The Smart Home Knows

While working through the night on a project, my phone suddenly lit up with a notification from the smart home app.

Master bedroom bathroom light has been turned on.

Master bathroom aromatherapy bath mode activated. Please enjoy.

Neither my wife Victoria nor I was home, and our house manager Mary was on vacation.

So who had turned on those appliances?

I checked the app again, then called Victoria. "Victoria, why didn't you tell me you were coming home?"

She looked confused on the video call. "Miss me already? Honey, this project is really important. I won't be back until tomorrow night at the earliest."

I rubbed my temples. "Sorry, I've been so busy I lost track of time. See you tomorrow."

After hanging up, I watched the smart home app and noticed the master bedroom curtains had suddenly closed.

I texted Mary, then drove home.

I almost called Mary, thinking of those stories about house managers stealing from their employers. But I hung up before it connected.

Mary had been with us for over a decade. She was familyshe wouldn't do something like that.

At the community gate, I rolled down my window. "Did someone come see me today? A friend said they were stopping by."

The guard shook his head. "No outside visitors registered today. Maybe they changed their mind?"

I nodded. "Probably. Thanks."

Just then, Mary video-called me. She was at home with her kids.

"Mary, take a few more days off. Spend time with your family. I'll make sure you're compensated."

I ended the call and my smile vanished.

Mary wasn't here. So had someone broken in?

But why would a thief use the bathtub?

When I reached the villa, the master bedroom lights were on. My chest tightened.

Someone was inside. Who?

I opened the front door quietly. Before I could turn on the lights, moonlight showed me Victoria's slippers had been moved. I distinctly remembered lining up our shoes before I left.

Was someone secretly living here, like in those news stories?

Afraid the intruder might panic, I grabbed the baseball bat from behind the door.

But just as I started up the stairs, Victoria appeared at the second-floor landing in her bathrobe and turned on the first-floor lights.

"Dylan, what are you doing back?"

She towel-dried her hair and clicked her tongue at the bat in my hand. "And with that?"

I exhaled. "Just got off work. Saw your shoes had been moved and thought we had a burglar."

"Victoria, you didn't tell me you were coming home. You scared me."

Then something hit me. "Waitdidn't you say you wouldn't be back until tomorrow night?"

Victoria ran down and pulled me into a hug. "That was the plan. But when you called, I knew you must have missed me, so I rushed back."

"I wanted to surprise you."

Her expression when she saw me was perfectdelighted, loving. Her words were sweet.

But the fresh scent on her didn't match.

The bathroom light had been on for a while. She said she'd just gotten back. She was lying.

Aromatherapy bath mode leaves a fragrance, but she only smelled of her usual body wash.

Victoria was lying to me. And someone else had been using my bathtub.

She was cheating.

I checked my phone for the bath end time. It had stopped right before I arrived.

My house only had one entrance. Whoever used my bathtub was still here.

I smiled and moved past her toward the stairs. "Thanks, Victoria. I'm tired. I'm going to wash up."

She opened the master bedroom door for me, looking pleased with herself.

"I heard the sound downstairs and knew it was you. Look, I even drew the bath for you."

I walked into the bathroom and glanced at the screenbath mode activated.

She always used aromatherapy mode. But she never wore this particular scent.

Then I heard something drop.

I walked back into the bedroom and stared at the wardrobe. Victoria glanced at the collectible model on the nightstand and exhaled quietly.

But I wasn't looking at that. I was staring at the wardrobe.

That row of custom cabinets was big enough to hide someone.

The moment my hand touched the door

"Wait," Victoria said.

"Dylan, I brought you a gift. It's over there."

She pointed at the model on the table. My eyes lit up. "Is this the limited edition I've been waiting years for?"

Distracted, I turned it over in my hands. Then, while Victoria wasn't looking, I yanked the wardrobe open.

I searched left to right, top to bottom. No one.

Victoria straightened the clothes inside, her voice perfectly even. "Which pajamas do you want, Dylan?"

There was nowhere else to hide. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe no one was here.

I pointed to my usual set and let my guard down.

Must be a system glitch. Some program starting on its own.

For security, I had facial recognition cameras at the front door and a hidden camera inside pointing at the entrance. Anyone other than Victoria or me would trigger an alert on my phone.

The next day, right after lunch at the office, the smart home app pinged again.

"Master bedroom bathroom light has been turned on."

"Master bathroom aromatherapy bath mode activated. Please enjoy."

I pulled up the surveillance footage. Ten times speed, from the moment I left. No one entered the house.

Must be a bug in the new smart home system.

I told my assistant to schedule an upgrade and dismissed the notification.

That evening, I had dinner with Jason, an old friend I hadn't seen in a while.

We talked about childhood dreams. I smiled and pulled up a photo on my phone. "Look what my wife brought me from her business trip."

Jason studied it. "This is a limited editionhard to find now. Too bad about the lipstick mark on it. Kind of ruins the collectible."

I froze.

Why would Victoria put lipstick on a model? It didn't even come in a gift box.

Or had she bought me a counterfeit?

I video-called Victoria. When I told her, she apologized quickly. "Sorry, Dylan. I noticed my lip color looked pale and touched it up at my vanity. I don't know anything about collectibles. I'll get you another one."

This model was years old, nearly impossible to find. I was already grateful she'd managed to get one at all.

I smiled and dropped it.

Then my phone pinged again. The bathtub was in aromatherapy mode. It ended over an hour later.

Victoria never washed that fast. The system really was broken.

A week later, I was about to board a train for a business trip to the neighboring city when the security guard called.

