Chapter 3: The Name I Never Expected to Hear
For five seconds, nobody moved.
Not Marcus.
Not Simone.
Not even me.
Because Evelyn’s words didn’t make sense.
The woman who sent the messages to Marcus wasn’t Simone.
But I had seen Simone’s name.
I had seen the conversations.
I had heard her answer his phone and call him “baby.””
So how could she not be the woman behind it?
I stared at Evelyn.
“What do you mean?””
Her hands trembled around her phone.
“I mean the messages Marcus received weren’t from Simone.””
I looked at Marcus.
He looked away.
That was when something inside me went cold.
Because there are moments when you stop looking for an explanation.
And you start looking for the truth.
“Marcus,” I said quietly.
He didn’t answer.
“Look at me.””
Slowly, he did.
His eyes were filled with something I had never seen before.
Not guilt.
Not exactly.
Fear.
“Who is she?””
His lips parted.
“Nia…”
“Who is she?””
My voice echoed through the salon.
Simone looked uncomfortable.
For the first time since I walked in, she didn’t look defensive.
She looked scared.
Marcus ran his hand through his hair.
“This isn’t supposed to happen like this.””
I almost smiled.
“Funny.””
I nodded.
“Nothing ever happens the way you planned when the truth shows up.””
He flinched.
That was enough.
I turned toward Evelyn.
“You knew there was another woman?””
She looked down.
“I knew someone was contacting him.””
My chest tightened.
“And you still let me sleep next to him every night?””
“Nia…”
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I need you to understand something. I’m not angry because you didn’t have all the answers.””
I pointed at Marcus.
“I’m angry because you knew there was a question.””
Evelyn looked like she wanted to cry.
“I thought it was going to stop.””
“Why?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation hurt.
“Because Marcus promised me.””
I stared at my husband.
“He promised you?””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Mom, please don’t.””
“No,” Evelyn said.
Her voice was firmer now.
“No more protecting him.””
The room became silent.
She looked at me.
“Three months ago, I found out Marcus had been receiving messages from someone threatening to expose him.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“Threatening?””
“Yes.””
“What kind of threats?””
Evelyn looked at Marcus.
“He knows.””
I turned.
“Marcus?””
He looked at the floor.
“I made a mistake.””
The words were so quiet I almost missed them.
A mistake.
That word.
People always used it when they wanted to make something sound smaller.
Like betrayal was an accident.
Like secrets just happened.
Like trust was something you could drop and pick back up.
“What mistake?””
He swallowed.
“I met someone before.””
My heart sank.
“Before what?””
“Before we got married.””
I blinked.
The room felt like it tilted.
“What?””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Nia, listen.””
“No.””
I held up my hand.
“Do not tell me to listen. I have been listening for months.””
His face tightened.
“I’m talking about something that happened years ago.””
“Then why was someone threatening to expose you three months ago?””
He had no answer.
That was the part that scared me.
Marcus had always been good with words.
He could talk his way through anything.
A missed anniversary.
A forgotten promise.
A disagreement with his family.
He always knew what to say.
But now?
Nothing.
I looked at Simone.
“You knew about this?””
She shook her head quickly.
“No.””
For the first time, she sounded sincere.
“I swear, I didn’t know.””
I studied her face.
She looked terrified.
Not caught.
Terrified.
“Then why did you lie?””
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“Because Marcus asked me to.””
Everyone looked at him.
Marcus closed his eyes.
I felt my stomach twist.
“You asked her to lie?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was trying to protect you.””
I laughed.
A painful, empty sound.
“Protect me?””
I stepped closer.
“From what?””
He didn’t answer.
“From the truth?””
“Nia…”
“From finding out my husband has been hiding another woman?””
“It wasn’t like that.””
I looked around the salon.
At Simone.
At Evelyn.
At Marcus.
Three people standing in front of me.
Three people who knew something I didn’t.
And suddenly I understood what hurt the most.
It wasn’t just the secret.
It was being the last person invited into my own life.
I walked toward the salon door.
“Nia, wait.””
I stopped.
But I didn’t turn around.
“What?””
Marcus’s voice softened.
“Please don’t leave like this.””
I closed my eyes.
“Like what?””
“Angry.””
I slowly turned.
“I’m not angry.””
He looked surprised.
Then what?””
I looked at him.
“I’m disappointed.””
Those words hit him harder than anger would have.
Because anger means you still expect something.
Disappointment means you already lost something.
I walked out.
But I didn’t go home.
I drove until the city disappeared behind me.
I ended up sitting in the parking lot of the coffee shop Marcus and I used to visit every Sunday morning.
The place where he proposed.
The place where he cried when his father passed away.
The place where he told me, “You’re the only person who truly knows me.””
I almost laughed at that memory.
Because maybe I was the only person who loved him enough to believe I knew him.
My phone rang.
I looked down.
Marcus.
I ignored it.
A minute later.
Another call.
Then another.
Finally, a message appeared.
*Marcus: Please answer. I need to explain everything.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message came.
*Marcus: It’s not about cheating. It’s about what happened before we met.*
I frowned.
Before we met?
Then why did Simone answer his phone like that?
Why did he save her under a fake name?
Why did someone threaten him?
My phone rang again.
This time, it wasn’t Marcus.
It was Evelyn.
I answered.
“Hello?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Nia, you need to come back.””
“Why?””
There was a pause.
A long one.
Then she whispered:
“Because I found out who the messages were really from.””
I sat up.
“Who?””
Another pause.
Then Evelyn said the name.
And suddenly, every strange moment from the past seven years came rushing back.
“Nia…”
Her voice cracked.
“The woman contacting Marcus…”
I gripped the phone tighter.
“Who is she?””
May you like
Evelyn took a breath.
“She’s your sister.””
