The following morning, Chloe contacted me again.
This time, she asked whether we could meet.
I didn't want to.
But I also wanted to understand how much of Dominic's second life had been built around lies.
We agreed to meet at a small café near the hotel.
I arrived first.
I ordered tea and sat beside the window.
Chloe arrived ten minutes later.
She wasn't wearing the expensive clothes I remembered from the gala.
Her hair was tied back.
She looked nervous.
"Thank you for meeting me."
I nodded.
"Tell me why you wanted to see me."
She sat down.
For a moment, she studied the menu without reading it.
Then she put it aside.
"I owe you an apology."
I waited.
"What I said at the reception was cruel."
"Yes."
She lowered her eyes.
"I knew you were married to Dominic."
I looked at her.
"Then why did you tell me another woman was his wife?"
She took a breath.
"Because that's what he told me to say."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Explain."
Chloe looked toward the window.
"Dominic told me that his personal life was complicated. He said you were living separately and that you had agreed to keep your distance from company events."
I listened without interrupting.
"He said the woman upstairs was his partner."
"And the little boy?"
"He told me the child was his."
I folded my hands.
"Did he tell you that Sophia existed?"
"Yes."
"Did he tell you that she was his daughter?"
Chloe nodded.
I stared at her.
"Then you knew there was a child being left out of the story."
She looked ashamed.
"I didn't think about it that way."
"Why not?"
She didn't answer.
I took a sip of tea.
The drink had gone cold.
Chloe finally spoke.
"He said the woman upstairs had important connections. He said the relationship was necessary for the company's future."
I looked at her.
"So you helped him present her as his wife."
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Did you believe that was acceptable?"
"No."
Her answer came quickly.
I looked at her for several seconds.
"Then why did you do it?"
She wiped her fingers against a napkin.
"I was afraid of losing my position."
There it was.
Not a good excuse.
But an honest one.
I understood fear.
I had spent years being afraid that asking too many questions would damage my marriage.
Still, fear didn't make cruelty harmless.
"Chloe, you could have simply told me that Dominic wasn't available."
"I know."
"You didn't need to embarrass my daughter."
Her eyes became wet.
"I'm sorry."
I looked down at my cup.
I didn't forgive her immediately.
Perhaps I never would.
But I no longer needed to argue with her.
"Did you know about the Sterling investments?"
Her expression changed.
"Not until recently."
"Did Dominic ever discuss the people behind the financing?"
"He mentioned investors. He said some relationships were sensitive."
I nodded.
"Did you know the company was being supported by my family?"
"No."
She looked genuinely surprised.
I believed her.
Not because I trusted her completely.
Because the confusion on her face was different from the satisfaction I had seen at the reception desk.
She continued.
"People at the office are asking questions about the documents I handled."
"Then tell the truth."
"What if I lose my job?"
I looked at her.
"I can't make that decision for the company."
She nodded.
I stood.
Before leaving, I said one more thing.
"Whatever happens, don't let Dominic convince you that you have to lie for him."
She looked up.
"I won't."
I left the café.
On the drive home, I thought about how many people had been given different versions of my marriage.
The woman upstairs.
Chloe.
The board.
Perhaps even some of Dominic's friends.
Everyone had been told just enough to believe what he wanted them to believe.
When I reached home, Sophia was already back from school.
She was sitting at the dining table with a drawing.
"Mommy!"
I smiled.
"What are you making?"
"A birthday card."
I sat beside her.
"For whom?"
She looked at me.
"Daddy."
I felt a small ache in my chest.
"When is Daddy's birthday?"
"Not now. I just want to make it."
I brushed her hair away from her face.
"That's kind of you."
She began writing.
Her letters were still uneven.
I didn't tell her not to make the card.
I didn't want her to believe kindness was something she should be ashamed of.
That evening, Dominic came home late.
He saw the card on the table.
"What's that?"
Sophia ran toward him.
"I made you something!"
He picked it up.
For a moment, he looked at it carefully.
Then he said:
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Sophia smiled.
He placed it on the table.
I watched him.
The paper card was simple.
No expensive gift.
No company logo.
No investors.
Just a little girl trying to make her father happy.
And somehow, he still didn't know what to do with it.
Click here to continue reading: PART 15: The Other Woman Contacted Me After Learning About the Sterling Family, and What She Asked Changed the Way I Saw the Entire Gala
The Little Girl With a Handmade Gift Was About to Discover That Her Father Had Built a Second Family
Part 14 of 20
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