BETWEEN MY EX AND MY FIRST LOVE

~Lisa~ He wasn’t here. Matt never broke a promise until today. He promised he would pick me up from the airport. But the arrivals gate was empty. Why do I have a bad feeling about this? My hold on the envelope I had in my hand tightened. My other hand circled my stomach where our new baby was growing. My stomach clenched with uneasiness. I bit hard on my lower lip. Let’s stop worrying now. Dad would be so happy when he learns about this.’ I grinned. This was the best news ever. Matt and I had always dreamed of this moment. He had always wished for us to have kids. He wouldn’t pass through the child section without buying children’s items, even though we’ve never had a child in our 3 years of marriage. I reached for my phone. I began texting him. But as soon as I turned off the flight mode, messages and calls began to flow in. They were all from Matt. My lips curled upwards. Did he miss me that much? But as soon as I saw the last message, the smile disappeared from my face. “I can’t live with a cheating wife, I’m done. Let’s get a divorce.” I opened my mouth to speak, to say anything at all, but nothing came out. How could he say something like that? My heart stumbled, skipping a beat. Cheating? My stomach lurched. That had to be a joke. I tried to shake off the noxious feeling. Matt was messing with me, he had to be. But why do I feel this growing fear deep inside me? My hands shook violently as I opened his flurry of texts he had sent. "Answer your phone.” "I swallowed hard, trying to steady the panic rising in my throat. “You are avoiding me now.” “I know what you did.” "How could you betray me like this?” My knees buckled, I clung to the suitcase handle like it was the only thing keeping me from collapsing right there on the floor. With every message, it felt like a fist tightening around my heart. No man had even seen me undress before, not to talk of touching me. Why would he say something like that? Ambled as I dialed his number, but then my eyes caught sight of the picture he had sent. There, staring back at me, was a picture. The lady in the picture had only a sports bra on. She was saddling a man whose face I couldn’t see from this angle, but her face was exposed. She was kissing the man passionately. My hand and I fell to the ground. My hands flew to my mouth to stop the sound from breaking free. What the hell is going on? Why does she look so much like me? A chill gripped me, not winter’s cold, but something deeper, twisting my insides into knots. My whole body went cold. Not the normal cold winter breeze— this one was deeper. Like something had reached inside and twisted my insides into a knot. No… no… This couldn’t be real. I bent down slowly, picking up the phone with trembling hands. My thumb hovered over the image on the screen, as if a second look would make it disappear, or give the woman another face. But the image on the screen didn’t change. She looked exactly like me. Same long black hair. Same petit nose. Same mole beneath the left ear. No. This couldn’t be real. It wasn’t real. It had to be photo shopped, or …… deepfake? Something. Technology can do crazy things, right? My breath came in short, sharp gasps as I stared around the airport terminal. People were hugging loved ones, laughing, moving on with their lives, while mine was falling apart right at my feet. "Matt, please… please just pick up,” I whispered as I redialed his number. It rang. Once. Twice. Then I went straight to voicemail. “Matt, you have to believe me. I swear I don’t know what that picture is. That’s not me. Please, Matt, believe me. I have something to tell you. Just talk to me.” I hung up, my voice cracking as the last word left my lips. Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. I can’t cry. Not now.. I wasn’t going to fall apart in front of strangers, but God, it hurts so much. I picked up my luggage with shaky hands and walked blindly through the terminal, the surrounding noise muffled as if I were underwater. Who the hell is she? My blood ran cold as another thought hit me. I flagged down a taxi, and rushed into it. All the way home, I kept texting Matt, dialing his number, but he still didn’t answer any of them. The thirty-minute drive from the airport suddenly felt like a three-hour ride. My pulse kept racing, especially when we approached our home. I almost forgot to take my luggage in the rush to get into the house, find Matt, and shake him until he hears me out and believes me. I tried to open the front door when I got to it, but it was strangely locked from inside. Matt hardly locks the door when he is at home. I knew he was home; I already saw his car. Biting down hard on my lip, I knocked on the door and waited. I stood there for minutes, but still no one answered the door. I dialed Matt’s number again, but still nothing. I pressed the doorbell and waited. Still nothing. I picked up my handbag, and began to search through it for a key. I should have one in my bag. Just then, I heard footsteps heading towards the door. Matt. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I have missed him; I wonder if he has missed me too. I hope he will give me a chance to explain….. The doorknob twisted, and then the door opened. “Matt, I...” But the person who opened the door was not Matt. I could identify that woman’s face anywhere I saw it. Matt’s ex-girlfriend. “Cindy?”