something. " Inside was a Vegas keychain with a tiny poker chip attached. "You didn't have to do that," I said. "I wanted to. " She rolled her suitcase toward the bedroom and started telling me about the trip. "You wouldn't believe Jessica. She wanted to stay out until 3:00 every morning. " I nodded.
"We mostly stayed together the whole time, ate way too much food, lost a little money at the casino. Typical girls' trip. " Every sentence was another lie. I already knew exactly where she'd been. Later that evening, while Karen unpacked upstairs, my phone buzzed. Samuel.
"The full report has been delivered to your email. Hard copies are on the way. I'll look at it. I sat in my office and opened the file. It wasn't just pictures.