“What if she never comes out?” Samantha asks.
“We need to give it time.”
Twenty minutes later, the door opens. I turn and spot a beautiful brunette heading to the other car. It’s not Sasha. I shouldn’t be surprised that he has moved on already and has someone living with him. He never truly loved me. For him, it was all about having someone he could control.
Once the brunette leaves, we wait five minutes before we move toward the house. My eyes scan the exterior. Tyler never had any security cameras, but that could have changed. Although, as I scan, I don’t see any. I move the gnome by the front door and grab the key.
“You’re kidding me. He hides a key right there?”
“I never said he was smart.”
I unlock the door, and we walk in. The moment I step inside, I freeze. It looks the same. And being trapped here comes back to me. I try but can’t get any air into my lungs. Finally, I lean against the wall and slide to the floor.
“Willow! Look at me!” Samantha demands.
I focus on her.
“Breathe in. Then out. Slowly.”
I follow her instructions, and slowly, my heart stops racing and I can breathe again.
“I should have realized it would be too much for you to come back in here.”
She’s right that it’s hard, but I can do this. Even though right now, all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry. Instead, I force myself to lead her to the spare bedroom, which Tyler used as an office when he had to work from home. And just like six months ago, he has a computer set up on the desk.
Same password. I get into the files. It almost feels too easy. After locating the videos, we watch the first part of a few.
“Wait, I recognize her,” Samantha says. She frowns. “But it doesn’t make any sense why she’d be outside of Portland having sex with this random guy.”
“Who is it?”
“She’s a big-time influencer. But her platform is based on family values. She and her husband are very involved in the church.”
“And how do you know of her?”
Samantha scrolls through her phone and then turns it for me to see. “She has the best makeup tips. See, it’s her.”
I watch the influencer’s video, and I can’t deny that it appears to be the same woman.
“I’m going to copy all the videos.” Samantha slides a USB stick into the computer as I take in the rest of the room.
My eyes go right to the purple elephant on the shelf. It was a gift from my mom when I was a child. It had always been special to me. I hate that I had to leave so many things behind when I left. I grab the elephant and shove it into my purse.
I leave the office and walk around the house. I left jewelry here as well. I find it in a box in Tyler’s dresser and grab it.
“Here’s another one!” Samantha says.
I walk back to find her grinning.
“It’s that woman’s best friend. I can’t believe this. Willow, I can take care of this guy with just these videos. Are you okay with that?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a site known for gossip that I can submit these to. They will take it from there.”
I’m not fully sure what she means by “take it from there,” but if it stops him from what he’s been doing, I’m in.
“Yes.”
