Chapter 2: The Confession Outside the Restaurant
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Daniel stood beneath the restaurant's exterior light, his face drained of color.
Cars passed along the street behind him.
Through the windows, I could see our friends still gathered around the table, although nobody appeared to be enjoying the birthday dinner anymore.
I barely noticed them.
All I could hear was Daniel's confession.
It wasn't the first time.
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
He swallowed.
“Please don't misunderstand me.””
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“You just told me that my best friend has done something like this before, and now you're asking me not to misunderstand?””
He looked down.
“I should have told you.””
“About what?””
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Megan has been making comments for a while.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What kind of comments?””
“At first, they seemed harmless.””
I stared at him.
“Harmless.””
“She'd joke about how lucky you were to have me. She'd say that if she were married to someone like me, she'd never let me out of her sight.””
I said nothing.
He continued quickly, as if he were afraid I'd interrupt.
“Then she started making comments about us. About our marriage. She'd ask whether we were happy, whether we argued much, whether I ever thought about what my life would be like if I were single.””
The words seemed to arrive from very far away.
Megan had asked me similar questions.
She had always been interested in the details of my marriage, but I had assumed that was normal between best friends.
I'd told her about our disagreements.
I'd confided in her when Daniel worked late and I felt lonely.
I'd even admitted that sometimes I worried we were becoming too comfortable with each other.
Now I wondered how much of that information she had collected for reasons I hadn't understood.
“What did you tell her?”” I asked.
“Nothing important.””
“That isn't an answer.””
Daniel flinched.
“I told her we were happy. I told her I loved you.””
“And then?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation was worse than the confession itself.
“Daniel.””
“She said that if we ever divorced, she'd take me in.””
For a moment, the street seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
“What?””
“She said she'd take me in if we ever divorced.””
He spoke more quietly the second time.
“She laughed when she said it. I thought she was being sarcastic, so I told her that wasn't going to happen.””
I watched him carefully.
“When did she say this?””
“A few months ago.””
“A few months ago?””
“Yes.””
“And you never thought to tell me?””
“I didn't want to upset you over something I thought was a stupid joke.””
I shook my head.
“No. You didn't want to deal with it, so you decided I didn't need to know.””
“That isn't fair.””
“Fair?””
My voice rose before I could stop it.
“I spent twelve years trusting that woman. I let her into our home. I told her things I wouldn't tell anyone else. She stood beside me at our wedding, Daniel.””
“I know.””
“And she has apparently been talking about taking you from me while you kept it a secret.””
“She isn't taking me anywhere!””
His answer came so quickly that I almost believed it.
Almost.
“Then why did you let her sit on your lap?””
He looked toward the restaurant window.
“I didn't know what to do.””
“You could have stood up.””
“I should have.””
“You could have moved her.””
“I know.””
“You could have looked at me and said you weren't comfortable.””
He pressed his lips together.
“I know.””
Every answer was an admission.
Every admission made the next question harder to ask.
Finally, I whispered, “Did you like it?””
His head snapped toward me.
“No.””
“Then why were you laughing?””
“I was uncomfortable. She climbed onto me suddenly, and everyone was watching. I laughed because I didn't know how to react.””
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
But the image of his smile had already settled somewhere deep inside me, and explanations couldn't erase it.
“You had five minutes to react,” I said.
“You had enough time to laugh with her. You had enough time to let her put her arms around you. But apparently, you didn't have enough time to stand up.””
Daniel looked devastated.
“I messed up.””
“Yes,” I replied.
“You did.””
The restaurant door opened again.
We both turned.
Megan stood inside the entrance, holding her phone.
She looked from Daniel to me, and her expression immediately hardened.
“Seriously?”” she called.
“You're still doing this?””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Megan, stop.””
She blinked, apparently surprised that he had spoken.
Then she looked at me.
“You're acting paranoid and jealous over nothing.””
My phone buzzed in my purse.
Then again.
And again.
I pulled it out.
Megan had sent me a series of messages.
I can't believe you're treating me like this.
After twelve years, you should know me better.
You're letting insecurity ruin our friendship.
Another message appeared.
If you trusted your husband, you wouldn't be making a scene.
I stared at the screen.
She had sat on my husband's lap in front of thirty people.
She had refused to move when I confronted her.
She had called my response ridiculous when I suggested mirroring her behavior.
And now she was telling me that the real problem was my insecurity.
It was almost impressive how quickly she had rewritten the evening.
I looked up at her.
“Go back inside, Megan.””
Her eyes widened.
“Excuse me?””
“Go back inside. I'm not discussing this with you right now.””
She glanced at Daniel as though expecting him to defend her.
He didn't.
For the first time that evening, he remained silent for a reason I understood.
Megan's mouth tightened.
“Fine.””
She turned and walked back into the restaurant.
I watched her disappear through the doorway.
Then I looked through the window.
Ryan was sitting at the table with his hands folded in front of him.
He wasn't watching the birthday cake.
He wasn't talking to the guests beside him.
He was staring at Megan.
And his expression was heartbreaking.
He looked like a man who had been disappointed so many times that he no longer had the energy to be surprised.
I remembered how quickly he had gone quiet when I'd suggested sitting on his lap.
I remembered that he hadn't defended Megan.
Not once.
“Daniel,” I said slowly, “does Ryan know about those comments?””
“I don't know.””
“Has Megan done this to him before?””
Daniel looked away.
That was enough to make my chest tighten again.
Before I could ask another question, the restaurant door flew open.
A woman from our table hurried outside.
It was one of the guests who had been sitting near Megan and Daniel.
Her face was pale, and she looked so shaken that I immediately straightened.
She glanced at Daniel.
Then at me.
“Can I talk to you?”” she asked.
“Of course,” I replied.
She stepped closer and lowered her voice.
“I heard what Megan said to Daniel right before she climbed onto his lap.””
My heartbeat stumbled.
Daniel went completely still.
The woman looked at him, then back at me.
“I don't think she was joking,” she whispered.
I gripped my phone so tightly that my fingers began to ache.
“What did she say?””
The woman took a shaky breath.
And before she could answer, Daniel whispered, “Please don't.””
I turned toward him.
For the first time that night, I wasn't looking at a frightened husband who had made a mistake.
I was looking at someone who already knew what I was about to hear.
May you like
And suddenly, I understood that whatever Megan had whispered to him, it wasn't just going to change how I saw her.
It might change how I saw my own marriage.
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