The sunlight filtered lazily through the curtains, casting soft streaks across the living room floor.
I was curled up on the couch, a warm throw wrapped around my legs and a half-empty mug of coffee resting on the side table.
Sophie sat across from me, her hair tied in a messy bun, flipping through a magazine. It was supposed to be a lazy, healing morning.
Until my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen casually, expecting a reminder, a social media notification, maybe even a message from Joe trying to smooth things over.
Instead, it was a message from an unknown number.
And it started with:
"Stay away from my husband, you husband snatcher."
The words sliced through me.
More followed in a vicious rush. Accusations. Insults. Rage. Words like "homewrecker",
"liar" and "pathetic" blinked across the screen, each one burning hotter than the last.
My hand trembled.
The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud.
Mia looked up immediately, eyes sharp with concern.
"Ella? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice tight with alarm.
I didn't respond. I couldn't. My body was frozen, my heart thudding against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
Sophie was already up and moving. She snatched the phone from the floor, her eyes scanning the screen.
And as she read, her expression transformed from confusion to disbelief… to fury.
"Incredible," she whispered. "How could he? How could he?! Joe's a snake, Ella. A complete liar."
Her voice cracked with anger, but I could hardly hear it over the echo in my head.
I had been a fool. A damn fool.
I felt the tears prick my eyes, hot, bitter, humiliated.
"I shouldn't have listened to my emotions," I whispered, the words tasting like regret.
"I let my guard down. I let him in again. And he was, he was someone else's all along?"
I buried my face in my hands.
Sophie sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, her voice trembling with hurt on my behalf.
"This isn't your fault," she said fiercely.
"Don't you dare carry this alone. He made you believe you mattered.
That's what you had was real."
I shook my head. "But it felt real, Sophie. The way he looked at me, the things he said…"
"That's what snakes do, Ella. They slither in when you're finally okay, make you believe it's safe to feel again… then strike."
Her words hurt, but they were also the truth.
The truth I hadn't wanted to face.
The truth I needed.
I looked down at the phone still in her hand, the message glaring up at me like a bruise that refused to fade.
A woman out there believed Joe was her husband.
And from the venom in her words, this wasn't the first time he had strayed.
Just the latest.
And I was his latest.
"I have to end this," I said quietly.
Sophie nodded, her hand tightening around mine. "And I'll be right here when you do."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I wasn't sure what I'd say to Joe yet, but I knew one thing for certain.
Whatever fire we'd kindled… I was about to burn it to the ground.
"Before the Storm" – Sophie and I Investigate
"I still can't believe this," I muttered, staring at the message again as Sophie handed the phone back to me.
The screen still glowed with the words that had shattered my morning, and possibly, everything I thought I knew about Joe.
"Maybe I should confront him," I said, my voice thin, my hands itching to dial his number. "I need answers."
Sophie raised a hand gently, stopping me.
"Ella, wait. Let's investigate who it is first. This could be real… or it could be someone trying to mess with your head."
I looked at her, searching her eyes for hesitation, but there was only firm, loyal determination.
"I know you're hurting," she continued softly, "but going in blind could backfire.
If there's another woman in his life, whether a wife, a girlfriend, or an angry ex, we need to be sure.
No more surprises."
I exhaled slowly, then nodded. "You're right. Let's find out who this woman is before I even say a word to Joe."
Sophie leaned forward, grabbing her laptop from the side table and opening it in one swift motion.
"Let's start with the number," she said. "Maybe it's linked to a name online, a business, something."
I typed the number into a reverse lookup search bar, my heart thumping with each keystroke. A beat passed. Then two. The page loaded… and there it was.
Samantha A. Bennett.
The name blinked back at us like a cold accusation.
"She has a LinkedIn," Sophie said quickly, clicking through.
Marketing executive. Same city. Early 30s. Works for a PR firm."
I squinted at the profile photo. Stylish. Poised. Beautiful. Her smile looked polished, but there was something in her eyes. Something tired.
"She doesn't have her relationship status listed," I murmured.
"Check Facebook," Sophie said, already opening another tab. "People leave digital breadcrumbs. Let's follow them."
We found her profile. It was mostly private, but a few pictures were public.
In one of them, dated just one year ago, Samantha stood beside a tall, broad-shouldered man.
His face was partially turned, but that jawline, that profile…
My breath caught.
"Oh my God…" I whispered. "That's Joe."
And he was wearing a wedding ring.
Sophie leaned in. "No mistaking him now."
I clicked on the photo, opening the comments.
One stood out, buried beneath the likes.
"Beautiful couple. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!"
I couldn't move for a second. It felt like someone had poured ice water through my veins.
He lied. All this time. Lied with his words, with his eyes, with his touch.
Sophie turned to me slowly. "Now that we know, are you ready to confront him?"
I swallowed hard. "Yes. But not with tears."
sophie's brow lifted. "What then?"
I met her gaze, steady, wounded, but no longer naive.
"With proof. With clarity. With every ounce of strength he thought I didn't have."