THE OTHER WOMAN
Lucas
The day I flew back to Minnesota, I was so eager I could hardly contain myself. I’d made use of my visit to New York and connected with Lana, Johann’s sister-in-law who worked in fashion, and together we’d visited all the trendy shops and boutiques in Manhattan. Now, I was returning with almost triple my original luggage, having bought new wardrobes for both Natalie and Sophie. I envisioned the look on their faces and smiled. I knew Natalie deserved the finer things, even if she wasn’t in a financial position to indulge herself. This was, in a sense, an apology for leaving so abruptly, and a reminder that I’d always come back to her.
But as I pulled into Natalie’s parents’ driveway, where I saw her sitting on the front porch with Sophie in her lap, I noticed something strange. Upon registering my car, she appeared to tense up, and almost immediately gestured for Sophie to enter the house.Maybe she wants some alone time,I thought to myself, eager to hold her in my arms again. But when I parked and stepped out of the car, it was clear from the expression on her face that this was not her intention.
“Natalie,” I said warmly, approaching her with open arms.
“Lucas,” she replied coldly. She allowed the hug but made no motion to reciprocate.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” I continued, thinking maybe I was reading too much into her behavior. She’d have just gotten off a shift at the restaurant and was perhaps too tired to make a big deal of my return.
“Yeah, right.”
I froze.What’s going on here?Suddenly I let go of Natalie and backed away, which is when I noticed the look in her eyes—pure contempt. I wasn’t sure what had happened, or what she was thinking about, but it was clear she was having none of it.
“Natalie, what’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes, as if overwhelmed by what she was about to say, and when she reopened them I noticed a few tears had accumulated. My face must have betrayed the confusion I felt, for she soon began backing away from me, a look of disgust overtaking her. “Howcouldyou?”
“How could I what?” My voice sounded panicked, and this made her laugh.
“Please, Lucas, I already know.” Then, when I didn’t respond, she informed me, “Isabella told me everything.”
She paused expectantly, but I was no less confused than before, and so I could only continue staring at her wordlessly.
“Come on, Lucas, the act is up. I know you’re cheating on me. And I can’t believe that I was stupid enough to—”
“Wait a second,” I interjected. “Cheatingon you? No, no… Natalie, there’s been a huge misunderstanding.”
She held her hand up. “Please, don’t… Isabella already told me, and she showed me proof.”
I raised an eyebrow, but only subtly, so as not to upset Natalie, as I considered the lengths to which my sister would go to see my relationship with Natalie fall apart. Intrigued, I asked, “What proof?”
Natalie looked indignant. “Are you serious? That’s your response? I saw the photos of you strolling all around New York with…”
“Oh my god!” I interrupted, suddenly realizing what was going on. “Natalie… are you talking about Lana?”
Natalie winced as I said her name, looking away from me. “Yes,” she said begrudgingly, before falling totally silent.
“Natalie… this has all been a huge misunderstanding. Lana is Johann’s sister-in-law, she works as a style consultant for Prada, and I met up with her because… well, I wanted to surprise you and Sophie with a new wardrobe, and I figured she could help me out.” I chuckled awkwardly. “I’ve never been one for style, you know.”
Natalie scoffed, bitterly. “Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath. “Do you seriously expect me to buy that?”
I took Natalie by the shoulders, but she shrugged me off. “Natalie,” I said patiently. “I swear. Here, if you want, I can call Johann’s brother right now, and he can clear this all up.”
She remained tense. After a moment, I added, “I’ll call her right now—a video call at that, so you can see for yourself.”
Natalie was silent, but she nodded slightly. I pulled out my phone, opened Lana’s contact, and clicked the video call option. The phone rang a couple of times before Lana finally picked up.
“Hey, Lucas, what’s up?” she said, in a tone I hoped was indifferent enough to put Natalie’s anxieties to rest. I saw Natalie peer at my phone from an awkward angle, trying to get a view of Lana without exposing herself. I looked up at her, and she looked away.
“Oh, not much, just got back to Minnesota a little bit ago. I’m with Natalie now.”
“Yay!” Lana’s tone perked up considerably. “Did she like the clothes? I need to know what she thought about the black-and-gold Schiaparelli gown!”
Without thinking about it, I said, “Here— why don’t you ask her yourself?” And I handed the phone to Natalie.