He'd deleted Kitty from his contacts right in front of me once, a grand gesture to prove his sincerity, to keep me from overthinking or getting jealous.
So what had I just seen?
Water hit the bathroom tiles, the sound sharp and distinct.
Instinct told me Darren wasn't actually showering.
After a moment's hesitation, I reached for the laptop on the nightstand.
He'd stayed up too late on a video call the night before and had forgotten to log out of WhatsApp.
Probably because I never touched his things, the screen wasn't locked.
I tapped the icon, and the breath stalled in my chest.
Since the wedding, Darren had only ever called me by my nickname, Jules, whether in conversation or in his contacts.
The only time "baby" slipped out was in the heat of the moment.
But his name for Kitty in his contacts was Wifey.
The chat window was still refreshing, their conversation updating in real time.
"Honey, why aren't you answering me? Don't tell me you've actually caught feelings sleeping with that little tramp?"
"Don't forget, Juliana Henson's marriage certificate with you is FAKE. I'm your wife. The one the law actually recognizes!"
Half a minute later, Darren replied.
"Stop being paranoid. Why would I fall for someone who's been throwing herself at me?"
"I only went the extra mile to get her pregnant faster. If you could carry a child yourself, I wouldn't need her as our surrogate, and I wouldn't have had to stage a divorce to keep my parents off our backs."
"Once the baby's born, she's served her purpose. I'll drop her the second it's over."
Only then did Kitty calm down, placated enough to send a kissing emoji.
"Hmph, who told her to cling to you since they were kids? She should take a good look in the mirror."
"I want Juliana to know that a parasite like her, someone who latches onto the Farley family using her parents' sacrifice, is only good enough to be our breeding tool."
"But babe, every time I think about you being with her, I get so mad... How about I mess with her a little? Let me blow off some steam, okay? Otherwise I'm going to stress myself into a tumor."
A moment later, Darren's reply stabbed into my eyes.
"Whatever. Just don't actually hurt her. Can't have it affecting her ability to conceive."
My fingers clenched so hard they went white. My whole body shook and wouldn't stop.
I still remembered how I'd felt the day Darren handed me that marriage certificate.