James had secretly installed cameras around the house. Little did he expect the first footage would be his own undoing
A tiny black lens peered at her from between the spines of books on the shelf.
Emily brushed a speck of dust off the shelf and froze. Her fingers hovered a millimetre from the glass. This wasnt part of the decor.
It was a camera. Her brain scrambled for rational explanationsmaybe it was some new smart home system her husband, William, had forgotten to mention?
But intuition, that quiet voice shed ignored for too long, screamed the truth.
William had installed a camera in *their* home.
The realisation burned like hot metal. Not just a thoughta certainty. *Why?* To watch her? Did he suspect her of something?
Absurd. She worked from homeher life was an open book, scheduled down to the minute. Or did he think otherwise? What did he expect to see? Her sipping morning tea? Chatting with clients over video calls?
She didnt touch it. Instead, she stepped back, and the roomonce so familiarsuddenly felt foreign, hostile. Every object now seemed like a potential spy. She was searching now.
The second camera was in the lounge, disguised as a smoke detector. The third was in the kitchen, hidden in a power strip.
Hed created a network. A web in *their* home, in *their* life. And she, Emily, was the fly, every movement tracked.
Something inside her snapped. The woman shed been five minutes agoloving, trusting, a little naïvewas gone.
In her place was ice-cold fury. He hadnt just betrayed her trust; hed trampled her dignity and turned their home into a prison.
She grabbed his tabletleft carelessly on the sofa, as usual. The password? Their wedding date. The irony stung. Once, that date had symbolised love. Now, it was a symbol of deceit.
The screen displayed an appfour live feeds: the lounge, the kitchen, the bedroom, the hallway. Every key room under surveillance.
Except one.
His study.
The one place she wasnt allowed to enter without knocking. His *sanctuary*. And suddenly, it all made sense. This wasnt about *watching* her. It was about *hiding* himself.
He was building an alibi. A safe zone.
She entered the studyfor the first time without knocking. The air smelled differentexpensive cologne, but not his. She methodically searched the desk.
In the bottom drawer, beneath a stack of old documents, she found it. The box for the surveillance system. And the manual. She skimmed the instructionsto add a new camera, you had to scan a QR code and enter the admin password.
Written on the cover in pen: *Will_the_King*.
*King.* How predictable. And how stupid. His arrogance was his weakness.
A plan formed instantly. She carefully removed the hallway camera. The vent above his oak desk made the perfect vantage pointgiving her a clear view of the leather sofa.
Using the app and the *Kings* password, she added the camera to his own network. The system even offered a *hidden mode*, so the owner wouldnt receive a notification.
She replaced everything, down to the last speck of dust. Then she waited.
That evening, William returned with his usual grin. He hugged her, kissed her cheek. His touch felt sticky, fake.
*Exhausted. Need to finish some reports in the study.*
*Of course, darling,* Emily replied, her voice smooth as still water. *Ill make dinner.*
He vanished into his *sanctuary*. She opened the app. A fifth feed appeared.
At first, he actually worked. Then she saw it.
A woman slipped into the studySophie. She entered from the side door. Emily knew herher mothers friends daughter, always complaining about life.
She shrugged off her cardigan, revealing a tight dress, and draped herself over William.
Emily hit *record*.
*I cant do this anymore,* Sophie whined. *All this sneaking around. When are you telling her?*
*Soon, love, soon,* William soothed. *Just need to set things up. Big family dinner this weekendIll pitch a brilliant business idea to my parents, get the cash, and then were gone.*
*And Emily?* Sophies voice dripped with poorly concealed jealousy.
William waved a hand. *She wont suspect a thing. Too trusting. Too *simple*.*
Emily stopped the recording. Saved it.
An hour later, William emerged, beaming.
*Something smells amazing. Whats for dinner?*
*Roast salmon,* Emily said calmly.
*My favourite! Youre the best wife ever, Em.*
She turned slowly. *Yes. I am. And this weekend, Ill prove it.*
The family dinner was a picture of upper-middle-class perfection. Williams parents home couldve been a magazine spreadall stiff rituals and polite chatter.
Emily sat poised. William, beside her, glowed.
*Dad, Mum,* he began over dessert, *Ive got a game-changing business idea. A start-up.*
He launched into a passionate pitch about tech investments and market gaps. His father, Charles, listened sceptically; his mother, Margaret, adoringly.
*Ill need seed funding,* William finished, naming a figure.
Charles turned to Emily. *And what do you think, dear?*
William smirked. *Oh, Emily doesnt understand this stuff. But she supports me, right, love?*
That smug condescension was the last straw.
*Actually, William,* Emily said sweetly, *Ive become quite *expert* in start-ups. Especially the kind that finance beach getaways with mistresses.*
William froze.
She connected her phone to the massive living-room telly.
*What are you doing? Stop!* he hissed.
But the screen flared to lifehis study, the leather sofa, him and Sophie. The audio was crystal clear.
Margaret gasped. Charless face turned to stone.
William staredpure horror in his eyes. *Hed* installed the cameras. But the first footage captured was his own downfall.
The video ended.
*Thats your sons business plan,* Emily told his parents. *I wont be investing. Or staying.*
She left without looking back.
The next day, Charles called. *Emily, Im sorry. Family honour means everything to mehes destroyed it. Hell get nothing from us. The house is in my namestay as long as you need.*
*Thank you, Charles. But I wont be staying.*
*Understood. If you ever need*
*Just one thing,* she interrupted. *Your family stays out of my life.*
She hung up.
Over time, she heard scraps about Williamcut off, jobless, spiralling. Sophie vanished. He called; she changed her number.
**Epilogue: Two Years Later**
Emilys security firm, *Watchful Eye*, now occupied half a floor in a sleek London office. They didnt do petty surveillancethey found bugs, fortified networks, advised the wealthy on privacy.
Work consumed her. Shed hired ex-military and tech geniuses. They respected her steel-trap mind.
One evening, she found a handwritten letterno return address, but the scrawl was unmistakably Williams.
*Em, Ive no right to ask. Im a delivery driver now. Live in a rented box room. I blamed you for years. Then I realisedI broke my own life. The day I decided I owned you. My worst mistake was thinking you were mine to control. Forgive me, if you can. Will.*
Emily studied the words. Felt nothingno spite, no pity. She crumpled the paper and tossed it.
Her phone buzzed. David, her lead analystand the man whod been casually asking her to dinner for months.
*All clear on the Kensington job. Fancy celebrating? I know a place with a killer view.*
A year ago, shed have declined. But Williams letter felt like the last page of an old book.
*Id love that,* she said, smiling properly for the first time in ages. *Pick me up in thirty.*
She checked the mirror. A strong, self-assured woman stared back.
The woman whod once found a hidden cameraand instead of crumbling, turned it into her key to freedom.
Sometimes, to build something new, you have to burn the old to ashes.
And she wasnt afraid of fire.
