From first glance, Eleanor and James’s twelve year long relationship was nothing less than healthy. Having met through mutual friends, anyone else wouldn’t have thought they would last so long. Like any other couple did, they argued every so often. None of the little fights mattered at the end of the day though, as they were all each other had.

             It wasn’t until a little after their ten year anniversary that those small, once meaningless arguments soon turned into longer, more stubborn ones. Eleanor was a receptionist for a doctors office, while James had recently taken over a generational family-owned law firm as head lawyer.

            Eleanor wasn’t ever subconscious about her and James relationship being in jeopardy. As far as she thought, James wouldn’t dare to put her in a spot to think any different. Although one day, when Eleanor had called up to James’ office, the voice on the other end of the line was not his. Infact, it was the voice of a young and overly kind woman. “Mr. Kennedy is currently away in a meeting right now, but i’ll put in a word for when he gets back ma’am, what’s your name?” Eleanor had never heard this voice before, so she was taken aback. Right in that moment on the phone, it felt like a million thoughts racing through her mind. “I-” Eleanor was stunned, and paused for a split second. She composed her anxiety filled brain before speaking again. “It’s not an important matter” .

            Eleanor became hyper-paranoid after that phone call, but never confronted James out of denial and for the sake of their relationship. She didn’t know how she would approach the situation, nonetheless even fully thinking the exchange through. 

           In the following months, James’s behavior and daily routine started slowly shifting, which soon became obvious to Eleanor. His work schedule gradually became longer, and before she 

knew it he would only be present at night. Some days, the two would only exchange very few words to each other. 

               Eleanor felt hopeless and used. She didn’t have any friends or family to go to with this ordeal. Her worst fear had been appearing to become a reality more and more everyday. The connection she had with James was drifting, and she felt impulsed to find out more. James’s phone and computer were the only things Eleanor could think of that would help her in finding any evidence against him.

            One night while James was asleep, Eleanor decided that it was time. Her plan was set into place after days and days of contemplating and deliberation. She layed silently for two hours just to ensure that the man laying next to her was fast asleep. 

          Eleanor slowly rose from her left side of the bed they shared and was sure not to make a single noise as she crept to James’s side. From there, she took his phone off the nightstand and the charger, but soon realized that a fingerprint would be needed to unlock the phone.

         James shifted in his sleep which caused Eleanor’s breathing to halt. “I have to get this over with.” She thought. Just to Eleanor’s luck, James’s hand was hanging off the bed at an angle where she would be able to unlock his phone. With the phone now being unlocked, Eleanor felt as if a pound of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders. 

          That feeling didn’t last long, as James’ infidelity was being uncovered by Eleanor's own eyes. With a couple taps and clicks, her demeanor and feelings of denial were shot down. Past memories flooded her mind all at once, along with the burning feeling that she couldn’t recognize. 

         Eleanor couldn’t bring herself to look at any more texts from the unidentified woman whose name was Erica Smith. She wondered why James would do something so sabotaging to the relationship they once had. Among the many emotions Eleanor felt towards the situation, the one that stood from the rest was fury; It was at that moment she knew she had to leave. 

             With racing thoughts, she packed very few valuables to her name in a duffle bag while still remaining quiet. Eleanor checked the time, three AM. She had a plan in place and was aware of the risks she would make in her future life if it went south. Eleanor made her way into the kitchen and thought about a certain way she could pull off this plan.

               Eleanor looked around their house one last time, figuring that that would be the last time it would ever be in a perfect condition ever again. She took her things and set out to her car, not wanting to encounter any second thoughts. After a couple of trips from the car back to the house, Eleanor made her way back into the kitchen. From there, she made sure all heated appliances were set to high. Eleanor knew the outcome doing this could bring, but in the moment felt it was justified by James’s wrongdoings to their relationship, and her heart. With no afterthought, she fled out to the car and drove with no destination in mind.