Chapter 3 – The Phone That Spoke the Truth

The days passed slowly, and Emily’s doubts kept growing. She tried to stay calm, but every small thing made her heart hurt. Albert still acted the same—quiet, distant, and careful with his phone. She told herself again and again, maybe I’m wrong, but her heart kept saying, no, you’re not.

One Saturday morning, something unexpected happened. Albert left for work in a hurry. His phone was lying on the table. Emily looked at it for a long time. Her hands trembled. She didn’t want to touch it, but her mind said, This is my only chance to know the truth.

She picked it up. Her fingers were shaking. She opened the screen. At first, she saw nothing unusual—just some office messages. Then she saw one name that froze her breath. The name was Clara.

Emily opened the chat. There were hundreds of messages. They were not about work. They were about love. Her eyes filled with tears as she read lines like “I miss you,” and “When will we meet again?”

She kept scrolling and saw pictures—Clara smiling, holding a small girl. The child was around six or seven years old. She had the same eyes as Albert. The truth hit her like a storm. The child looked exactly like him.

Emily covered her mouth. She could not even cry. It felt like her whole body turned cold. She whispered, “Oh God… what is this?” Her mind started to spin. All those late nights, the hidden calls, the sudden trips—they all made sense now.

She sat on the floor with the phone in her hands. She didn’t move for a long time. Her eyes were open, but she was lost somewhere deep in pain. She thought of all the times she had defended Albert when people said he had changed. She had told everyone, “He’s just busy. He’s tired from work.” Now she realized how blind her love had made her.

Her tears wouldn’t stop. She felt betrayed, broken, and weak. But in the middle of her pain, another thought came — I must know everything. I can’t live in lies.

She spent the whole day in silence. When Albert came home that night, she didn’t say a word. She smiled weakly and served him dinner. He talked casually, but Emily’s eyes were full of hidden questions.

She wanted to shout, Who is Clara? but she stayed calm. She needed to choose the right moment. She wanted him to tell the truth, not just deny it.

That night, she lay beside him, staring at the ceiling. He was scrolling through his phone again. She closed her eyes and whispered in her heart, “I know what you’re hiding, Albert. But I’ll wait for you to say it yourself.”

The next morning, Albert forgot to lock his phone again. She looked once more and saw a message from Clara saying, “Thank you for coming to see her yesterday. She was so happy. You are a good father.”

Emily’s chest felt heavy. She sat down and whispered, “Father… he’s her father.” Her whole life felt like it was breaking apart piece by piece.

When Albert returned home that evening, she watched him quietly. He hugged their kids, smiled, and talked normally. Emily looked at him and thought, How can he act so normal after lying so much?

After the children went to bed, she said softly, “Albert, can we talk?”
He smiled and said, “Sure, what happened?”
She looked straight into his eyes and said, “Who is Clara?”

Albert froze. For a few seconds, he couldn’t speak. Then he said quickly, “She’s an old friend.”
Emily’s voice broke. “Old friend? Friends don’t call you every night. Friends don’t say they miss you.”
Albert’s hands started shaking. “Emily, please… it’s not what you think.”
She looked down and said in a low voice, “Then what is it? Tell me the truth.”

He stayed silent for a long time. Then finally, he said, “Yes, she was my girlfriend before we married.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears again. “And that girl in the photo? Who is she?”
Albert looked down. “She’s my daughter.”

The world around Emily felt still. She couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. “Your daughter?” she whispered. “You mean you’ve been meeting her, sending money, lying to me for years?”
Albert said, “I didn’t want to hurt you. I was scared you would leave me.”
Emily replied softly, “You didn’t save me from pain. You gave me more than I ever imagined.”

He reached out to touch her hand, but she moved away. “I need time,” she said quietly. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

Albert lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Emily. I was wrong. I just wanted to do what’s right for the child.”
She looked at him through her tears and said, “And what about your own children here? What about me? Did we stop being your family?”

Albert said nothing. His silence was louder than any answer.

That night, Emily didn’t sleep. She sat near the window and cried silently. Her whole world had changed in a single day. But in the middle of her pain, one thought gave her strength. I will not fall apart. I will find peace, even if it takes everything I have.

She whispered to herself, “This is not the end. It’s the beginning of truth. And maybe, after truth, there can still be hope.”