Chapter 2: The Wife He Tried to Hide
For several seconds, I couldn't understand the words.
My girlfriend doesn't know about you.
The terminal continued moving around us. Suitcases rolled across the polished floor. A child laughed somewhere behind me. An announcement echoed from the speakers.
But my world had narrowed to Daniel's face.
“Your girlfriend?”” I repeated.
The woman beside him pulled her hand away from his arm.
“Daniel, what does she mean?””
He rubbed his forehead, looking more annoyed than ashamed.
“Rachel, please. Give me a minute.””
Rachel.
He had never mentioned a Rachel.
Not once during our late-night calls. Not once during the weeks when I sat alone feeding our daughters. Not once when he asked me to show him their faces through a crackling phone connection.
I looked at the woman.
“I'm his wife. We've been married for four years.””
Rachel stared at Daniel.
“You told me you were divorced.””
Daniel exhaled sharply.
“It's complicated.””
“No,” I said.
“It's actually very simple.””
I shifted Lily higher against my chest.
“He married me. He left for work while I was pregnant. I gave birth to his daughters while he was away. And today, I came here to surprise him.””
Rachel's face went pale.
“You said your ex-wife lived in another state.””
Daniel stepped between us.
“Stop talking, both of you.””
That was when something inside me changed.
For months, I had defended him to anyone who questioned his absences. I had told my mother that his job was difficult, that he was under pressure, that I needed to be patient.
Now he was standing in front of me, ordering me to stop speaking because the truth was inconvenient.
I looked at him and barely recognized the man I had married.
“Daniel,” I said, “these are your daughters.””
He glanced at Emma and Lily.
“I can see that.””
“You've been asking to see them for months.””
“Not here, Anna.””
“Then where? At home? In the house where I waited for you? Or at the hotel where you planned to stay with her?””
Rachel turned sharply.
“Hotel?””
Daniel shot her a warning look.
“Don't.””
That single word told me more than any confession could have.
Rachel took a step away from him.
“Daniel, you told me we were going to my sister's house.””
“We are,” he replied quickly.
“I just need to sort this out first.””
“You said you didn't have anyone waiting for you.””
He glanced at me.
“I thought she would stay home.””
The words landed harder than a slap.
He hadn't been surprised because I was there.
He was angry because I had interrupted his plans.
A security officer approached after noticing the raised voices.
“Is everything all right here?””
Daniel immediately changed his expression.
“Yes. Family matter. We're leaving.””
He reached for my suitcase.
I pulled it away.
“Don't touch my things.””
His eyes hardened.
“Anna, don't make a scene.””
I almost laughed.
He had kissed another woman in front of a terminal full of strangers, introduced her as his girlfriend by implication, and announced that she knew nothing about his wife.
But somehow, I was the one making a scene.
Rachel stared at him with disbelief.
“You told me you were single for two years.””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Rachel, not now.””
“How long have you been married?””
He didn't answer.
I did.
“Four years.””
Rachel covered her mouth.
“And the babies?””
“Three months old.””
She looked at Emma and Lily. Her expression crumpled as the reality settled in.
“Oh my God.””
For one brief moment, I felt sorry for her.
She had been deceived, too.
But then she turned to me, and her next question made my sympathy falter.
“Does he still love you?””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“Daniel and I are serious. I need to know if your marriage is actually over.””
I looked at my husband.
He didn't correct her.
He didn't tell her that he had kissed me goodbye before leaving on his last voyage. He didn't mention the promises he had made about our daughters.
He simply stood there, waiting for me to make the situation easier for him.
So I answered honestly.
“I thought we were happy. I thought he loved me. I thought he wanted to come home to his family.””
Rachel swallowed.
“That's not what he told me.””
“What did he tell you?””
She hesitated.
Daniel grabbed her suitcase handle.
“Rachel, we're leaving.””
She pulled it back.
“No. I want to hear this.””
He leaned closer to her, his voice low and urgent.
“You're tired. We've both had a long journey. Don't let her manipulate you.””
I felt my fingers tighten around the baby blanket.
Manipulate her.
That was how he planned to explain everything.
Not with the truth, but by turning me into the villain.
Rachel studied his face.
“Did you tell your wife about me?””
Daniel said nothing.
“Did you tell her you were seeing someone?””
Still nothing.
Then Rachel looked at me.
“I really didn't know.””
“I believe you,” I said.
Her shoulders sagged with relief, but it lasted only a second.
“Then maybe we can talk privately. The three of us. We don't need to involve anyone else.””
I looked at her in disbelief.
My newborn daughters were growing restless in my arms. I hadn't eaten since early morning. My back hurt from carrying both babies and their bags.
And this woman wanted a private discussion about the future of her relationship with my husband.
“I don't owe either of you a private conversation,” I said.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Anna, listen to me. I can explain everything.””
“Then explain.””
He glanced around the terminal.
“Not here.””
“You've said that three times. Give me one reason I should believe anything you say.””
His expression hardened.
“Because we're married.””
For the first time, I smiled.
It wasn't a happy smile.
“Exactly.””
I took out my phone and opened the messages he had sent me over the past three months.
There were photographs of our daughters that I had sent him. Messages asking when he would call. His promises to return home. His declarations that he missed us.
I held the screen toward him.
“You wrote that you couldn't wait to come home.””
“I meant it.””
“You wrote that I was the only woman you wanted.””
“Anna—”
“You asked me to be patient because you were working for our future.””
His eyes darted toward Rachel.
“Keep your voice down.””
I lowered the phone.
“Why? Afraid she'll hear what you told me?””
Rachel took a step back.
“Daniel, what is she talking about?””
He reached for her shoulder, but she moved away.
I could see the calculations behind his eyes. He was trying to determine which lie would save him the most trouble.
Finally, he sighed.
“Look. Rachel and I met during a previous assignment. Things happened. I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
“When I got home.””
I stared at him.
“You planned to come home, hold your daughters, kiss your wife, and then tell me you'd been sleeping with another woman?””
He flinched.
Rachel whispered, “You said you were separated.””
Daniel turned on her.
“I said things were complicated!””
“You said your marriage was over!””
“Because I knew you'd react like this!””
Rachel recoiled as if he had struck her.
I watched him carefully.
There it was.
Not guilt.
Not remorse.
Anger that his carefully arranged lies had collided in one public place.
My phone vibrated.
A message from my mother appeared on the screen.
*Did you find Daniel? Send me a picture of the girls with their daddy!*
I stared at the message until the letters blurred.
Then I locked the screen.
Daniel noticed.
“Anna, let's go home. We'll talk there.””
I shook my head.
“I'm not going anywhere with you.””
He looked at the babies again.
“Don't be ridiculous. You can't raise twins alone forever.””
The threat was so casual that it took a moment to register.
I lifted my chin.
“I've been raising them alone for three months.””
“That's different.””
“How?””
He didn't answer.
Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone.
“I'll call you tonight. We need to discuss our marriage and what happens next.””
I wanted to ask him what he thought there was left to discuss.
But Emma began crying, followed by Lily, and I turned my attention to them.
As I adjusted their blankets, I heard Rachel speak behind me.
“Daniel, if you lied about having a wife, what else have you lied about?””
He didn't respond.
She asked again, louder this time.
“Daniel, what else have you lied about?””
I looked up just as Rachel opened the outer pocket of his suitcase.
She pulled out a thick envelope.
A document slipped halfway out.
Her eyes moved across the page.
May you like
Then she looked at him with an expression I would never forget.
“Daniel,” she whispered, “why does this say you're transferring your house to me?””
