Chapter 3 - The Other Woman
Sophia Weber did not look like a villain.
That irritated me.
I wanted someone I could hate instantly.
Instead, she looked terrified.
She wore jeans, a loose cream sweater, and no makeup. Her blonde hair was pulled into a simple ponytail. One hand remained protectively beneath her stomach as she approached my table.
“Evelyn?”
I nodded.
She sat.
Neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, Sophia placed her phone between us.
“You should see this.”
The first message was dated January 9.
Lukas had written:
Evelyn and I have decided to separate. We haven't told the family yet.
False.
January 16:
We're sleeping in separate rooms now.
False.
February 2:
She knows about us. She's hurt, but she understands.
False.
I kept scrolling.
Then I found one that made me stop breathing.
Evelyn thinks the baby could be a blessing for everyone.
I looked up.
Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
“He told me you knew.”
“I didn't.”
“He told me you were okay with it.”
“I wasn't.”
“I feel sick.”
“So do I.”
For the next hour, two women who had every reason to distrust each other compared notes.
Every story was different.
To me, Lukas was working late.
To Sophia, he was meeting with lawyers.
To me, he wanted to keep trying for a child.
To Sophia, our infertility had destroyed our marriage.
To me, Sophia was ancient history.
To Sophia, I was already practically an ex-wife.
“He gave me money,” she admitted.
“Five thousand dollars?”
Her face changed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Medical expenses.”
I leaned back.
At least that mystery was solved.
Then Sophia unlocked another message.
“This is the part that scared me.”
It was from Ingrid.
Not Lukas.
You need to think about what is best for the child. Evelyn has a stable home and desperately wants a baby.
Another:
Lukas knows how to manage her.
Another:
After the birth, everything will settle naturally.
I stared at those words.
“Manage me.”
Sophia nodded.
“There are more.”
I read every one.
Then I asked Sophia to send copies to herself somewhere Lukas couldn't access.
“You think he'll delete them?”
“I think we should assume anything is possible.”
Sophia watched me carefully.
“You're very calm.”
“No, I'm not.”
“You look calm.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
For the first time, something like understanding passed between us.
She lowered her voice.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don't know yet.”
“Are you going to confront him?”
“No.”
She seemed surprised.
“Why?”
“Because right now he thinks I'm ignorant.”
I picked up my coffee.
“That is the only advantage I have.”
Sophia nodded slowly.
“What do you need from me?”
“The truth.”
“You have it.”
“No. I have the beginning.”
I asked her to tell me everything.
She did.
By the time she finished, the pattern was clear.
Lukas had not simply had an affair.
He had built two separate realities and placed a woman inside each one.
But there was one thing Sophia had not told me over the phone.
She opened her purse.
“I found this three days ago.”
She placed a folded document on the table.
It wasn't signed.
It appeared to be a draft.
At the top were words about guardianship and parental responsibility.
My name appeared twice.
“What is this?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
I read further.
Nothing in the draft could legally make me a parent simply because Lukas wanted it.
But legality wasn't what frightened me.
Intent was.
Someone had already started putting their fantasy into writing.
“Where did you get this?”
“Lukas left it at my apartment.”
“Did he explain it?”
“He said it was just planning.”
“For what?”
Sophia looked directly at me.
“For after the baby is born.”
That afternoon, I understood something important.
The family hadn't made a careless joke at dinner.
May you like
They had a plan.
And I was part of it.
