The Other Woman

Ryan did not confirm nor deny it, but I could tell the truth from the guilty look in his eyes.

The scorching summer day in June felt like winter to me. I held my breath in shock. What was I to Ryan, if that woman was his wife?

"Stop faking it," the woman taunted me.

Then, she went on to introduce me to the onlookers. "Ladies and gentlemen, take a good look at this homewrecker! She snatched my husband from me, and she had the audacity to ask him for an apartment."

In fact, Ryan and I had worked hard to save up for the apartment. If I were to be precise, I put more money into that apartment than he did.

I stubbornly asked him, "What is she talking about? Are you married?"

Ryan wore a deep scowl. My continuous questioning seemed to have added to the woman's anger. Once again, she tried to grab my hair with all her might. A stinging pain shot through my scalp as I felt my hair being ripped out.

In great pain, I instinctively pushed her away, and she stumbled onto the ground. A moment later, she pressed a hand on her belly and cried, "She's trying to kill a pregnant woman! Oh, help me! My stomach hurts!"

Ryan hurried over to help her up. "Jessie, are you alright? I'll get you to the hospital right now. Hang in there…"

He clumsily dialed 911. It wasn't until he ended the call that he thought of me.

He shot me a helpless and apologetic look. The pain on my scalp could not compare to the pain in my heart.

Shocked, I silently stared at the strands of dark hair that Jessie Rivers had pulled from my scalp.

After Ryan made the call, he jogged over to check on my injuries. "Maddy, does it hurt? I'm so sorry. Jessie's pregnant."

The revelation suffocated me. When did Jessie get pregnant? When did my boyfriend, whom I saw every day, impregnate a woman?

"Maddy, is your scalp okay? Can I take a look at it?" His clumsy, concerned demeanor made him appear innocent.

Yet, I suddenly let out a shrill scream, "Don't touch me!" At the same time, I swatted his hand away. A wave of nausea washed over me.

My lips were trembling, and I could not utter another word. Ryan Maple was appalling.

He tried to approach me, but I screamed at him like a mad woman. "Don't touch me, you filthy animal!"

He looked helpless after I screamed at him. He puckered his lips like a child who had made a huge mess. "Maddy, I can explain. I…"

"Is the baby yours?"

"What?"

"Is Jessie pregnant with your child?"

"Yes."

…

I had no idea how I got home that day.

After sleeping the whole day away, I was woken up the next day by a call from my bestie, Kiara Lutnik.

She exclaimed, "Madison Pell, are you a koala? How could you sleep through all my calls? Check the messages I sent you!"

"What happened?" I had no idea how bad I sounded until my voice cracked.

"Just check your phone."

I hung up and checked my phone screen. I had missed 138 calls—40 from Kiara, and 98 from Ryan.

I tapped into WhatsApp, where Kiara had sent me a video titled "Wife Beating Up the Homewrecker."

The video was shot messily. Ryan did not show up on screen. Only Jessie Rivers and I were featured in the short video. Most of the comments underneath the video supported the wife.

"A homewrecker should be put in her place! What a slut!"

"Ooh, that was satisfying. I would have kicked that little homewrecker if I were there…"

Kiara wrote to me, "That homewrecker looks just like you! I nearly doubted myself for a moment, but I know that's impossible because you are so in love with Ryan!"

Even Kiara knew I was deeply in love with Ryan to the point that I'd give up my life for him. But Ryan did not understand my feelings at all.