The First Lie

I didn't tell Daniel what I saw.

Not that morning.

Not that afternoon.

Not even when he called me during lunch and asked what I was doing.

"Just working," I answered.

"Busy?"

"A little."

"Did you eat?"

"Yes."

He smiled through the phone.

"Good girl."

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

"Don't call me that."

"Why? You like it."

"I tolerate it."

He laughed.

"I'll see you tonight."

I paused.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. I want to take you out."

"Didn't you say you had work?"

There was a brief silence.

"That was yesterday."

I looked down at my phone.

"No, Daniel. You said you had work tonight."

"I did?"

"Yes."

He laughed awkwardly.

"Right. I forgot. I managed to finish early."

I stared at the wall.

Another lie.

Or at least another inconsistency.

"Okay."

"Are you upset?"

"No."

"You sound upset."

"I'm just tired."

"Then I'll make it up to you."

I forced a smile.

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We ended the call.

I sat there for a moment.

Yesterday, he told me he had to work late.

Yet that morning, I had seen him outside a café with another woman.

Now suddenly, he had finished work early.

It was getting harder to believe his explanations.

Still, I wasn't ready to accuse him.

I needed more.

So I started with something simple.

I searched the café's social media page.

I found nothing.

Then I searched Daniel's company.

Nothing.

I searched the woman's description online.

Still nothing.

I didn't even know her name.

That made me angry.

How could someone I had never seen before already make me question three years of my relationship?

I put my phone down.

Maybe I was overreacting.

Maybe she was a coworker.

Maybe the kiss on the cheek meant nothing.

Maybe—

My phone vibrated.

Daniel.

Daniel: Dinner tonight?

I stared at the message.

Me: Sure.

Daniel: Pick you up at seven.

I looked at the time.

It was almost five.

I had two hours to decide whether I was going to pretend everything was normal.

I chose to pretend.

For now.

At seven, Daniel arrived.

He stepped out of his car wearing the blue shirt I bought him for his birthday.

He smiled when he saw me.

"Wow."

I looked down at myself.

"What?"

"You look beautiful."

I smiled.

"Thank you."

He kissed my forehead.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

We got into the car.

As we drove, I watched him.

His hands were on the steering wheel.

His eyes were on the road.

He looked completely relaxed.

I wondered how someone could lie so comfortably.

Then he glanced at me.

"Why are you staring?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

I smiled.

"Nothing important."

He reached for my hand.

"Tell me."

I looked at our hands.

"Where were you this morning?"

His fingers tightened slightly around mine.

Then relaxed.

"At work."

I looked at him.

"All morning?"

"Yeah."

I smiled.

"You weren't at the café?"

His expression changed.

Only for a second.

"What café?"

I knew it.

There was the first lie.

"I saw your car."

He laughed.

"My car?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Near your office."

He shook his head.

"You probably saw someone else's car."

"I know your car, Daniel."

He was quiet.

Then he said,

"Okay. I did stop there."

I waited.

"Why?"

"I needed coffee."

"And the woman?"

He glanced at me.

"What woman?"

I stared at him.

"The woman you were with."

He was silent.

Then he laughed.

"She's a coworker."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"You kissed her."

His jaw tightened.

"It was just a cheek kiss."

I nodded slowly.

"Okay."

He looked surprised.

"That's it?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know."

"Then don't."

He reached for my hand again.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I should've told you."

"Yes."

He sighed.

"She's having a difficult time. I was comforting her."

I stared out the window.

"Right."

"Elena."

"What?"

"You don't believe me."

I looked at him.

"I want to."

His expression softened.

"I would never cheat on you."

There it was.

The sentence I wanted to hear.

The sentence that should have made everything better.

Instead, it made my stomach hurt.

I smiled.

"Okay."

He squeezed my hand.

"I mean it."

"Good."

The rest of the drive was quiet.

He took me to a nice restaurant.

He ordered my favorite food.

He told me he loved me.

He acted like nothing had happened.

