Page 1 of Keeping Skylar
PART 1
Sydney, Australia
CHAPTER 1
Skylar
Two hours.
That’s how long I’ve been sitting in the driver’s seat of my Mazda, the clock glowing 2:30 am as I scroll through a string of messages on my husband’s burner phone. Months of secret conversations between Kaden and his mistress—a woman I once admired and trusted wholeheartedly. But now that trust is shattered, obliterated beyond repair. My tear-streaked eyes burn as I read over every explicit, intimate detail of their betrayal, each revelation another twist of the knife in my chest.
Baby! I get so hard thinking about devouring your body again,onemessage reads.I can’t wait for the day it’s me you’ll be waking up to,reads another.
My limbs tremble uncontrollably as I delve deeper into their endless message thread, every brutal exchange exposing the depth of their betrayal. A wave of bile rises in my throat, and I have to summon all my strength to swallow it back down.
This can’t be happening! How could they do this to me?My hand flies to my mouth, muffling the raw cries threatening to burst free as tears stream down my cheeks and jaw. The pain in my chest is suffocating, pressing down on me with unbearable weight, making it harder to choke back the sobs. Everything fucking hurts.
While I’m crumbling inside, they’re sleeping peacefully in their beds, probably dreaming of each other, without a care in theworld. All I want is to disappear, to curl up in a dark, quiet place and shut out this relentless nightmare until it’s finally over.
I pull my phone from the pocket of my sleep shorts, quietly switching on the camera. Positioning it towards my husband’s phone screen, I snap image after image, documenting every interaction between Kaden and his mistress from the past six months. After capturing the incriminating texts, I create a new folder labelled ‘Evidence’, carefully transferring all the photos into the file before saving it to my OneDrive.
For now, I’ll focus on gathering enough proof of his infidelity, just enough that there won’t be a shred of doubt left after this. It’ll be impossible for him to deny anything once I drop the bomb at his feet.
Clicking out of his messages, my index finger instinctively lingers over the photo gallery—knowing full well I’ll be entering dangerous territory. But a part of me, the self-destructive part, feels an irresistible urge to uncover everything I’ve been blind to.
Taking in a few deep breaths, I nervously tap on the icon, bracing myself from what I’m about to see, and will never be able to unsee again. My heart thrashes violently in my chest as I wait for the images to load one by one. After several agonising seconds, the photos load onto the screen, and I slowly close my eyes.
Yes, Skylar. You can do this! How much more can it hurt?Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I count to three before slowly opening my eyes.
Oh God!I was wrong. So very fucking wrong!
Seeing these images hurts a thousand times more.
A surge of anxiety courses through me, my fingers flicking frantically through the photos of Kaden and his lover. Each image sears into my mind as though it could burn holes straight through my eyes. It takes every ounce of willpower not to hurl the phone through the windshield.
Upon closer inspection, I realise that nearly all the photos, save for a few, were taken in public places—on the beach, at restaurants, shopping centres, bars, and natural reserves. It’s as if they didn’t even try to hide their affair.
One photo was snapped during a hike in the mountains, the two of them glistening in sweat on their sun-kissed skin as passers-by blur in the background. In another shot, they’re sitting side by side in a booth of a family restaurant. Kaden’s arm is looped comfortably around his mistress’s shoulder as they both smile lovingly at each other.How fucking sweet!
And if that wasn’t pure torture, the next photo is a selfie of the two of them lying on their sides on a couch together. The familiarity of the couch tells me the photo was taken inside his lover’s home. She’s leaning back against his chest; her smile aimed at the camera. Kaden’s arms encircle her torso protectively as he presses a gentle kiss to her temple—a sight that sends a sharp wave of pain flooding through me.
I nervously swipe to the next photo, expecting to be greeted with yet another cheesy cliché selfie, but to my complete and utter shock, a video with a click button icon in the middle flashes across the screen. My breathing stills.
Dear God, no!
My eyes brim with more tears at the sight of my husband, naked on top of his equally naked mistress lying on her back on the bed, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. It takes me no time at all to realise; I’ve just come across their sex video. Nausea builds, as my heart continues to shatter into pieces.
Oh my God! Oh my fucking God!
The phone slips from my hand, dropping onto my lap with a bounce. Quickly catching the device before it lands on the car floor, my free hand wraps around my throat, as I try to gasp for air. Every part of my body feels constricted. My stomach. My airways. My throat. Myheart.
Don’t watch it.Save whatever remains of your battered soul.
I chant these words over and over in my head, like a silent prayer. To see their betrayal play out before me, in a scene so explicit, so vivid, will destroy everything within me. I’m barely hanging on as it is. For my sanity, I decide to forgo watching the video, and stop sifting through the remaining photos altogether. My fractured heart can’t take anymore.
Instead, I lift my phone and snap photos of the images in Kaden’s gallery, quietly adding them to my ever-growing file of evidence. These will definitely come in handy when I divorce his sorry arse.
After this, there will be no room for pleading, no explanations to consider, and absolutely no chance for forgiveness. I’m done—completely, utterly done. He can keep his lies and bullshit excuses. I won’t waste a single moment of my time listening. Those two vile creatures are welcome to have each other.
