Her mother frowned while her father shifted his weight. My parents just stared.
Stephanie turned toward me, her voice low and tight. “Why are you saying these things?”
I kept going.
“But I didn’t stop there. I went back this week and asked for a full evaluation.”
I clicked the remote.
“Why are you saying these things?”
The slide changed.
A medical report appeared. My name. A recent date.
“I’m still infertile, as you can see, and frankly, I’m not even sure Stephanie is pregnant at all.”
The reaction was instant!
Gasps. Whispers. Someone dropped a glass.
Stephanie got up and stepped back. “What are you talking about?!”
That’s when I saw movement near the entrance.
A man was being guided in by one of the staff members.
“What are you talking about?!”
The man looked unsure, scanning the room, clearly not expecting a crowd.
But I knew that face. It was the same one I’d seen in my fiancée’s messages, the one named “M ❤️.”
“Oh, good,” I said, raising my voice slightly. “The man who is actually seeing my fiancée is here.”
I pointed at him.
Heads turned all at once. Even people at nearby tables looked.
The man froze where he stood, caught between leaving and staying.
It was the same one I’d seen in my fiancée’s messages.
“Please don’t leave, sir,” I added. “I don’t know your name, but Stephanie might need a ride and a place to stay after this.”
The man stood in place.
Stephanie’s face drained completely now. “Nick, stop—”
But I didn’t.
“You see, I went out of my way to text Stephanie’s real man using her phone. I asked him to meet her here an hour after the event had started. He’s here for her.”
I glanced back at him.
He flinched.
“I don’t know your name, but Stephanie might need a ride.”
I clicked the remote again.
The screen changed, and Stephanie’s messages to the guy appeared.
Clear. Undeniable.
The reaction was louder this time.
Stephanie’s mother covered her mouth. Her father stood and stepped forward, then stopped halfway as if he didn’t know what to do.
My fiancée grabbed my arm, her fingers tight. “Turn that off!”
I left it up so that everyone could read it and let it sink in.
Stephanie’s mother covered her mouth.
“You don’t understand—” Stephanie started.
“Then explain it,” I said, finally turning to face her.
She opened her mouth, but didn’t know how to explain it away.
I glanced at the back of the room just in time to see Stephanie’s man turn and head straight for the exit, fast.
He didn’t look back.
Stephanie noticed too. Her eyes followed him, panic flashing across her face.
“You don’t understand—”
