Ryan’s mistress stopped smiling.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
I adjusted the blanket around one of my daughters and looked directly at my husband.
“Since you seem to have forgotten that you’re a married man with two newborn daughters, I thought it might be helpful to have someone remind you.”
Ryan stared at me.
“Claire, what did you do?”
I smiled faintly.
“Nothing you didn’t do yourself.”
You see, there was something Ryan didn’t know.
Three weeks before his return, I had received an unexpected phone call.
It was from Daniel.
At first, I thought something terrible had happened to Ryan. My heart nearly stopped when I heard the captain introduce himself.
“Mrs. Ryan? I’m sorry to contact you like this, but there’s something you should know.”
He explained that several members of the crew had reported Ryan’s behavior.
Apparently, my husband hadn’t simply been having one affair.
He had been bringing his private relationships into the workplace, lying to colleagues, and telling people that his marriage was practically over.
He had even introduced the woman standing beside him as his future wife.
Daniel had initially refused to get involved in Ryan’s personal life.
But things became more complicated when he discovered that Ryan had been using his position to arrange special accommodations and travel privileges for the woman.
There were also concerns about inappropriate use of company resources.
Daniel asked me whether I knew anything about it.
I didn’t.
I was sitting in my living room, holding one of my newborn daughters while the other slept beside me.
My husband was telling me on the phone how much he missed his children.
And apparently, he was telling another woman that he couldn’t wait to start a new life with her.
I didn’t cry during that phone call.
I simply asked Daniel one question.
“Captain, does your company know that Ryan is married and has two newborn daughters?”
There was a long silence.
Then Daniel answered.
“They do now.”
He told me that the company had started reviewing the complaints.
He also advised me not to confront Ryan until the investigation was complete.
I agreed.
I had no intention of creating a scene.
But when I discovered the date and location of his return, I made a decision.
I would bring our daughters to meet their father.
And I would let him decide, in front of everyone, exactly what kind of man he wanted to be.
Now, standing at the terminal, Ryan was beginning to understand.
“Daniel,” he said nervously. “What are you doing here?”
The captain didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the two little girls in my arms.
Then he looked at me.
“Mrs. Ryan, I’m sorry you had to experience this.”
Ryan stepped forward.
“Wait. This is a private family matter.”
Daniel finally spoke.
“Your family matters, Ryan. Your conduct as an employee matters too.”
The woman beside Ryan suddenly released his arm.
“Ryan? You told me you were divorced.”
I looked at her.
For the first time, she didn’t look smug.
She looked terrified.
Ryan turned toward her.
“Not now.”
But she wasn’t finished.
“You told me your wife was living in another country. You said you hadn’t spoken to her in months.”
I almost laughed.
Months?
He had called me every few days.
He had listened to our daughters crying over video calls.
He had watched me feed them, change them, and struggle through sleepless nights.
He knew exactly what was happening at home.
He had simply decided that the truth was inconvenient.
I looked at the woman.
“Well, now you know.”
She looked down at my daughters.
Then she looked at Ryan.
“Are these really your children?”
I answered before he could.
“Yes. Both of them.”
The silence that followed was almost unbearable.
Ryan’s face had turned bright red.
“Claire, please. We can talk about this at home.”
I shook my head.
“No, Ryan. We already had months to talk. You used those months to lie.”
Then Daniel opened the folder.
“Ryan, we need you to come with us. There are some matters concerning your employment that require your attention.”
Ryan stared at the folder.
And for the first time that day, he looked genuinely afraid.
PART 3 – THE WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE HAD WON
The mistress, whose name I would later learn was Vanessa, suddenly began crying.
“Ryan, you said everything was finished between you two!”
Ryan turned toward her.
“Vanessa, calm down.”
“No! You told me she was your ex-wife!”
I watched them argue.
It was strange.
Only a few minutes earlier, they had been standing together, laughing and kissing as though they had the entire world at their feet.
Now they were looking at each other like strangers.
Vanessa wiped her tears.
“Do you know what you told me? You said you had no children. You said you weren’t ready for marriage, but that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me.”
I felt something cold move through my chest.
He had told her he had no children?
I looked at Ryan.
“Is that true?”
He didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Vanessa stepped backward.
“You are unbelievable.”
Ryan grabbed her suitcase.
“Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
She pulled it away.
“Don’t touch my things.”
Then she looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
I didn’t immediately respond.
I didn’t know whether she was telling the truth or simply trying to escape the embarrassment.
“Did you know about me?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Not until today. He said he was single.”
I studied her face.
She looked frightened, confused, and ashamed.
I wasn’t going to comfort her, but I wasn’t interested in fighting her either.
“Then you should probably ask him why he lied to you.”
She nodded.
Then she walked away.
Ryan watched her disappear into the crowd.
“Vanessa! Wait!”
She didn’t turn around.
And just like that, the woman he had supposedly chosen over his family abandoned him at the port.
