First Discovery

Samira's hand trembled as she pressed the power button on the PC. It felt not only unfamiliar, but almost like a betrayal to sit in the cheap office chair that had previously been reserved for her husband.

At the same time, she wondered why she was so nervous. He would never find out. It was Monday; he wouldn't be back from his business trip until Friday. Just like every week for months. She wouldn't tell anyone. And David had shown her how to cover her tracks, how to hide which websites she had visited. So there was no reason to worry. Right?

Excitedly, she entered search terms, clicked on the results, looked at pictures, read texts. She felt like she was in a paradise of knowledge, with new and unexpected things to discover around every corner. To her surprise, the content she found did not always match what she had expected. Often, the headlines concealed pages that contained more or different information. She felt like the children in a fairy tale who followed a trail of breadcrumbs and reached a gingerbread house that offered previously unimaginable, tempting treats. But there was also a terrible danger lurking there.

She sank deeper and deeper into the exotic, colorful world until she tore herself away because hunger and thirst were calling. She was surprised to find that hours had passed.

What was this? The devil's work to tempt her and keep her from her housework? No. If she could read and learn so much, it couldn't be evil. It was a treasure she could uncover and use for herself. Without consciously deciding to do so, she knew she would not pass up this opportunity. Even if her husband was against it.

Her hands became clammy as she realized her intention to be disobedient. An absurd thought. She would never do that. If he forbade her to use a computer, she wouldn't do it.

But he hadn't forbidden it. He just didn't know about it. And she would make sure it stayed that way. As David had shown her, she deleted the browser's history and turned off the computer.

As she made a cup of tea, uncertainty crept in. Had she really covered all her tracks? How could she be sure?

She needed someone who could give her reassurance. Hastily, she retrieved the business card from the drawer where she had buried it and dialed the number printed on it.

“We regret that your problem has not been fully resolved. Our goal is to satisfy all our customers. One of our technicians will be with you first thing tomorrow morning to fix the problem.” The voice on the phone had sounded very nice and reassuring. Then why am I not reassured? She imagined all the things that could go wrong. What if the appointment didn't work out after all? Or what if it wasn't David who came to her house, but another technician? She doubted that she could talk to anyone else about it.

To distract herself, she took care of the housework. She didn't touch the computer anymore. It sat there in the living room like a ticking time bomb that could destroy her life in one fell swoop. What have I done?