The Secret Bill

I was on a business trip when I got the text: the power bill was past due. A wave of confusion washed over me.
The bill was insanely high for this month, which made no sense. My wife and I were both out of town. The apartment should have been empty.
I opened the utility companys app and checked the daily usage. Sure enough, there was a steady draw every single day, and it wasnt small. It looked like someone was running the air conditioner around the clock.
I called my wife, Chloe. "Hey, when are you getting back?"
Her sweet voice chirped on the other end. "Probably not until next week. It's been raining nonstop, so the project's delayed. What's up? Miss me?"
I told her I missed her too, but my fingers were already booking the first flight home for the morning.
My own project had wrapped up early anyway. I decided not to tell her I was coming back ahead of schedule.

1
That exorbitant power bill was the first alarm. My immediate thought was that someone had broken in. I pulled up the smart lock app on my phone.
But after checking the access log, I saw nothing. The door hadn't been opened a single time in the last two weeks.
My mind raced. Maybe a neighbor had messed with the wiring, siphoning our electricity. But this was an affluent area. It seemed beneath the residents here to commit a felony over a few hundred dollars on a utility bill.
Still, I couldn't think of any other explanation.
Since my project was done, I caught the earliest flight the next morning and headed home.
The apartment was empty, just as I expected. Chloe wasn't there.
I checked the drawers where we keep our valuables. Nothing was missing. That ruled out a simple burglary. Then I opened the closet. All of Chloe's usual work clothes were gone. She was definitely on her business trip.
After some thought, I went down to the building's management office and asked them to check the wiring to my unit.
"My power bill is through the roof," I explained. "The apartment's been empty, but we've racked up a three-hundred-dollar bill in two weeks."
The security guard on duty, a young guy with a friendly smile, nodded. "You got it, sir. I'll get an electrician up there for you right away."
I led the guard and the electrician upstairs.
The moment we got to the utility closet in the hall, I knew my neighbor-thief theory was dead. The meter box was locked. No one living in a building like this would go to such lengths just to steal a little electricity.
I was back to square one. If it wasn't a wiring issue, what the hell was going on?
The electrician opened the panel and, after a few minutes of checking things over, turned to me. "Sir, I've had a look. There's nothing wrong with your circuit."
I nodded, scrambling for a plausible excuse. "Okay, thanks. We must have forgotten to turn off the AC before we left."
The security guard smiled, revealing two prominent canines that gave him a boyish look. "Alright, sir. Just give us a call if you need anything else!"
I nodded back.
Back in the apartment, I searched every room again, turning the place upside down. There was no sign that anyone else had been there.
Was the place haunted?
I was lying on the bed, exhausted, when I heard the front door click open.
I shot upright, grabbing the heavy vase from the nightstand and ducking behind the bedroom door. Was it the person who'd been squatting here?
But then I heard the familiar rattle of a rolling suitcase.
I lowered the vase and stepped out. It was Chloe.
Her face lit up when she saw me. "Honey! You're back early too!" She threw her arms around me, burying her face in my chest.
I was confused. "I thought you said your project was delayed."
"It was," she said, pulling back. "The rain in Austin just wouldn't let up. We were just wasting the company's money sitting around, so our boss sent us home."
I nodded. That made sense. Her work was primarily setting up outdoor exhibitions.
A second later, she looked at me with a playful smile. "So, what about you? What's your excuse for coming home early?"
It's not that I'd never had a flicker of doubt about Chloe, but I'd never found anything to substantiate it. Besides, she was also linked to the utility app; she'd see the bill eventually. I decided to tell her the truth.
"The power bill was crazy high, even with both of us gone," I said. "I was worried someone had gotten in, so I came back to check. I didn't want to worry you."
To my surprise, Chloe giggled. "Oh, that! It's because we forgot to turn off the AC when we left! I only noticed it yesterday and shut it off remotely."
A wave of relief washed over me. So it was all just a false alarm.
But later that night, after dinner, something still felt off. I opened my network manager app and checked the connection history. There was a new device listed: an iPhone 16 Plus.

