Husband Watches His Wife Escalate Quickly

Part of the series STOLEN WIVES: FIRST TIMES

It was supposed to be a casual night.

Three couples invited, two canceled. Then the third left early. Just us and Jørgen.

I didn’t mind at first. He’s easy company. Loud, a bit too honest, but never creepy — or maybe just smooth enough that you don’t notice when he’s being creepy. Divorced. Owns a gym, I think. Drives a quiet, expensive car.

We opened a second bottle of red around ten. My wife poured carefully, already a little flushed.

She wore one of my old sweatshirts, sleeves pushed up, no bra. I noticed that before Jørgen did.

Or maybe he noticed first and was just better at hiding it.

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She was sitting curled in the corner of the couch, legs tucked under her, wine glass balanced on one knee.

Jørgen sat a cushion away, manspreaded as always, one ankle on his knee.

I was in the armchair across from them.

We talked about nothing. Netflix shows, local politics, something about electric cars. She laughed more than usual. Covered her mouth with her hand.

Jørgen made some dumb joke. Something about being single in your forties. She laughed again — a sharp, sudden sound — and shifted her weight.

That’s when it happened.

Their knees touched.

She froze for a half-second, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kept talking.

She didn’t move her leg.

That’s when I noticed.