CHAPTER 13
Other Woman
The day disappears faster than I expect.
What starts as a simple attempt to keep busy turns into hours of small chores, dishes, wiping counters, folding laundry.
Anything to keep my mind from wandering back to the same questions.
The washing machine hums softly as I sort through the clothes.
When I pull out a pair of jeans, something small slips from the back pocket and hits the floor with a soft metallic sound.
My ring.
I stare at it for a moment. I remember putting it there but what I forgot… was that it was still there. Dominic didn’t notice either. Or maybe he did. For a second I just stand there, the ring resting in the palm of my hand. All day I’ve been walking around without it. Strangely… it felt normal.
My mind drifts back to the river before I can stop it. Lucien standing so close to me the lantern light flickered across his face. The warmth of his hands when he cupped my cheeks, the way his thumbs brushed softly along my skin.
Then his hands on my waist.
Pulling me closer.
And his—
I stop the thought before it can finish. I shake my head sharply, like I can physically push the memory away.
No. I can’t go there. Not now. Not when everything is already hanging by a thread.
I look down at the ring in my hand again.
If I want this to work, if I want to find out the truth about the other woman, I need to act normal.
I slide the ring back onto my finger and it settles into its familiar place, the cool metal hugging my skin, the diamond catching the light like nothing ever changed.
Like a promise I’m still pretending is whole.
By the time evening comes, I get ready quickly. Black jeans, a fitted top tucked neatly in and a light jacket. Simple. I fasten the bracelet Dominic gave me last year, the one he insisted I deserved “just because.”
My phone buzzes.
Dominic: ETA 5 min.
A few minutes later I hear his car pull into the driveway. The front door opens and closes as he steps inside.
“Babe?” he calls.
“In here,” I answer.
He appears in the doorway a moment later, shrugging off his jacket.
“You ready?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes move over me briefly.
“You look good,” he says.
“Thanks.”
He grabs his keys from the table and gestures toward the door.
“Let’s go before traffic gets worse.”
The drive is quiet at first. Streetlights blur past the windows as Dominic navigates through traffic, one hand resting on the steering wheel. “So,” I say lightly, “who’s going tonight?”
“People from the hospital,” he says.
“Anyone I know?”
“Uhmn. I’m not sure if you’ve seen them before. Not really.”
I glance over at him.
“Sophie will be there, right?”
He nods.
“Yeah.”
The answer comes quickly.
“How long have you two worked together?” I ask.
“Few months.”
I tilt my head slightly.
“That’s funny.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember you mentioning her before.”
He shrugs.
“There’s a lot of people at the hospital, Era.”
“Sure.”
Silence settles between us again.
Then he clears his throat. “She actually transferred into my team a few months ago,” he adds quickly.
I nod slowly, watching the streetlights reflect across the windshield.
“That’s nice.”
He glances at me.
“Why all the questions?”
I force a small smile.
“Just making conversation.”
He nods and turns his attention back to the road.
But something about the way his fingers tighten briefly around the steering wheel doesn’t go unnoticed.
And I can’t help wondering, If he’s nervous.
Or if I’m just finally paying attention.
We pull up in front of the restaurant, the glow of warm lights spilling onto the street. For a moment I consider saying it.
I don’t feel well, maybe we should go home.
The words sit right there in my throat but they never come out. Dominic pulls the car up to the valet stand and hands over the keys like he’s done this a hundred times.
“Ready?” he asks, stepping out.
I nod even though my stomach is curling.
Together we walk toward the entrance. The moment we step inside, the rich smell of garlic, butter, and simmering tomato sauce fills the air.
Soft Italian music hums quietly through the restaurant while low conversations blend into a warm background murmur.
The lighting is golden and soft, reflecting off polished wine glasses and crisp white tablecloths.
Candles flicker gently on each table, casting quiet shadows across the room.
Dominic scans the room for a moment before spotting them. “There they are,” he says. My heart begins to beat faster as we walk toward a table near the window. Five people are already seated.
Dominic smiles.
“Hey everyone.”
They all look up.
“Folks, this is my wife,” he says, resting a hand lightly on my back. “Era.” He gestures toward the first man. “This is Daniel.”
Daniel stands and shakes my hand with a friendly smile.
“Nice to finally meet you.”
“And this is his wife, Emily,” Dominic adds. “She’s one of the best doctors at the hospital with us.”
