I hurried to the bedroom and answered the call. "You're something else, you just left me hanging earlier with no answer whatsoever to my questions! What happened at work?"

"Sorry, there was a huge problem at work. It's a long story my dear, I just finished dealing with it. That's why I'm calling you back now." Sarah sounded exhausted. "Come to think of it. Why are you complaining? Do you think my life is as easy as yours?"

I didn't know what to say, but I couldn't hold back anymore. "You said you saw Jake three days ago. Where was he? What time was it?"

That question had been stuck in my head all day.

Sarah was quiet for a second. Then she said, "Honestly, I don't remember exactly where it was. I just saw him really quick while I was driving."

"Oh." I felt disappointed by her answer, even though I didn't know what I wanted to hear. My heart sank, but I unclenched my fists. My palms were cold and sweaty.

I laughed a little and wondered if I actually wanted Jake to be cheating on me. Did I want proof that something was wrong?

No. Of course not. Jake was everything to me. I was scared of losing him.

"I can tell how obsessed you are with your husband," Emma said. "You get all excited whenever I mention Jake. Can't you think about yourself more? Lily is in school now. You should do something for yourself instead of just staying home."

"Don't tell me you're planning to be in Jake's shadow for the rest of your life, being just his wife and nothing else. I think you're losing yourself. You're so disconnected from everything else because Jake is your whole world," Sarah said, making mockery of me.

I smiled awkwardly. "But Jake said..."

"See?! There you go again. Jake said this, Jake said that. Was I wrong when I said you're obsessed with him? Your whole life is about him. Everything he says is the law. If he told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it? If he sold you to someone, would you help him count the money?" Emma didn't hold back her words.

"Don't say things like that! Jake would never do that to me!" I said back, in Jake's defense.

"You're right. Your precious Jake would never sell you. But I might!" Emma said sarcastically. "Listen, the truth hurts sometimes. But you need to have your own value. Your life can't just be about wifing, cooking and cleaning. That's not love. That's being a slave."

"It's only love if he respects you as a person. How can you keep him interested if all you do is housework? Let me ask you something. Besides being a mom and a wife, do you even know who you are anymore?"

Emma kept talking, and I just couldn't argue.

She noticed I was quiet and her voice got softer. "Chloe, I want to see you confident and happy again. You used to be so smart and successful. I hate seeing you waste your time at home like this."

"Okay, okay. You slap me in the face and then give me a compliment. I know someone made you angry today, and now you're taking it out on me," I said.

We both laughed.

But I knew Emma always told me the truth, even when it hurt. She'd said things like this before, but today it felt different. I felt anxious and wondered if Sarah was trying to tell me something without saying it directly.

Just then, Jake knocked on the door and walked in with a smile. "Babe, dinner is ready!"

Emma heard his voice through the phone and said, "Okay, go eat your dinner." Then she whispered, "Think about what I said. Really think about it. And don't let pretty words blind you to the truth."

She hung up.

Jake pulled me into his arms and kissed me. "Who was that?"

"Emma."

"What did she want? Was she lecturing you again?" Jake smiled warmly. He knew Emma and I were super close because all three of us went to college together.

"I haven't seen her in a really long time." He added.

My brain started spinning. Jake said he hadn't seen her in a long time. So Emma must have been far away when she saw him. I felt relieved. I was definitely overthinking everything.

"What's wrong?" Jake noticed I was distracted. He leaned down and looked at me. He touched my face with both hands and kissed me, looking worried. "What are you thinking about?"

He was looking at me so carefully, and I snapped out of my thoughts. I smiled and said, "Nothing. Let's go eat."

Jake pulled me close and kissed me again, then kissed my forehead. Then we walked to the kitchen together.

But somehow, my doubts felt heavier than before.