He treated me differently, not as he did with her.
Whos that? I asked, feeling the weight of the question before I even saw the screen.
Daniels phone lay faceup on the kitchen table, the message already blinking. Missing you, love. A heart emoji, a kiss, and a name I didnt knowOlivia.
The espresso machine hissed and Daniel spun around, a flicker of irritation flashing through his eyes, quickly masked by his usual calm.
Did you snoop through my phone? I asked.
It lit up on its own. I lifted the device, swiped the familiar pattern; we knew each others passwords. Whos Olivia?
He turned away, pressed the button on the machine.
Just a colleague.
A colleague sends you missing you, love?
I scrolled through the chat, my fingers growing cold with each swipe. Photos, voice notes, weekend plans he claimed to have spent at a conference in Manchester, jokes that only the two of us understood, and dates stretching back to March. Now it was September. Six months, 180 days of me preparing his breakfasts, waiting for him after work, dreaming of holidays, convinced we were happy.
Daniel, looksix months of messages.
The espresso machine fell silent. He took a sip, and I, with a detached clarity, noted how completely composed he seemed.
Kate, dont start.
Dont start? I stared at him, searching his familiar face for any hint of remorse or embarrassment. Nothingjust the fatigue of a man pulled from his morning coffee.
Youve been cheating on me for half a year, and Im supposed to stay quiet?
He set his mug down, ran his hand over his cheek.
Its complicated. Lets talk tonight; Im late.
He left, grabbing his briefcase, planting a quick kiss on my cheek as he always did, and slipped out. The door closed with a soft click, and I was left standing in the middle of the kitchen, replaying the messages over and over, hunting for a reason. Was it a joke? Had I misread something? The photos didnt lieDaniel and a blonde stranger in a restaurant, on a riverside promenade, in someone elses flat. Selfies with matching smiles and intertwined fingers.
I tried to pinpoint when things went wrong: our sunrise chats, the dinners we shared, plans to buy a larger flat, maybe even a dog. Nothing had foreshadowed disaster. Absolutely nothing.
Or perhaps I simply refused to see it?
Forty minutes after the call, Anne burst in, a bag of croissants in hand, and plopped down opposite me on the couch.
Tell me, she said.
I spilled the story in fragments, leaping from details to emotions and back again. Anne listened, her expression growing ever more solemn.
I dont get it, I ran my fingers through my hair for the tenth time. Everything was fine. We were happy. Where did this come from?
Anne paused, then asked gently, Kate, did you notice anything at all? Anything?
What should I have noticed? He came home, we ate together, we drove out of town on weekends. A normal family!
She inhaled deeply, and I sensed the words that would follow would sting. Do you remember how you met?
I blinked.
What does that have to do with anything?
It matters. You met three years ago at his companys Christmas party. You were working in their outsourced accounting department.
And?
And Daniel was marriedto Mary. Two years, Kate. You were together while he was still married. Then he divorced and married you.
My mouth opened and closed. The room spun, the croissants suddenly smelling like sugarcoated lies.
Thats different, I finally croaked. We loved each other. He told me his marriage with Mary had long been over. They were just dragging out the divorce.
Annes gaze sharpened.
He was cheating on his wife for two yearswith you. Why did you think hed be faithful now?
Because ours is different! I flailed, wrapping my arms around myself. Because he chose me. He changed after we married, Anne.
She shook her head.
He didnt change. Hes just like thatselfloving, all the rest is scenery. Wife, lover, jobhe takes what he wants when he wants. Fidelity bores him. Limits are for other people.
You dont know him.
I know men like him. Anne reached for my hand. Remember how you dreamed hed leave Mary? How you waited for his call, convincing yourself that soon youd truly be together?
I fell silent. Of course I rememberedevery sleepless night, every lastminute cancelled dinner, every lie I used to cover up our meetings. Two years as a mistress was humiliating, painful, yet I endured, hoped, believed.
You got what you wanted, Anne said softly, mercilessly. He divorced, married you. And guess what? The mistress role became vacant. He cant live without that rush of the forbidden. Youre now the respectable wifeso boring.
Im not boring!
I sank back onto the sofa. Annes words were harsh, but some part of me accepted the truth.