2
My blood ran cold. Someone had been in our apartment. So why did Chloe lie?
And if someone was here, how did they get past the smart lock without leaving a trace?
I didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, I went back down to the management office. The friendly guard with the canines wasn't there; a different guard wearing glasses was at the desk.
"Can you tell me if I've had any visitors recently?"
My apartment is a full-floor residence, so checking the elevator security footage for my level is easy. The guard pulled up the recordings for the past two weeks.
We watched the footage. Nothing. Not a single person got off on my floor. This was getting bizarre. Could the network manager app be bugged?
I was distracted and unproductive all day at work. When I got home, I collapsed onto the sofa in a foul mood.
Chloe came over, her hands behind her back, and snuggled up next to me with a grin. "What's wrong, honey? Why the long face?"
I frowned, about to push her away, but she suddenly revealed what she was hiding. A brand new phone.
"Ta-da! I was going to wait for your birthday, but you've seemed so down lately, I decided to give it to you early!"
My eyes went wide. I couldn't believe it.
It was the first new phone Id ever owned since we got married. I always got Chloe's hand-me-downs when she upgraded. Even though we could easily afford it, she was always frugal when it came to electronics.
I was so happy I was speechless. "Is... is this really for me?"
Chloe beamed. "Of course! My husband works so hard. You deserve a little reward, don't you think?" She leaned in and planted a loud kiss on my cheek.
A wave of euphoria washed over me, instantly followed by a pang of guilt.
Damn it. My wife was so good to me, and here I was suspecting her of cheating.
As for the router thing, it was probably just a neighbor piggybacking on our Wi-Fi. Or maybe the app was just glitchy.
I tore off the plastic wrap and powered on the new phone. I wanted to transfer everything from my old one. But as I went to log in with my Apple ID, I saw that an account was already signed in.
That was impossible. I had just broken the seal myself. How could it have been used before?
Did Chloe get scammed? Did she buy a refurbished phone to save a few bucks?
I stood up, ready to ask her what was going on. But then I stopped. Too many strange things had happened lately. Should I confront her now?
I hesitated. A new, darker curiosity took hold. I wanted to know who the phone's original owner was.
I opened the photo album, hoping for a clue. There were two pictures. One was a blurry shot taken somewhere in our apartment complex. The other was taken inside my home.
And in the corner of that second photo, there was a part of a man's handtanned skin, long fingers.

3
Son of a bitch. Chloe was cheating on me.
Both photos were blurry, probably taken by accident when the screen was touched.
She was using my money to buy her lover a phone, and now she was giving me his hand-me-down.
Chloe. You've got some nerve.
We'd been together since college. All those years, and I had no idea when it had started. I worked my ass off, spending two-thirds of the year on the road, all so I could give her a good life. And this whole time, she was making a fool of me.
I shut the bedroom door, lit a cigarette, and took a long drag. Stay calm, I told myself.
Just then, the door burst open. Chloe stood there, her hands on her hips. "Leo, are you smoking in the house again?"
I stubbed out the cigarette and went to open the window. I was going to catch this bastard, and I was going to do it today.
But I still couldn't figure it out. How did they get in and out without triggering the smart lock? I searched online for security flaws with that model but came up empty.
I turned back to Chloe and started rubbing her shoulders. "Sorry, work's been a nightmare. I just needed one. I'm done."
She let out a haughty little "hmph" and walked away. I used to find that aloofness charming, like a feisty little kitten. Now I knew she was just trash.
Alone again, I went to her side of the bed and opened the nightstand drawer. I counted the condoms. Two full boxes were missing. And tucked away in the back was a bottle of lube I'd never seen before.
So they were having fun.
That night, when she reached for me in bed, her hand tracing the line of my abs, I subtly shifted away. "I'm exhausted, honey. Big project review tomorrow. We should get some sleep."
Chloe huffed in annoyance and rolled over.
The next day, I went to work as usual, but my eyes were glued to the network manager app on my phone. I was waiting for him.
It didn't take long. Shortly after I arrived at the office, the iPhone 16 Plus appeared on my network.
Perfect. They waited until they knew I was at work.
I grabbed my subordinate, Kevin. "Something's come up at home. I have to step out. Call me if there's an emergency."
"You got it, Leo!" he said.
I floored it. The car's speedometer needle was practically screaming. I turned a fifteen-minute drive into a five-minute blur.
I parked the car and sprinted upstairs.
When I burst into the apartment, I found Chloe in the kitchen, wearing an apron, humming as she cooked. She was always a homebody when she wasn't traveling for an exhibition.
She looked up, surprised. "You're back? Did you forget something?"
I ignored her and stormed through the apartment, ripping open closets, checking behind curtains, looking under the bed, even scanning the balconies. Nothing.
Besides Chloe, the apartment was empty.
"Where is he?" I demanded. "The guy with the tan!"
Chloe followed me into the bedroom, her face a mask of confusion. "What man? Leo, what's gotten into you?"
I took a deep breath, trying to control my rage. Where the hell could he have hidden?
Chloe's voice trembled. "Leo! What is going on?"
I couldn't keep up the act anymore. I shot her a look of pure ice.
But she just put on a gentle, concerned expression and began setting the table with the food she'd prepared. "Is work that stressful? Look how worked up you are. Since you're here, you might as well eat. I made your favorite, braised pork."
"I'm not hungry," I grunted. "Too much going on at the office."
That food wasn't for me. Chloe was obsessive about her figure. When I was away, she lived on salads and protein shakes. The braised pork was definitely for someone else.
I turned and headed for the management office again.
"I need to see today's security footage for my floor."
It was the guard with the canine teeth again. He nodded and pulled up the feed. We watched it twice. The only person who used the elevator on my floor was me, leaving in the morning and returning just now. Not a single other soul.
Was her lover a damn ghost?

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