Sorry, this is my first time posting so I might write all over the place. I'm 42, work as a barista, live in Samut Prakan.

So here's what happened. My partner and I have been together almost three years, it's a chill adult relationship, we talk easily, nothing too formal. Lately though, they've been coming home later a lot, saying they have more work. Some nights they're back at one or two in the morning. I'm not the jealous type, but I felt things had changed, so I started to notice stuff.

Yesterday was the thing that really shocked me. I charged my partner's phone around 4:30 a.m. because I had already gone to bed (I usually put my phone on the bedside table with my little blue keychain). When I woke up around 7:15 I picked it up to wash my face and they had forgotten to lock the screen. I only meant to plug it in and put it back, but a chat popped up — the sender had a short nickname and a profile pic of a girl. I didn't mean to snoop, but it all happened fast and fate kind of led me there.

The message didn't explicitly say they were cheating, but it was like, “See you tomorrow, I'll leave work a bit late,” plus a photo of two drinks and a corner of a shop I don't recognize. My partner always says they work at the office near our soi every day — why would they be meeting someone in a place like that? I secretly checked that person's Instagram story and the comments looked friendlier than normal between those two people I don't really know.

I'm baffled. Really baffled. Not sure if I'm overthinking or being too observant.

This morning around 9:30 I tried to calm down and asked my partner directly what they were doing last night. They said they did meet a coworker but insisted it was just a friend. I want to believe them, but I still feel unsettled. Their answer left gaps and this feeling like I'm not being told the whole truth. Also, since I work at a coffee shop in a soi in Samut Prakan, I know a bit about shop corners and customer behavior, so that photo feels like it was taken in a spot where two people would sit and talk privately, not a busy café. That kind of place carries a meaning, right? Or is that just me reading too much into it?

I've decided not to keep snooping, but the suspicion keeps looping in my head. Sometimes I tell myself I'm old enough to chill and trust more; other times I'm scared that if I let it go and something really happens I'll hate myself later. There's this little voice telling me to gather more proof, but I don't want to become the kind of person who constantly checks their partner's phone forever. Confusing, right?

Friends, if you were in this situation, should I confront them straight up and ask for clarification, or wait and collect more evidence first? Or am I just being paranoid? Please give me advice. I'll update later.

P.S. Sorry if my writing is messy, I'm really stressed T_T