She was silent for a moment, then spoke again, this time with a coaxing tone. "Last night, Mike and I were really just working. Adam, we've been childhood friends for over twenty years. Don't you believe me?"
How was I supposed to believe her? The affair between her and Mike didn’t start last night—it had begun months ago.
I still remember the night I first got a hint of their relationship. Alice was in the shower when her phone, which she had left on the couch, suddenly rang. It was a video call from someone labeled as "Brother."
Thinking it was one of her cousins, I instinctively answered. To my shock, the screen revealed a shirtless Mike. The moment he saw me, he froze, his expression stiffening before he quickly ended the call. I sat there, feeling a mix of confusion and unease. When Alice came out of the bathroom, I told her about the call.
Her reaction was explosive. "Adam, who gave you the right to touch my phone? Do you have any manners?"
I was taken aback but quickly apologized. Only then did she bother to explain. "Mike rents a shared apartment. There's no air conditioning, so he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was calling me for work."