From April onward, Daniel started travelling for work every fortnight, sometimes more. I brushed it offbusiness is business, late meetings, endless negotiations, corporate events wives arent invited to.
And the bedroom. I recalled how, in recent months, hed come home exhausted, kiss my forehead, turn away toward the wall. I blamed stress, age, anything but the truth.
I need to see it with my own eyes, I exhaled. I have to watch him.
It was embarrassingly simple. I took a sick day and stalked him after work for three days. On the second day, luck smiled.
He left the office at seven, got into his car, but didnt drive home. I followed in a taxi, feeling like a clumsy detective. He parked outside a café in the city centre, and five minutes later a young woman slipped into the passenger seat.
She was about twentyfive, blonde, a modern bob and a confident smileOlivia, the name from the messages. I recognized her from the photos.
Daniel took her hand, pressed it to his lips, whispered something, and she laughed, throwing her head back. The gesture was the same one I had performed three years earlier. The same restaurant, the same window table, the same menuduck breast and an Eton mess that my mind filled in automatically. He talked about his childhood in Liverpool and his dream of seeing the world, his eyes fixed on Olivia with that hungry, promising look.
He repeated the scene to the minute, no new script needed. Old habits die hard.
I returned home and waited. He came back at eleven, smelling of foreign perfumesweet, floral, nothing like mine.
We need to talk, I said.
He sighed, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over the back of a chair.
What now, Kate? Im exhausted
I saw you today.
He froze for a heartbeat, then shrugged.
So you were watching, huh?
Answer me.
Yes, I was with Olivia, he said, crossing his legs, his voice smooth. It doesnt mean anything, Kate. Listen He leaned forward, his face taking on that sincere, convincing expression Id believed in for three years. I love you. Youre my wife. Olivia is just an adventure. It doesnt affect us.
Did you tell Mary the same nonsense?
He hesitated.
Thats different.
Really? I sat opposite him. You cheated on her with me. Now you cheat on me with her. Whats the difference?
I changed, Kate. After the wedding I wanted to be faithful. But He spread his arms. It happened. Ill end it with Olivia. I promise. From now on, only you.
His promise sounded rehearsed, polished. I looked at him and saw the void behind the pretty wordsa habit of lying that had become second nature, selfishness wrapped in charm. He couldnt love anyone but himself, nor did he want to learn.
No.
Whatno?
I dont need your promises.
He frowned.
Kate, dont dramatise. Every couple goes through this. Well get through it.
I shook my head. My chest felt empty, cold, yet for the first time in ages, it was clear.
Youll never change. Its not a problem for youits normal. Wife at home, lover on the side. Convenient.
Youre talking nonsense.
Im telling the truth. I stood. Three years ago I thought I was special, that youd be different. I was just a replacement for Mary.
That night I left for Annes flat.
Divorce took three months.
By November Daniel had officially moved in with Olivianews I heard from mutual friends. The new couple looked blissful. Olivia posted pictures with hashtags about love and destiny, planning a wedding.
Anne showed me one of her posts.
LookHe says Im special, that hes never loved anyone like this before.
I put the phone down.
Dont want to see it.
Are you angry?
No. It was true. I feel sorry for her. In a couple of years shell be sitting with a friend, crying just like I did.
Anne hugged me.
Feel better?
I thought. Lighter? No. Something inside finally let go of the mirage, of the man Id invented and adored.
You know whats stupid? I said with a wry smile. I knew from the start hed be like this. I was his mistress, heard his lies, saw the stories he spun, yet I convinced myself it would be different with me.
You fell in love.
I was foolish and blind. Those arent the same.
Anne was quiet.
So now?
I stared out the window.
Now Ill look for someone who doesnt need to be remade. Someone genuinely faithful from the start. Do they even exist?
Rain began to tap the glass, and for the first time in months I didnt think of Daniel. I didnt recall our meeting, our wedding, our shared plans.
I didnt know that a year later Id marry a man who never looked elsewhere, a man I wouldnt pull away from his family. Two years on, wed have a daughter, then a son. Our family would grow stronger each day, and I would finally understand what a marriage built on true love feels like.
