Unbothered, he nodded and left, humming as he clutched his phone. Moments later, the familiar chime of a Instagram notification filled the air.
I opened the message and saw the address for the gold shop. It was in the same mall where I had seen him buying lingerie for Paula.
I closed the app. My face was cold and unreadable, when suddenly, a friend request popped up from an unfamiliar account.
[Paula Keith]: “Ian insisted on buying Lloyd a pair of gold bracelets. I tried to refuse, but he got upset and said I was treating him like a stranger.”
I stared at the screen, stunned. Accepting the request out of morbid curiosity, I barely had time to process her message before more notifications flooded in.
[Paula Keith]: "Sherrie, is Ian this generous with you and your child? Don’t worry, I won’t take it for free. When your baby turns one month old, I’ll give you a pair of longevity locks."
[Paula Keith]: "Oh, wait, such locks shouldn’t just be given away. What a shame."
This was followed by an emoji that seemed to laugh so hard it brought tears.
My head buzzed. My chest tightened as I gasped for air, trembling all over.