The morning light crept into Elena's bedroom like an uninvited guest, soft but unrelenting.
Adrian was already up, moving about, muttering something about being late for practice. His shirt was half-buttoned, his tie hanging loosely.
She barely glanced at him until the sunlight caught something near his collar. A faint smudge.
At first, Elena thought it was dirt, but when she leaned closer, her stomach twisted.
It wasn't dirt at all. It was a lipstick. A deep, crimson red. Planted right on the collar of the shirt.
She froze. She didn't wear lipstick that shade ever. Hers were softer, pinks and corals, never bold, never so daring.
Adrian, she said carefully, as her voice caught between suspicion and fear.
What's that on your shirt?
He paused, looked down, then gave a laugh that sounded far too casual.
It's a Paint baby. You can't be serious.
One of the props from rehearsal last night, it rubbed off when I was fixing it.
He didn't meet her eyes as he was replying.
Elena's chest tightened. She wanted to believe him, wanted desperately to let it slide. But her instincts keeps whispering otherwise.
Her gaze lingered on the collar as he fastened his tie too quickly, hiding the stain from view.
Adrian bent to kiss her goodbye, and though his lips brushed hers, Elena didn't close her eyes.
She watched him, memorizing every flicker in his expression, every shadow of guilt.
When the door shut behind him, she touched her lips with trembling fingers.
The kiss tasted hollow. And for the first time, she wondered if she was already too late.
That evening, Elena sat in her room, lipstick tubes scattered across her vanity.
She lined them up, swathing each shade on her wrist. None matched the crimson she had seen. None even came close.
The stain on Adrian's collar wasn't hers. And if it wasn't hers, then whose was it?
Her reflection in the mirror looked back at her eyes wide, heart pounding as though daring her to accept the truth. But she wasn't ready. Not yet.
Instead, Elena whispered to herself, "I'll find out."
The lipstick stain was only the first piece of the puzzle. And she intended to uncover the rest.