Chapter 5—The Truth Shatters Everything

"Robin's POV"

I couldn't sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that caller ID. Sophie with the heart emojis.

The way Christopher's expression had shifted when he saw it, guilt flashing across his face before he declined the call and brushed it off as work.

Work didn't get heart emojis.

I stared at my ceiling, my mind racing through possibilities I didn't want to consider. Maybe Sophie was a sister.

A cousin. An ex he was still friendly with. There were a dozen reasonable explanations that didn't involve Christopher lying to me.

But my gut told me otherwise.

By morning, I'd convinced myself I was overreacting. Christopher had asked me on a proper date.

He'd been honest about wanting to see me, about being drawn to me. That had to mean something.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

A text from Christopher. Good morning, how is your day?

I stared at the text, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I should ask him about Sophie. I should demand answers before this goes any further.

Instead, I typed back.

"My day is good."

"Good. I've been looking forward to it."

The warmth in those words should've made me feel better. Instead, they made the knot in my stomach tighten.

"Christopher's POV"

Sophie's call last night had been a wake-up call I wasn't ready for.

She'd been checking in, asking about my day, reminding me about some charity event next month that we were expected to attend together.

Her voice had been kind and patient, completely unaware that I'd been sitting across from another man, feeling things I had no right to feel.

The guilt sat heavy in my chest.

I should end this with Robin. I should cancel Friday and distance myself before this becomes something I can't control. But every time I thought about not seeing him again, something in me rebelled.

I'd been dead inside for so long. And Robin made me feel alive.

That had to be worth something.

My office door opened, and my assistant stepped in with a stack of files. "Morning briefing in ten, Mr Hall. Also, your wife called. She said you weren't answering your phone last night."

The words felt like a slap.

"I'll call her back," I said curtly.

She nodded and left, closing the door behind her. I sat alone in my office, staring at my phone, Sophie's contact photo smiling up at me.

I was a coward. And Robin deserved better.

But I wasn't ready to let him go.

"Robin's POV"

Golden Anchor Homes called me back for another job on Thursday, touch-ups in the conference rooms on the executive floor. I arrived early, hoping to finish quickly and avoid running into anyone.

Especially Christopher.

I needed space to think, to figure out what I was doing and why I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

I was setting up my supplies when I heard voices in the hallway. Two house staff members, talking as they passed.

"Mrs Hall said she'd be visiting the office next week," one of them said. "Apparently she wants to surprise him with lunch."

"That's sweet. They're such a lovely couple."

My hands froze on the paint can.

Mrs Hall.

The words echoed in my head, cold and final.

No. It couldn't be. There had to be an explanation. Maybe they were talking about someone else, another Hall in the building. Maybe I'd misheard.

But deep down, I knew.

I forced myself to keep working, my strokes mechanical and uneven.

My thoughts were spinning, connecting dots I'd been too oblivious to notice.

The way Christopher had hesitated when talking about his family. The guilt in his eyes when that call came through.

The careful way he'd phrased everything, never quite giving me the full picture.

He was married.

And I'd been too stupid to see it.

"Christopher's POV"

I was reviewing contracts when my phone buzzed. A text from Robin.

"Need to talk. Can you meet me after work?"

My stomach dropped. Something in those words felt wrong. Too formal. Too distant.

"Of course. My apartment?"

"No. Coffee shop on Fifth. 6 PM."

Public. Neutral. He didn't want to be alone with me.

This wasn't good.

"Robin's POV"

I left Golden Anchor Homes early and went straight to the public library. My hands shook as I typed Christopher's name into the search bar.

Please be wrong. Please let me be wrong.

The first result was a business article from three months ago. "Christopher Hall and Wife Sophie Celebrate First Anniversary."

The photo showed Christopher in a tuxedo, standing next to a beautiful woman in an elegant dress.

They looked perfect together. Polished. Wealthy. Exactly the kind of couple you'd expect to see in magazines.

My chest tightened.

I scrolled through more articles. Photos of them at charity events, galas, and business functions.

In every single one, Christopher looked composed and distant, but Sophie smiled like she genuinely loved him.

And I'd been the other man this whole time.

I closed the laptop, my vision blurring. This was Adam all over again. Another man who couldn't be honest about who he was or what he wanted. Another relationship built on lies.

I was so tired of being the person people settled for until something better came along.

By the time I walked into the coffee shop at six, I'd cried myself out. Now I just felt empty.

Christopher was already there, sitting in a corner booth. He stood when he saw me, concern written all over his face.

"Robin, what's wrong?"

I slid into the seat across from him and pulled out my phone, opening the article and sliding it across the table.

"Who's Sophie?"

Christopher's face went pale. He stared at the screen, then at me, and I watched every defence crumble.

"Robin, I can explain."

"Can you?" My voice was steady, cold. "Because it looks pretty clear to me. You're married."

"Yes. But it's not what you think."

"It never is." I laughed, bitter. "Let me guess. You're unhappy. She doesn't understand you. The marriage is complicated."

"It is complicated." Christopher leaned forward, desperation creeping into his voice. "My parents forced me into this marriage. I never wanted it. I don't love her."

"But you married her anyway."

"I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice, Christopher." I stood, unable to sit there any longer. "You chose to lie to me.

You chose to let me think this could be something real when you knew it couldn't."

"It is real." Christopher stood too, reaching for my hand. "What I feel for you is real."

I pulled away. "Don't. Just don't."

"Robin, please."

"I can't do this." My voice cracked despite my best efforts. "I can't be someone's secret. I've been here before, and I won't do it again."

"I'll end it. I'll leave her." Christopher's eyes were wild now, pleading. "Just give me time."

"You had time. You had every opportunity to be honest with me, and you chose not to." I stepped back. "We're done, Christopher."

"Robin—"

"Goodbye."

I walked out of that coffee shop and didn't look back, even though every part of me wanted to. Even though I could feel Christopher's eyes on me, I could sense his desperation from across the room.

But I'd learnt my lesson. I deserved someone who chose me first, not someone who chose me when it was convenient.

And Christopher Hall had already made his choice.

"Christopher's POV"

I stood in the empty coffee shop, watching Robin disappear into the crowded street.

The weight of what I'd just lost crashed over me like a tidal wave. I sank back into the booth, my hands shaking, my chest tight.

He was right. I'd had every chance to tell him the truth, and I'd taken none of them. I'd been selfish and cowardly, and I'd hurt the one person who'd made me feel alive in years.

My phone buzzed. A text from Sophie.

"Dinner tonight? I miss you."

I stared at the message, then at the article still open on my phone. The photo of Sophie and me, looking like the perfect couple we'd never been.

I could go home. Pretend tonight never happened. Stay in the cage I'd built around myself and live the life everyone expected me to live.

Or I could fight for Robin. Risk everything – my inheritance, my position, my family's approval – for a chance at something real.

The choice should've been simple.

But as I sat alone in that coffee shop, I realised I didn't know if I was brave enough to make it.