Vanessa rested a hand on her stomach and murmured, \u201cYour husband picked me because I can give him what you never could.\u201d Her words cut deep, but I refused to cry. David leaned back in his chair, smug and cold. \u201cDon\u2019t cause a scene, Claire.\u201d I glanced at both of them and let out a soft laugh. \u201cA scene?\u201d I said as I placed the envelope on the table. \u201cNo. This is proof.\u201dMy husband\u2019s mistress smiled like she had already taken over my life.\u201cI\u2019m pregnant,\u201d she announced, brushing her hand over her flat stomach, \u201cand David thinks it\u2019s time for you to move aside.\u201dThe restaurant around us seemed to go quiet. Not completely, of course. Forks still tapped against plates. Glasses still chimed softly. Somewhere near the kitchen, a waiter continued whispering. But inside me, everything turned icy and precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David sat beside her instead of me. My husband of twelve years reclined comfortably with that polished, careless confidence I had once confused for strength.\u201cClaire,\u201d he said in the smooth tone he used for lies and business deals, \u201cdon\u2019t make this messy.\u201dI looked across the table at Vanessa. Twenty-eight years old. Red lipstick. Diamond earrings I recognized because I had unknowingly paid for them myself. She wore my favorite shade of silk, as though even my colors belonged to her now.She tilted her head slightly. \u201cYou look pale. Poor thing.\u201dDavid sighed dramatically. \u201cWe both know this marriage has been over for years.\u201dThat came as news to me. Last week he kissed my shoulder and asked me to sign refinancing papers for the lake house. Yesterday he texted, Love you. Running late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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