Chapter 199

• A naughty stepmom
• My name is Chloe, and something happened about a week ago that has completely changed my life in a way I never could have imagined. I just turned 31 and celebrated my ten-year wedding anniversary by myself. My husband, 42, has been incredibly successful with his work, which has allowed me to stay at home and live the life of a well-off housewife. Unfortunately, his work has often kept him out of town for months at a time. In fact, within the last two years, my husband has grown increasingly distant and has only been home for a few weeks, leaving me to take care of everything around the house, including his 18-year-old son from a previous marriage, Erik. As a result, over the past few years, everything seems to have progressively become routine and uninteresting . . . until recently.
• After intending to spend the day shopping at the mall, I became bored and decided to go home after visiting only a few stores. I got home a little after noon and figured I could go sunbathe by the swimming pool. However, something seemed strange as soon as I entered the house. There was a purse by the front door that I didn't recognize, and then I heard noises coming from upstairs. Slightly concerned, I moved quietly up the stairs until I could make out voices.