Chapter 6 – The Girlfriend’s Truth

After the truth of the second family, Elena’s life was shattered. She cried every night. Maria cried too. Both women were broken. But they thought the storm was over. They thought the biggest secret was out. They were wrong. Another wound was waiting.

One evening, Elena’s cousin Mark came again. He looked serious. He said, “Elena, I need to tell you something more. Daniel is not only with you. Not only with Maria. There is someone else.” Elena stared at him. “What do you mean?” Mark whispered, “He has a girlfriend. A younger woman. He promised her marriage too.”

Elena felt like the air left her body. She whispered, “No… it cannot be. Two wives were enough pain. And now this?” Mark nodded. “Yes. I saw them together. He buys her gifts. He tells her he will leave everything and marry her soon.”

Elena sat on the floor. Her hands shook. She said softly, “I gave him my soul. He took my life. And still, he wanted more.”

That night, Elena decided to see with her own eyes. With Mark’s help, she went to a café where Daniel often met the woman. Elena sat far away. She waited. After some minutes, Daniel walked in. His face was smiling. And with him was a young woman, about thirty. She looked happy. She laughed with him. Daniel held her hand. He said words Elena could not hear, but she could see love in his face.

Tears rolled down Elena’s cheeks. She whispered, “He once looked at me like that. Now those eyes belong to someone else.”

The next day Elena confronted him. She said, “Who is she? Tell me the truth.” Daniel froze. He said, “She is just a friend.” Elena shouted, “Do not lie! I saw you. You held her hand. You promised her marriage.” Daniel’s face broke. He whispered, “Yes. Her name is Claire. I met her years ago. She was kind to me. She made me feel young again. I told her I would marry her one day.”

Elena’s body shook with pain. She cried, “Years ago? All this time you had her too? When I waited at home? When Maria raised your daughter? You gave your heart to her?” Daniel begged, “Please, Elena, listen. I was lost. I did not want to hurt you. I just wanted love.”

Elena shouted through her tears, “Love? This is not love. This is greed. One wife, then another, then a girlfriend. You played with all of us. You promised each of us the same lie. And you call it love?”

Daniel tried to explain, but no words helped. His lies had built walls around him. Every woman in his life was broken because of him.

Maria heard the truth too. She came to Elena and said, “So it is not only you and me. There is another woman as well. He fooled her too.” Elena nodded, her tears never ending. “Yes. He fooled us all.”

Later, Elena and Maria decided to meet Claire. They wanted to see the woman who had also been caught in his web. They went to her apartment. Claire opened the door. She looked confused at first. Elena said softly, “We are Daniel’s wives.” Claire’s face turned white. She whispered, “Wives? He told me he was free. He told me he was lonely. He told me he only had me.”

Maria said, “He told us the same. He told me I was his only one. He told Elena the same too.” Claire sat down. She cried. “I gave him my love. I gave him my years. He said he would marry me. He said we would start a new life. I believed him. And now I see I was only another lie.”

The three women sat together. They were strangers, but their pain was the same. Elena said, “He took from us more than love. He took our trust. He took our years.” Maria whispered, “He destroyed us.” Claire added, “And he will end alone.”

When Daniel learned they had all met, he panicked. He came running to Elena. He said, “Please do not leave me. Please do not destroy me. I will change. I will choose one. I will make it right.” Elena looked at him with cold eyes. “Choose one? After so many lies? After so many wounds? Do you think any of us want you now?”

Daniel turned to Maria. She said, “No more, Daniel. I cannot raise my daughter in lies.” He turned to Claire. She said, “You told me sweet words. They are all poison now. I will never marry you.”

For the first time, Daniel stood truly alone. The three women had found each other. They had found the truth. And they had found strength.

Elena cried but her voice was strong. She said, “I was blind, but now I see. I was broken, but now I will heal. You may have fooled me for years, but you cannot fool me anymore.”

Maria held her daughter and said, “We will live free from lies.” Claire said, “I will move on. I will not waste my life on him.”

Daniel fell to the floor. He begged, but no one listened. His kingdom of lies had ended. His heart wanted all, but in the end, he lost all.

And the women, though broken, began to heal. They had each other’s truth now. They were not enemies. They were survivors of the same storm.