Sophia arranged to meet me the following afternoon.
At a café not far from the bay.
Alex asked if I wanted him to come.
I said no.
All he said was, "Text me when you're done."
Sophia arrived early.
A document envelope lay on the table.
When I sat down, she skipped the small talk.
"I didn't have a fever the night before your wedding."
I looked at her, unsurprised.
"What about the asthma?"
"That's real," she said. "But it's been well controlled for 3 years. I haven't had an acute attack in a long time."
"So you faked the coughing that day?"
She nodded.
"Ethan asked me to play along.
"He said he wanted to know if you'd wait for him if he left you for me on your wedding day."
My fingers slowly tightened.
"At first, I thought it was going too far," Sophia continued. "I told him