"Mr. Sullivan, your friend just registered your unit number and went in."

I'd mentioned that once. I didn't expect the guard to remember, or to actually pass it along.

I left the boarding gate and opened the surveillance app.

Three minutes later, Victoria appeared at the front door. No one was with her.

But she knocked first, waited a few seconds, then went in.

I scrolled back on the camera feed opposite the door.

When I reached the timestamp of her entry

A shirtless man stood inside the doorway, arms open to welcome her.

I ran out of the station, hailed a taxi, and offered the driver double to get me home as fast as possible.

He pushed the speed limit. My chest ached.

If I caught them in the act, what then? Would it end in divorce? We'd been together ten yearscampus romance, graduation, marriage.

She said she wanted to focus on career before family, put off having kids. I agreed. Our relationship had always been harmonious.

She even shielded me from both our parents' pressure about grandchildren, said she wanted me to enjoy my youth.

But now I wondereddid she not want children, or had she already had them with someone else?

Three kilometers from home, we hit traffic. I stared at the sea of cars ahead.

Then my phone pinged.

"Master bathroom aromatherapy bath mode activated. Please enjoy."

I threw cash at the driver, got out, and unlocked a shared bike by the roadside. I pedaled like my life depended on it.

At the community gate, I parked and stood there, staring at the door.

My mind was chaos. I opened the door and went upstairs.

I slowed my steps. My lip was raw between my teeth.

What if they were in my bed right now? What if she denied it? What if she didn't? Should we divorce? How would we tell our parents?

My hand rested on the doorknob. Two seconds of hesitation. I opened the camera recording and pushed the door open.

"Victoria, what are you doing?"

She looked up from her phone, sitting up in bed. "I was just about to call you. Dylan, aren't you supposed to be in the neighboring city?"

I stared at the lumpy blanket on the bed. "Project got canceled. I'm tired."

Victoria laughed softly and pulled back the covers. "Then come lie down, husband. I haven't seen you all day. I missed you."

The bed was empty. He must have hidden.

I hugged Victoria and breathed her in. Her scent was faint.

Then I went straight to the master bathroom. The fragrance hit me immediatelysomeone had just bathed here.

I crouched to check under the bed. Then the wardrobe. I searched every corner around the bed.

No one.

I looked at Victoria. "Where's the man?"

She stood and wrapped her arms around me, nuzzling my neck. "What man? There's only you and Mary, and Mary's on vacation."

I pulled away and searched the house room by room.

Nothing.

I came back to the living room, drained. Victoria frowned and pulled me onto the sofa.

"You suspect me."

Her voice softened as she sat on my lap.

"I'm sorry I haven't given you enough security. Why don't we stay at my parents' house for a few days? Relax."

Her face was full of concern. I forced myself to relax and rubbed my forehead.

"I'm too sensitive. Maybe I'm just stressed."

Victoria shook her head and lifted my chin to meet her eyes.

"No, Dylan. You're the most handsome man in the world. Don't be anxious. Let's wash up and sleep. Tonight I'll hold you and give you all the security you need."

I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Then I checked the nightstand drawer. Some condoms were missing.

I grabbed a bathrobe and went into the bathroom to check the surveillance.

No one had exited through the first-floor door. Or the side windows.

But when I scrolled back to days before the first notification

I found footage of Victoria leaving through the main door with that man.

Together.

That meantbesides the main entrancehe had another way into my house.

I washed up, heavy-hearted, and put on the bathrobe.

In the mirror, I saw lipstick on the collar. Bright. Fresh.

I practiced my expression before going out, forcing myself not to throw the robe away.

He came to my house, slept with my woman, and wore my clothes.

He knew how to use my things. This affair hadn't started yesterday.

I'd been too stupid to see it until the smart home app started exposing everything.

When I came out, Victoria handed me warm milk. "This will help you sleep. You worked hard today."

I forced a tired smile and hugged her. "Sorry, Victoria. I'm so exhausted I got paranoid and accused you. I'm not feeling wellI'll probably wake up several times tonight. I'll sleep in the guest room."

She helped me lie down, then went to the guest room without asking questions.

I lay there with the bedside lamp on, staring at the ceiling. I didn't sleep all night.

In the morning, I looked at the bright bathroom lights and thought of a solution.

I went out and searched everywhere, finally buying a harmless fluorescent agent. I poured it into the body wash and aromatherapy oil.

Next time he bathed, he'd get it on his skin. It couldn't be washed off without a special solution. Then I'd see where he could hide.

To avoid suspicion, I waited until my usual 8 PM to go home.

When the system pinged that bath mode was activated, I immediately called Victoria and said I wanted her home-cooked food.

She glanced at the bathroom, her smile strained.

"How about after work? If I make it now and bring it over, it'll be cold by the time it gets to you."

I sighed and was about to stall further when a man's scream came through the line.

"Ahit hurts! Victoria, help me!"

I paused, pretending not to understand. "Was that a man? You watching TV?"

She nodded quickly, her eyes darting. "The company is having an online meeting. I have to go."

I watched her hang up and smiled.

This time I'd bring both sets of parents and catch her in the act. Let's see her talk her way out of this.

I led everyone into the bedroom.

The bathroom light was on. Music played from a phone. Victoria's parents held me back.

"Dylandon't open the door. Call her out first. Give us some face. When she comes out, hit her, punish herwe won't stop you."

I hesitated. But seeing their earnest faces, I nodded.

We called her name. No response.

Finally, her father steeled himself and pulled open the bathroom door.

Everyone gasped.

The light was on. But there was no one inside.

Just a phone playing music.