The Crack

The bright lights of the charity gala blinded Luiza for a moment, but as she gazed into the camera, her smile faltered for a fraction of a second. Beside her, Jack Draper's eyes sparkled with his usual charm, but Luiza's trained gaze detected a flicker of tension in his shoulders. It was a tiny crack in the façade of their perfect life, and Luiza's intuition seized on it. Five years of marriage had built a life that seemed enviable to their friends and acquaintances. Jack, a rising star in the tennis world, and Luiza, a former model, had created a beautiful home in London, filled with love, laughter, and their one-year-old son, Lucas. But as they posed for the cameras, Luiza couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. It had started with small things – a missed call, a delayed text, a late-night practice session that ran longer than usual. Luiza had brushed it off as stress from Jack's tennis career, but the nagging voice in her head had grown louder over the months. She had tried to push it away, focusing on her own work and taking care of Lucas, but the doubts lingered. As they left the gala and headed home, Luiza's mind wandered back to the unease that had been plaguing her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt like she was walking on eggshells, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The tension between them was palpable, and Luiza wondered if she was just being paranoid. The next evening, as Jack was getting ready for bed, Luiza found herself scrolling through his phone, a habit she had developed over the years to stay connected with his busy schedule. Her eyes landed on a text message from a number she didn't recognize. Her heart sank as she read the words: "Can't wait to see you in Melbourne. -S" Luiza's world crumbled around her. She felt like she had been punched in the gut, and her breath caught in her throat. The name Sophia meant nothing to her, but the context was clear. Jack was having an affair. She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed on the phone in her hand, as if willing the screen to change, to erase the message and restore her innocence. But it was too late. The crack in their relationship had grown into a chasm, and Luiza wasn't sure if she could bridge it. Jack walked into the room, oblivious to the turmoil brewing inside her. "Hey, everything okay?" he asked, noticing her pale complexion. Luiza forced a smile, her mind racing with questions and emotions. "Yeah, just tired," she lied, handing him the phone. As Jack took the phone from her, Luiza felt a pang of guilt for snooping, but it was quickly overshadowed by her anger and hurt. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew that their perfect life was about to shatter into a million pieces. The sound of Jack's gentle voice, asking her to come to bed, was like a distant echo, as Luiza's thoughts spiralled out of control. She lay awake that night, her mind reeling with the implications of what she had discovered, and the devastating truth that her husband, the man she loved, was leading a double life. The crack in their relationship had become a fault line, and Luiza wasn't sure if it could be repaired.