I began reading.
At first, the messages were flirtatious and carefully disguised. Then they became more personal, more intimate, and impossible to explain away.
There were references to secret meetings, hotel reservations, and excuses Daniel had apparently invented to spend time with her.
One message from Daniel made my stomach turn.
“Margaret suspects nothing. After forty years, she trusts me completely. She would never imagine I’d do something like this.”
Sofia had replied:
“That’s what scares me. Your family thinks you’re the perfect husband. Sometimes I wonder whether you’ll ever have the courage to choose me.”
Daniel’s response came a few minutes later.
“I can’t destroy everything overnight. Let me get through the anniversary first. Then we’ll talk.”
I read that message several times.
Let me get through the anniversary first.
The celebration I had spent weeks organizing wasn’t a milestone he wanted to share with me.
It was an inconvenience he needed to survive before returning to his secret life.