Emily smiles warmly.
“It’s so nice to meet you.”
Dominic nods toward the second man.
“And this is Marcus. He’s another doctor I work with. But known him for years, he used to diagnose me with all sorts of things.”
Marcus chuckles and lifts his wine glass slightly.
“Nice to meet you.”
“And that,” Dominic continues, pointing toward the man sitting beside him, “is Marcus’s husband, Keith.”
Keith grins.
“Nice to meet you.”
Then Dominic gestures toward the last woman at the table.
“And this is Sophie. She joined our department not too long ago.”
My breath catches.
She stands.
She’s almost exactly my height. A sleek black dress hugs her frame, her short blonde hair falling neatly just above her jawline.
A black scarf drapes around her neck, the corner embroidered with white initials: S.L.
and a brown coat hangs over the back of her chair.
She’s beautiful and she came alone. My heart begins racing so fast I can feel it in my chest.
Then the memory crashes into me.
The day I turned the car around because something deep in my gut keeps screaming that something isn’t right. The same day I walked into our bedroom and saw a blonde woman on top of Dominic. I feel the same heartbreak all over again.
It’s her. She’s the woman.
My hands start to shake slightly, but I force myself to stay calm. She steps forward and extends her hand.
“Hello,” she says easily. “I’m Sophie. Sophie Lewis.”
I take her hand. “Hi, Sophie.” I hesitate for a moment. “I’m his wife.”
She pauses briefly.
“Dominic’s wife,” I add quickly.
She smiles.
“Well hello, Dominic’s wife.”
I blink, realizing what I just said.
“Sorry—uh,” I say awkwardly. “My name is Era.”
Dominic glances at me briefly.
Everyone settles back into their seats. A waiter arrives to take our drink orders, wine for the table, and the conversation slowly begins to flow. Marcus suddenly leans forward.
“Okay, I have to tell her this story,” he says, pointing at Dominic.
Dominic groans immediately.
“Oh no.”
Emily laughs.
“This is a good one.”
Marcus grins at me.
“So a few weeks ago Dominic was leading this huge presentation for the department.”
Dominic rubs the back of his neck.
“Marcus…”
“And everything was going great,” Marcus continues. “Charts, statistics, the whole impressive doctor routine.”
Daniel nods.
“Very serious meeting.” Marcus raises a finger. “Until Dominic tried to change the slide.”
Dominic closes his eyes. “Oh my God.”
Marcus bursts out laughing.
“And instead of the presentation…” Emily finishes the sentence. “His personal Spotify playlist pops up on the giant screen.”
The whole table erupts with laughter.
Marcus leans back in his chair. “And not just any playlist.”
Daniel shakes his head.
“It was titled, Gym Motivation: Absolutely No Sad Songs.” Emily wipes a tear from laughing.
“And the first song on the list was—” Marcus points dramatically at Dominic. “Eye of the Tiger.”
Everyone laughs again.
Dominic sighs. “It was one time.”
Wine glasses clink as the waiter returns with drinks, conversation continues easily around the table. But every now and then…I catch Sophie glancing toward Dominic. And the knot in my stomach tightens just a little more.
By the time the third glass of wine is poured, the warmth of it settles into my chest. Conversation flows easily around the table.
Marcus and Daniel are arguing about hospital parking, Emily is laughing about a patient who insisted WebMD was more accurate than medical school.
But my attention keeps drifting back to one person.
Sophie.
She sits across from me, relaxed, one arm resting casually on the table, swirling the wine in her glass. I take another sip. Then I hear my own voice before I fully think it through.
“So Sophie,” I say lightly, leaning forward. The table quiets slightly. “Where’s your other half tonight?”
She looks up. “What do you mean?”
I smile politely. “You know… partner, boyfriend, husband.” I tilt my head. “Does he work at the hospital too?” There’s a small pause. The wine loosens my tongue a little more. “Or do you just prefer… flings?”
Dominic’s head turns toward me immediately. “Era,” he says quietly, feeling the edge in my voice.
Sophie freezes for half a second and something flickers across her face. Then she clears her throat. “No,” she says. “I’m divorced.”
I nod slowly. “Oh,” I say, lifting my glass slightly. “Got it.” A small pause. “So… flings.”
