I shot back, my voice terrifyingly calm.
"Isn't this the house you told me was stalled in construction? I came to see for myself today. I wanted to know exactly what kind of 'stalled' we were talking about."
"And guess what I found?"
I paused, letting my gaze sweep over Abigail, then over the neighbors gathered around, and spoke slowly, enunciating every word:
"I found my home, decorated like a palace."
"I found my husband living here with his childhood sweetheart, playing house like a pair of lovebirds. And me? The legal wife? The neighbors thought I was the other woman."
"Max, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
On the other end, Max's breathing grew ragged. He seemed to be scrambling to cover something up.
"Madeline, let me explain. It's not what you think. Abigail, she... she had nowhere to stay, so I just took her in."
I let out a cold laugh. "Max, do you really think I'm that stupid?"
Max went quiet for a long time. Then, all at once, he stopped pretending.
"Enough, Madeline!"
"Are you done?"
"Fine, I lied to you. So what?"
"You're the one who refused to give up your career. You insisted on keeping this long-distance thing going. I'm just a regular guy with regular needs."