Page 38 of Pretend You Love Me

The sentence seems to change the atmosphere in the room. Jack’s head snaps up, his expression immediately unreadable. Emma’s hand finds his shoulder, squeezing once in silent communication. Olivia straightens, her posture moving from relaxed to carefully attentive. Sophie’s eyes widen, her gaze darting between Daniel and me with clear confusion.

“I didn’t…“ Daniel starts, but I cut him off with a single raised hand.

“You did,” I say simply. “Multiple times. Multiple women. Messages that started while I was seven months pregnant and couldn’t sleep for more than two hours at a time because the twins were crushing my lungs. Messages that continued through the three weeks they were in the NICU when I was pumping every two hours and holding them for twenty minutes at a time and you were…“ I pause, the words suddenly catching in my throat.

Diane is already in motion, crossing the room with the focused determination of someone who understands that emotional containment is now the primary objective. “Elsie,” she says, her voice carrying the warmth that appears when she’s genuinely concerned. “This is not the place for this conversation. There are children present. This is a family gathering.”

“It is,” I agree. “That’s why we’re having it here. So everyone understands what kind of family this is.”

Daniel crosses to me in three quick strides, his face arranged in an expression I’ve never seen before, not quite panic, not quite guilt, something closer to desperate calculation. “Elsie,” he says, keeping his voice low enough that only I can hear it. “Please. Whatever you think you found…whatever’s going on…we can talk about this. Just not here. Not like this.”

“No, I think now works,” I tell him, the words coming out steadier than expected. “For months you have been lying to me and then today you want me to play happy families?”

Across the room, the photographer is making a careful exit, camera bag gathered, equipment packed with quiet efficiency. “I’ll just,” she says, already backing toward the door. “I can come back another time.”

“No need,” Diane tells her, already moving to intercept. “This is just a misunderstanding. A private matter that…“

“It’s not private,” I say, louder this time. “It hasn’t been private since the first message. I have documentation. Screen recordings. Usernames. Dates that match up with the nights you were ‘working late’ or ‘at Jack’s’ or ‘just needed some space.’” I turn to the room at large, Jack and Emma watching with caution, Olivia with one hand on her husband’s arm, Sophie staring at the floor as if she might find answers in the carpet pattern. “I have weeks of evidence. Clara, she’s my lawyer by the way, has the divorce petition ready to file. The custody arrangements are outlined. I was just waiting for the right time to talk to you about it.”

“Your lawyer?” Daniel repeats, the words clearly not computing. “You have a lawyer?”

“I do,” I confirm. “A very good one. Clara specializes in cases where one spouse has significantly more resources than the other. She’s excellent at finding hidden assets and establishing fair settlements.”

“You’re leaving?” Olivia asks, her voice carrying the quality of someone who’s trying to determine which team she’s supposed to be on. “Just like that? Without even trying to work things out?”

“I’ve been trying,” I tell her. “For months. Every time I smiled through dinner or laughed at a joke or asked how work was going. Every time I pretended not to notice when he checked his phone under the table or came home at two in the morning with explanations that didn’t add up.” I turn back to Daniel, who’s standing perfectly still, Milo balanced against his chest with unconscious care. “I’ve been trying so hard to be the understanding wife that I forgot I was allowed to be angry about being betrayed.”

“I didn’t…“ he starts again, but Henry cuts him off with a single word.

“Daniel.”

Just his name. No elaboration, no follow-up, just disappointment that lands like a physical weight. Daniel’s head snaps toward his father, something complicated flashing across his face, not quite surprise, something closer to the moment when a child understands they’ve been caught.

“I have timestamps,” I continue, turning to address the room. “From when the twins were in the NICU. You remember, those three weeks our children were in there?” I wait for a response, but the room stays quiet, watchful. “He was messaging other women. While I was watching our children learn how to breathe. While the nurses were showing me how to check for jaundice and record feed times and look for signs of infection. He was sending photos…“ I stop, the words suddenly impossible.

From his position on the couch, Jack makes a small sound, almost like a strangled cough. Beside him, Emma’s expression looks sad, but her hand finds his, fingers intertwining with quiet support.

“Elsie,” Diane says, already moving toward me apparently now deciding that damage control is now the goal. “I understand you’re upset. This is clearly very difficult. But perhaps…“

“Upset?” I repeat, the word feeling strange in my mouth. “I’m not upset. I’ve been upset. I’ve been documenting evidence and meeting with lawyers and maintaining the visage of a happy wife while my husband was…“ I stop again, the sentence suddenly impossible to finish.

“The children,” Diane says, her voice carrying the quality that appears when she’s trying to establish a more socially appropriate version of reality. “Perhaps we should…“

“They’re eight months old,” I tell her. “They don’t understand what we are saying. They understand the tone. And right now, what they’re understanding is that their mother is finally telling the truth.” I turn back to Daniel, who’s still standing in the centre of the room with Milo balanced against his chest. “That’s what this is about. Not privacy or timing or any of the other things people will tell you I should have considered. It’s about the fact that for months, I’ve been lying to everyone, including myself, about what kind of marriage this is. And I just can’t do it anymore.”

“Elsie,” Daniel says, his voice pitched low, the tone that appears when he’s genuinely trying to connect. “Please. Whatever you think you found…whatever’s going on… we can figure this out. Together. Just not here. Not like this.”

“There is no together,” I tell him simply. “There hasn’t been for months. There’s just you, doing whatever you want, and me, trying to hold our life together while you systematically dismantle it.”

Henry shifts Maisie to his other hip, the movement careful and deliberate. “I think,” he says quietly, “we should give Elsie and Daniel some space.”

“No,” I say immediately. “No space. No privacy. No more chances to explain things away or redirect or make this about my reaction rather than your actions.” I turn to address the room at large, Jack and Emma watching with sympathy, Olivia with her face drained of colour, Sophie is still hanging her head. “This is what happened. This is who he is. And I’m done pretending it’s anything else.”

Nobody speaks. Nobody moves. The room holds the stillness of people who have just watched something happen that cannot be taken back.

Milo chooses that moment to begin fussing and suddenly I can’t stand to be in this room for a second longer. Just a clear thought running through my head. I need to leave, I am done.

I cross to Daniel already reaching for Milo. “I’m taking them home,” I tell him, my voice steady. “You can visit whenever you want. I won’t keep them from you. But I won’t live with you. Not anymore.”