Marcus coughs awkwardly. Emily suddenly becomes very interested in her wine glass. Dominic lifts his glass quickly. “To passing the yearly hospital state inspections,” he says. A few relieved laughs circle the table. “And to good coworkers… and friendship.”
Glasses lift.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers,” everyone echoes.
Wine glasses clink softly. A moment later Sophie stands. “Excuse me,” she says, grabbing her wine. “I’m just going to step outside for a minute.” She walks toward the patio doors. A few minutes pass. Then I push my chair back slightly.
“I’m going to use the bathroom,” I tell Dominic. He nods distractedly, already halfway into another conversation with Marcus. Instead of heading toward the restrooms, I glance toward the patio. Through the glass doors I see Sophie standing outside.
Smoking. I step out into the crisp bite of night air. The patio is quiet compared to the restaurant inside, soft city noise hums in the distance. Sophie turns slightly when she notices me and she lifts the cigarette.
“Want one?” she asks casually.
I shake my head. “No thanks.”
She shrugs and takes another drag.
“My husband hated that I smoked,” she says. Smoke drifts slowly into the air as she exhales. “I hated him.” She glances toward me. Then adds calmly, “Dom’s a good guy.” The words land heavier than they should. “Not a lot of good guys out there.”
My breath catches.
“Well,” I say coolly, “Dom’s mine.”
Sophie studies me for a moment. Then she raises her wine glass slightly. “Cheers to that.” She finishes her cigarette and crushes it into the ashtray. “I’m going to run to the bathroom,” she says. “Wait for me here?”
I hesitate.
“Yeah,” I say. “Sure.”
She disappears back inside and I stand there alone on the patio. Her wine glass still sits on the small table beside the ashtray. The faint smell of smoke lingers in the air. My mind races, the question circles my thoughts again and again.
Why Dominic? Out of everyone in the world…
Why him? You know he’s married, you know he belongs to someone else.
So why him?
Why my husband?
Why my life?
I must’ve repeated what I was going to say a thousand times in my head. The words spinning over and over like they were trying to force their way out of my mouth.
Why Dominic?
Why him?
The door opens again and Sophie steps back onto the patio. She pauses when she sees me still standing there. “I’m surprised you waited,” she says.
This is the moment. The question sits right there. I open my mouth.
But instead I hear myself say, “Your hair.”
She blinks. “What?”
“Why did you cut it?” Sophie’s expression tightens slightly.
Her fingers reach for the cigarette pack again.
She lights another one slowly and blows the smoke out through her nose.
Then shrugs. “Sometimes it’s time for a change,” she says.
She flicks ash into the tray. “My old hair started reminding me of things I didn’t want to carry around anymore.
” She glances toward me. “Funny how something small like that can feel like cutting off an entire past.”
I open my mouth. The words are finally there. Right at the edge of my lips.
But before I can say them—
“Hey, babe. There you are.”
Dominic’s voice cuts through the moment. I turn. He’s standing in the doorway to the patio, hands in his pockets, scanning the two of us.
“You ready?” he asks. His eyes flick between me and Sophie. For a second the air feels tight.
Then he nods politely. “Goodnight, Sophie.”
She chugs her drink and gives a small smile. “Good night, Dom.”
Then she looks at me. “Nice meeting you, Era.”
I hold her gaze for a moment.
“You too,” I say evenly.
Dominic gestures toward the door.
“Come on.”
A few minutes later, he pulls the car up after retrieving it from the valet, and I slide into the passenger seat.
The moment the doors close, the quiet settles in, heavier than before.
Dominic starts the car, and neither of us speaks as we pull onto the road, streetlights flashing across the windshield.
Finally he exhales sharply.
“What the hell was that, Era?”
I turn toward him.
“What?”
He glances at me briefly.
“At dinner.”
“Can I not ask normal questions?” I say. “She was the only one there without a partner.”
Dominic shakes his head slightly.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately.” His voice falters for a moment. “Ever since you went to New York… Ever since—”
His words cut off, his hands tightening around the steering wheel as the car fills with silence. The words rise inside me like a storm.
I know you fucked her.
I saw you.
Why did you do it?
Why, Dom?
Why throw away five years of our life?
The questions scream inside my head but none of them come out. Instead, my vision blurs.
Tears.
Just tears.
Fucking tears.
I turn my face toward the window before he can see them fall.