Maya didn't believe in snooping. She'd grown up watching her mother read too much into every glance, every silence from her father—paranoid, resentful, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maya had promised herself she'd be different.
And for the most part, she was. She trusted Liam. They'd been married for six years—together for ten. She knew the lines on his face, the way his voice tightened when he was holding something back, the subtle twitch in his jaw when he was stressed. She knew him. Or at least, she thought she did.
It was a Tuesday night, the kind that tasted like lukewarm coffee and faint exhaustion. Maya was curled on the couch, half-watching a rerun of *Modern Family*, her laptop open but ignored. Liam was in the bedroom, taking a work call—something about timelines and delivery targets. She could hear his voice through the cracked door, low and professional.
She wasn't looking for anything when she picked up her phone. Just boredom. Habit. A flick through Instagram. A scroll through Reddit. And then—a pop-up ad for a new dating app, Heart Match. She laughed quietly at the irony. She and Liam had met on a dating site back when apps were still a novelty. Something about the bright colors and sleek design of the ad caught her eye.
She clicked it. Not to sign up—just to see. Curiosity. Nothing more. The app downloaded quickly, and the sleek welcome screen asked if she wanted to "Browse as Guest."
Maya hesitated. Then, with a roll of her eyes at herself, she tapped "Yes."
The profiles began to roll in. Men in their 30s and 40s, trying too hard with bathroom selfies or trying too little with vague bios. Some looked harmless. Some looked desperate. She swiped lazily, swiping left on most, barely reading.
And then she froze.
A familiar face stared back at her.
Dark hair, a strong jaw, and that tiny scar above the eyebrow from a childhood bike accident. The same eyes that looked across the dinner table at her every night. The same man currently speaking in hushed tones from their bedroom.
Username: *NewHorizons77*
Age: 37. Married but "emotionally disconnected." Looking for someone to talk to. Discreet.
Her hand trembled. She dropped the phone onto the couch like it had burned her.
No. No, it had to be someone who just looked like him. A coincidence. A fake profile using his picture. She picked it back up, heart thudding like it was trying to warn her.
But the bio mentioned details only Liam would use. A joke about red wine and peanut butter. A quote from *The Matrix.* Favorite vacation spot: Cape Cod, "before it got too trendy."
Her lungs forgot how to breathe.
She stared at the screen, trying to make sense of it. It wasn't just a profile. It was a confession. An anonymous monologue of dissatisfaction and loneliness that he'd never spoken out loud to her.
And the worst part? She hadn't even noticed he was that unhappy.
Her thoughts raced. Was this new? How long had he been on there? Was he talking to someone? Meeting them? The idea sliced through her like glass. But the questions piled faster than the pain.
What had she missed? Was it the way he came home later now, or the way his phone was always on silent? Was it the longer showers, the new cologne he started using last month? The memory of their last date night—awkward silences and forced smiles—flickered in her mind like a warning she hadn't heeded.
The bedroom door creaked. Maya barely had time to toss the phone aside and pretend to adjust the blanket.
Liam stepped into the hallway. "Hey, everything okay?"
Maya nodded quickly, her voice too light. "Yeah, just zoning out."
He smiled—the same soft, tired smile she had once fallen in love with. "I'll grab some tea. Want some?"
She shook her head, her heart pounding as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Her eyes drifted back to the phone. To the betrayal that had just shattered the quiet illusion of their life.
But even through the shock, a strange thought took hold.
What if she messaged him?
What if she created a fake profile and found out why he did it?
What if, through this mask, she could see the truth of what their marriage had become?
She didn't know why, but the thought didn't scare her.
It thrilled her.
For the rest of the evening, Maya moved through her routines like an actress in a role she no longer recognized. She washed the dishes, folded the laundry, listened to Liam talk about his client meeting. She laughed in the right places. Asked questions. Kissed him goodnight. But inside, she was already building someone else.
By midnight, Liam was asleep beside her, the soft rhythm of his breathing steady and oblivious. Maya's laptop glowed dimly in the hallway. She wrapped a throw blanket around her shoulders and padded barefoot to the desk.
The app was still open. Waiting.
She created a new account. Username: *EveningMuse.* Age: 35. Bio: "Married but lost. Looking to connect. No judgment, just conversation." She uploaded a profile photo—stock image, nothing too glamorous. She made her interests mirror his: favorite movies, quiet books, a shared love for old video games.
She stared at the blinking cursor in the message box of *NewHorizons77*.
She typed: "Sometimes the silence between two people says more than words. Ever feel like that?"
Her finger hovered above *Send*.
And then, she pressed it.
Outside, the street was quiet. Inside, her heart thundered like she was jumping off a cliff.
The message was sent.
And the game—whatever this was going to become—had just begun.