My hands and feet went ice-cold. My stomach turned inside out. I dropped to my knees on the side of the road and threw up until the world went dark around the edges.
When I turned to walk back, I didn't cry.
But my legs were so weak I could barely stand.
I made it out of the side road and called a car.
In the backseat, I buried my face in my palms. My eyes were bone-dry and burning.
One deep breath. Then I dialed my best friend's number.
"Lucinda."
"Are you free right now?"
"Just got back from the courthouse. What's going on?"
"David's cheating on me."
Lucinda Simmons went silent on the other end for a full ten seconds.
For a top-tier attorney, that was practically falling apart.
"You're sure it's David?"
"Five eights on the license plate. He called the boy Pete to his face. The boy called him Daddy."
"Send me the photos."
I sent everything. Photos and video.
Another ten seconds of silence.
"Ellie, go home. Don't say a word. Don't do a thing."
"Don't touch his phone. Don't confront him. Don't let your face change."
"Back up the photos and video three times. Once to the cloud, once to me, and hide the third copy somewhere safe."
I murmured an acknowledgment.
"I'll look into the woman," Lucinda said.