Chapter 3- WHAT SHE HID
422 Words
I arrived at the café a few minutes early.
Cynthia was already there, sitting in the corner with her hands wrapped around a cup she hadn't touched.
When she saw me, she stood.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Tell me what Daniel didn't tell me.”
She glanced around before sitting back down.
“He wasn't honest about how our relationship started.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Cynthia took a deep breath.
“Daniel contacted me first.”
I stared at her.
“He told me he wanted to leave you.”
My heart sank.
“When?”
“Before you found us together.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“So while he was telling me everything was fine, he had already decided to end our relationship?”
She nodded.
“There is more.”
I waited.
“Daniel asked me to keep everything secret until he could figure out how to break things off with you.”
I pushed my chair back slightly.
“Why would you agree to that?”
Cynthia's eyes filled with tears.
“Because I was selfish. I thought if I stayed quiet, he would choose me.”
Her confession hurt, but something about it didn't make sense.
“If he wanted you, why didn't he leave me?”
“I don't know.”
She reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone.
“There is something I think you should see.”
She placed it on the table.
A message from Daniel appeared on the screen.
I can't tell Veronica yet. She'll find out when the time is right.
I read it twice.
The date was from weeks before I discovered them.
“What was he planning to tell me?”
Cynthia shook her head.
“I don't know.”
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A message had arrived from Daniel.
Veronica, please don't believe everything Cynthia tells you. There is something she hasn't admitted.
I looked at Cynthia.
She had seen the message too.
Her face changed.
“What?” I asked.
She slowly stood.
“Daniel knows.”
“Knows what?”
She hesitated.
Then she whispered,
“That I wasn't the only person he was hiding from you.”
My blood ran cold.
I grabbed my phone.
Before I could ask another question, Cynthia walked away.
I remained at the table, staring after her.
For the first time, I wondered whether I had been looking at the wrong betrayal all along.
TO BE CONTINUED....
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