I preheated the oven before returning to the cutting board, shifting around the kitchen as if I were ice skating in the Olympics. My mother’s gnocchi bolognese was no joke, and timing was as much of the recipe as the ingredients. Even with immense detail and coordination, my mind couldn’t help but drift back to the DM I received earlier that night.

Most mistresses that expose their unfaithful partner chose the path of a long paragraph text message or a friend of a friend delivering the bad news. I guess my fiancé was boinking a private investigator. Not only did I receive a concise paragraph, but my DM also came with a zip file folder that contained: audio recordings, doorbell footage, message receipts, and banking transactions.

Holding a large knife, I began chopping bell peppers with speed and graceful dexterity.

“Ooh, another one of your mother’s meals?” Blake chimed in through deep sniffs. If he enjoyed anything in our relationship, it was my cooking.

“Nothing beats it, we’ll have something to look forward to for our lunches this week.” I barely muttered through my concentration. The hardest part was not chopping, but keeping a level head when all I wanted to do was scream.

“Great! I’ve got that work thing tonight, but I’ll try not to get stuck late. I’ll see you in a few hours.” He said halfway out the door already. I had told him to be careful and not interrupt me when I was in the kitchen before but I could tell his absence of any affectionate words towards me was pushing us farther apart.

I smiled, lifting my head briefly from my chopping board before refocusing on the boiling noodles behind me. The door to our garage closed and with it, Blake was gone for the night. I paused, sticking the knife into the cutting board. My mind racing with thoughts on whether he even had a work event at all. Looking back at the knife, I could see my reflection in its stainless steel blade.

I texted the mistress back. “Do it.” Before dropping my phone to the counter.

If he wasn’t going to love me, he wasn’t going to love anyone.