A Paris Affair Read Free

smiling.… Yes, I’m absolutely sure that you are—I can hear it in your voice—and I don’t think this is funny at all. Anyway … yes … I found some texts on his cell phone—Was I spying on him? Not at all! I’m not like that. Absolutely not. But his cell phone was just lying around.… Well, let’s just say I wanted to tidy up. He’s pretty disorganized, my husband. I wanted to pick up his office, and I noticed that he’d forgotten his cell phone there. I took a look at it, that’s all. Texts from a woman … love messages.… You suspected as much? Really, is it that common? Texts that haven’t been deleted?… Oh, okay. Why did he leave his cell phone in such an obvious place? I have no idea. If I had a lover, and there were compromising texts on my phone, I would never leave it lying around—What’s that? You think he wanted me to see them? He wants me to know that he’s cheating on me? I don’t follow you. Why would he want me to know?… Sorry? What are you saying? Because he … because he doesn’t love me anymore? No, I’m not saying anything else because I don’t know what to say. I’m just blown away by what you’re telling me—Did I take notes about the texts? Yes, of course. I copied them all down.… Read them to you? All right. Hang on a minute. Okay.… ‘My love, oh, my lover, the memory of those moments still burns within me. I live only for our next passionate meeting.’ And it goes on: ‘You are the king of my nights. You are my prince, my god, my sovereign, and I am your love slave.’ No, there’s more, I’m afraid: ‘Yes, you are the most beautiful lover in the world. You fill me with such delight. Every time I say your name, I feel a thrill run through my entire body.’ His name is Gustave. Oh, you find that thrilling, too? ‘I’ll wait for you at the usual place. I am madly in love with you. I can’t be without you. You drive me crazy. I will kiss you passionately, all over your body. Your loving and adoring Lili.’ Yes, they’re all signed ‘Lili. Your adoring Lili’! Ridiculous, isn’t it? Who is this Lili? I don’t know anyone named Lili. And I haven’t found anyone named Elisa or Liliane or Eulalie or Magali or even Val é rie in the address book on his computer. So, who can she be, this Lili? A girl he met at work? Someone I know, hiding behind a false name? As for the usual place, I imagine it’s her apartment. It can’t be my home, anyway, because I’m here all the time—A hotel? You think so? A love hotel? Yes, I know what you mean but, really, I can’t imagine Gustave in a love hotel. He’s not a love hotel kind of guy—What is a love hotel kind of guy? Well, I don’t know. Someone sleazy, I guess—What’s that? You still think he wanted me to know? What is it with you?… You’re stubborn. All right, I guess I’ll have to tell you the truth. It makes me ashamed, but never mind, I’ve gone this far.… You suspected I was lying? Well, you were right. Yes, I wanted to spy on his cell phone. And, as he always kept it on him, I had to be cunning. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I’m kind of nosy, like most women. I thought he’d been acting a little strange lately—Why? I don’t know, exactly—Had he changed his aftershave? Yes, he had, actually! Bought a new suit? How did you know? Coming home late at night? Whistling in the shower? Spending all his time checking his texts and hiding himself away to read them? Do you know him, or something? I’m impressed, madame.… Oh, the same thing happened to you? Really? Oh yeah? And what did you do, when you found out he was cheating on you?… You left him! I would love to leave him, madame, but where would I go? I don’t want to go back to my parents’ house, with my little girl.… You did that? Oh! If I don’t leave him, he’ll start again? Ah … So you really think I have to leave?… Uh-huh. And I have to tell him that I know? No woman should ever stay with an unfaithful