And I played along.

When we got home, he kissed me goodnight.

"Sleep well."

"You too."

He walked away.

I closed the door.

Then I stood there for several seconds.

I wasn't angry anymore.

I was thinking.

The woman was a coworker.

Fine.

But why had he lied?

Why hadn't he told me he stopped at the café?

Why did he immediately deny being there?

And why did that woman look at him like she knew him far too well?

I went to my bedroom.

I opened my phone.

I looked at the picture I took earlier.

The woman was slightly blurry.

But her face was visible.

I zoomed in.

Then I noticed something.

She was wearing a small silver bracelet.

I had seen it before.

I searched through Daniel's company social media.

Nothing.

Then I checked the employee list.

There were dozens of names.

I started scrolling.

Then I found her.

Vanessa Cruz.

I stared at the picture beside her name.

It was her.

The woman from the café.

I saved her profile.

Then I opened her social media.

I expected to find nothing.

Instead, I found several pictures from company events.

Daniel appeared in a few.

Not together.

Not obviously.

But always close.

Too close.

In one picture, Vanessa was standing beside Daniel.

In another, Daniel was behind her.

In another, they were laughing.

I scrolled further.

Then I found a picture posted two months ago.

It was a group dinner.

Daniel was sitting at the end of the table.

Vanessa was beside him.

The caption said:

Good people, good night.

I stared at the comments.

Someone had written:

You two look cute together!

Vanessa replied with a laughing emoji.

Daniel didn't reply.

I kept scrolling.

Then I found something that made my heart stop.

A picture of Vanessa holding a bouquet of flowers.

The caption was simple.

Thank you.

No name.

No explanation.

But the flowers looked familiar.

White roses.

The same kind Daniel had given me on our anniversary.

I looked at the date.

Three weeks ago.

I swallowed.

Maybe it meant nothing.

Maybe someone else gave them to her.

Maybe—

My phone vibrated.

I nearly dropped it.

Daniel.

Daniel: You awake?

I stared at the message.

Then replied.

Me: Yes.

Daniel: Can't sleep.

Me: Why?

Daniel: Thinking about you.

I stared at the screen.

Three years ago, that message would have made my heart race.

Tonight, it made me suspicious.

Me: Really?

Daniel: Of course.

Then:

Daniel: I love you more than anything.

I typed:

Me: I love you too.

I didn't send it.

I deleted it.

Then typed:

Me: Goodnight, Daniel.

I sent it.

He replied immediately.

Daniel: Goodnight, babe.

I put my phone down.

For the first time in three years, I didn't say "I love you" back.

And somehow, that tiny decision felt bigger than it should have.

The next morning, I woke up early.

I had made up my mind.

I wasn't going to confront Vanessa.

Not yet.

I wasn't going to confront Daniel again.

Not yet.

I was going to watch.

I was going to listen.

And I was going to let Daniel believe his lie was safe.

Because if he was really cheating on me, eventually he'd make another mistake.

Everyone did.

Even careful liars.

I just needed to be patient.

At work, I received a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: You should ask Daniel where he was Saturday night.

I stared at it.

My heart started beating faster.

I typed:

Me: Who is this?

No response.

I tried again.

Me: Why should I ask him?

Nothing.

I looked at the message again.

Saturday night.

I remembered.

Daniel had told me he was working late that night.

I had believed him.

Now I wasn't so sure.

I put my phone down.

Then picked it up again.

I opened my conversation with Daniel.

I scrolled back to Saturday.

There it was.

Daniel: Sorry, babe. Work is crazy tonight. I'll probably be home late.

I looked at the date.

Then at the unknown message.

My fingers went cold.

Maybe the café wasn't the first lie.

Maybe it wasn't even the first woman.

And whoever had sent that message knew something I didn't.

I looked at the screen one more time.

Then whispered,

"Okay, Daniel."

I smiled.

"If you want to play this game..."

I locked my phone.

"...I'll let you make the next move."

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