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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cCome now. Elena isn\u2019t home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I typed that message from my husband\u2019s phone while he was showering less than ten meters away from me.<\/p>\n
My hands didn\u2019t shake. That was what scared me the most.<\/p>\n
Just a minute earlier, a notification had appeared on the screen from Maya, my best friend since college:\u00a0\u201cI want to see you. Can you?\u201d<\/i>\u00a0No greeting, no explanation. It was 10:17 p.m.<\/p>\n
Julian had left his phone unlocked on the table in our apartment in Highland Park. I could hear the shower running from the bathroom.<\/p>\n
For months, I\u2019d felt that something wasn\u2019t right: last-minute meetings, sudden trips, and the strange way Maya kept asking about him. Two years earlier, when her husband left her for another woman, I had been the one who supported her through the divorce. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t want to imagine anything. I wanted proof.<\/p>\n
I replied, pretending to be Julian: \u201cElena isn\u2019t here. Come quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six minutes later, the doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
Maya was wearing a dress and heels, with her hair styled and perfume on. She didn\u2019t look like someone who had just happened to be in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
When she saw me, she froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena? What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI live here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The color drained from her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I was nearby and thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a coincidence. Right after my husband asked you to come over.\u201d<\/p>\n
At that moment, the bathroom door opened.<\/p>\n
Julian stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist.<\/p>\n
He looked at Maya.<\/p>\n
Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n
And I understood everything before either of them said a word.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d he asked, far too quickly.<\/p>\n
I picked up his phone and showed him the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019d like to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not what it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain to me what it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stepped in front of her, as if protecting her.<\/p>\n
That gesture hurt more than any confession could have.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t attack her,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want to blame someone, blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine. How long has this been going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t turn this into an interrogation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been sleeping with my best friend?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n
Julian clenched his jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cSix months.\u201d<\/p>\n