Chapter 5: The Woman Who Knew Everything
For a moment, nobody breathed.
Ethan stood there with the phone pressed against his ear, his face drained of color.
“She knows about the baby.””
Those words echoed in my mind.
Not because Claire knew.
Because somehow, everyone seemed to know pieces of my life except me.
I watched Ethan carefully.
The nervous movements.
The way his fingers tightened around the phone.
The way he avoided looking directly at me.
Something was happening.
Something bigger than cheating.
Something bigger than Olivia’s pregnancy.
“Put her on speaker,” I said.
Ethan looked at me.
“No.””
My eyebrows lifted.
“No?””
“Emma, this isn’t the right time.””
I almost laughed.
“Tonight I found out my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend, lied about his identity, and hid an entire engagement from me.””
I stepped closer.
“I think this is exactly the right time.””
Olivia looked between us.
“Ethan…”
He closed his eyes.
Then slowly pressed the button.
The woman’s voice filled the room.
“Ethan?””
I froze.
Even through the phone, Claire sounded calm.
Too calm.
Like someone who had already accepted something painful.
“Claire,” Ethan said.
There was a pause.
Then she spoke.
“I didn’t think you would answer.””
Ethan looked uncomfortable.
“What do you want?””
A quiet sigh came through the speaker.
“I heard about the pregnancy.””
My eyes moved toward Olivia.
She immediately looked down.
Claire continued.
“And I heard Emma was finally told the truth.””
My chest tightened.
“How does she know my name?”” I whispered.
Ethan looked away.
That answer hurt more than anything.
“Claire,” Ethan said, “this isn’t your problem anymore.””
A short silence followed.
Then Claire replied:
“You always say that when you want people to stop asking questions.””
The room became completely still.
I felt like I was watching a movie about strangers.
Except my name was in the script.
My life was the disaster happening on screen.
“Who told you?”” Ethan asked.
“Nobody had to.””
Her voice became colder.
“I knew Ethan was hiding something the moment he started acting differently.””
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“Claire.””
“No, Ethan.””
For the first time, her voice cracked.
“You don’t get to say my name like you’re the victim.””
I looked at him.
He looked down.
That was new.
He looked guilty.
Not caught.
Guilty.
Claire continued.
“I warned Emma.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
I looked at Ethan.
He immediately shook his head.
“No.””
Claire heard me.
“Emma?””
I stepped closer to the phone.
“Yes.””
There was silence.
Then Claire said:
“I tried to contact you.””
My stomach dropped.
“When?””
“Two weeks ago.””
I stared at Ethan.
Two weeks ago.
A time when I remembered him suddenly becoming protective of his phone.
A time when he told me he was stressed because of work.
“You blocked her,” I whispered.
Ethan didn’t answer.
I felt something inside me break.
“You blocked someone who was trying to tell me the truth?””
“Emma, it wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
No answer.
Again.
Always no answer.
Claire spoke softly.
“Emma, I’m sorry.””
I didn’t know why those words hurt.
Maybe because she sounded sincere.
Maybe because she was the first person tonight who sounded like she understood what I was feeling.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?””
Claire was quiet.
“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.””
I looked at Ethan.
That fear was understandable.
After all, Ethan was the person everyone trusted.
The perfect boyfriend.
The supportive partner.
The man who held my hand during graduation.
A person like that was hard to doubt.
“What happened between you and Ethan?”” I asked.
The line went silent.
Then Claire answered.
“Ethan and I were engaged for almost two years.””
I knew that.
But hearing it from her made it real.
“He told me he wanted a simple life,” Claire continued.
I swallowed.
“And then?””
“Then I discovered he had been lying about several things.””
Ethan’s face changed.
“Claire, don’t.””
“Don’t what?””
Her voice sharpened.
“Tell the truth?””
I watched Ethan carefully.
“What did you discover?””
Claire hesitated.
Then she said:
“That Ethan wasn’t just hiding his family name.””
My heart started racing.
“What else?””
“He was hiding his choices.””
The room was silent.
I looked at Ethan.
“What choices?””
He finally spoke.
“Emma, please.””
But Claire continued.
“Before Ethan met you, he was involved with someone else.””
My eyes widened.
“What?””
Olivia looked shocked too.
Even she didn’t seem to know.
Ethan immediately stepped forward.
“That’s not relevant.””
“Not relevant?”” Claire said.
“You told Emma I was the only person from your past.””
My throat tightened.
“Were you?””
Ethan didn’t respond.
And that was enough.
I turned away.
How many versions of him existed?
The boyfriend I loved.
The stranger everyone else knew.
The man who kept secrets behind a smile.
Claire’s voice softened.
“Emma, I’m not calling because I want Ethan back.””
I looked at the phone.
“I’m calling because I know what it feels like to love someone who is always hiding something.””
Those words stayed with me.
Because they were true.
I had spent a year believing I knew Ethan.
But maybe I only knew the version he created.
Then Claire said something that made Ethan panic.
“You need to ask him about the night of the accident.””
Ethan immediately grabbed the phone.
“Enough.””
The call ended.
The silence afterward was unbearable.
I stared at him.
“The night of the accident?””
His face changed.
“Emma…”
“What happened that night?””
He didn’t answer.
And I knew.
There was another secret.
Another piece missing.
Then Olivia suddenly stood up.
“I know.””
I looked at her.
“You know?””
She nodded slowly.
“I know what happened that night.””
Ethan’s face turned pale.
“Olivia, don’t.””
But she looked at me.
May you like
And whispered:
“That’s the reason Claire left him.””
