Chapter 3 - The Iron Trap
Most women would have screamed at the top of their lungs.
Most women would have barged in, throwing expensive bottles of shampoo and demanding immediate answers.
Most women would have collapsed in tears on the heated marble floor, begging for an explanation.
But I was absolutely not most women.
I was Harper Caldwell.
I was a fierce woman who had built a massive empire from absolutely nothing.
I did not break down in the face of brutal betrayal.
I strategized.
The hot tears that had threatened to fall suddenly dried up completely.
A terrifying, icy calm washed over my entire trembling body.
I stepped back from the heavy door, careful not to make a single sound on the tile.
I looked at the heavy, custom-built oak door of the master bathroom.
When we built the house, Julian had insisted on installing heavy-duty commercial locks on the master suite doors for security purposes.
The bathroom had a solid core door with a high-tech smart lock on the outside.
It was specifically designed to turn the bathroom into an impenetrable safe room in case of a home invasion.
I pulled my smartphone from my pocket and opened the smart home security application.
I tapped the security icon for the master bathroom door.
I firmly pressed the digital lock button.
The heavy steel deadbolt slid into place with a loud, definitive click.
The playful splashing inside the tub instantly stopped.
Julian called out into the sudden silence, his voice laced with confusion and sudden panic.
He asked if someone was out there in the bedroom.
I stood completely still in the dark bedroom, staring at the locked wooden door.
I did not answer him.
I walked over to the digital climate control panel mounted on the bedroom wall.
I completely overrode the bathroom's internal temperature settings.
I turned the heated marble floors up to their absolute maximum setting.
I disabled the ventilation and exhaust fans to trap the humidity inside.
I wanted them to sweat.
I wanted them to feel the suffocating, unbearable heat of their own terrible choices.
Julian began frantically jiggling the brass door handle.
I heard him tell Mia that the heavy door was mysteriously stuck.
I heard her whine and tell him to push much harder.
He violently slammed his shoulder against the heavy oak wood.
It did not budge even a fraction of a single inch.
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They were hopelessly trapped in the very room where they thought they had gotten away with destroying my life.
Now, it was finally my turn to plan the ultimate anniversary surprise.
