Lahat ng Kabanata ng How I Catfished my Husband and his Girlfriend: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

Patrick stayed on the phone.He didn’t hang up.Didn’t even suggest it.“I’m right here,” he said quietly. “You don’t put that phone down, you hear me?”Sophia nodded against the door, even though he couldn’t see her.“I won’t.”Dominic’s pounding slowed.Then picked up again.Then slowed.His words slurred together, angry and broken at the same time.“You think you’re better than me…”“You ruined everything…”“You don’t even know…”Sophia closed her eyes.Let the words hit the door instead of her.She wasn’t opening it.Not tonight.“Talk to me,” Patrick said.Sophia focused on his voice.“I’m sitting on the floor,” she whispered. “By the door.”“Good,” he said. “Stay there. Keep something against it if you can.”She glanced around.A chair.She dragged it quietly, wedging it under the handle.Her hands still shaking.“I did.”“Good girl,” Patrick said, steady and calm.That grounded her.After a few minutes, her breathing slowed just enough.“He said her name,” Sophia whispered.Pat

The house stayed quiet.Not peaceful.Just… quiet.Like both of them were waiting for something to breakSophia didn’t rush back down.She unpacked slowly.Not everything.Just enough.Clothes in the dresser.A few things on the nightstand.Making the space hers—Without pretending it was permanent.Her phone buzzed again.Patrick“I’m not liking this. I can be there in a few hours.”Sophia stared at it.Then typed back:“No. Not yet.”A pause.Then—“I need to handle this.”Dominic hadn’t moved much.Still on the couch.Still quiet.But not calm.Eventually—Sophia walked back down.Not rushed.Not nervous.Just ready.Dominic looked up immediately.“There you are.”She didn’t sit.Didn’t soften.“I’m not doing this if you’re going to act like nothing happened.”Dominic rubbed his face.“I was drunk.”Sophia shook her head.“That doesn’t excuse any of it.”Dominic exhaled.“You know I didn’t mean it.”Sophia’s voice stayed steady.“You said it.”She stepped closer.“You threw somethi

The runway shimmered in the heat as Sophia pulled up.Her father’s plane sat waiting—engines quiet, door open.She took a breath.This was supposed to be a break.Just a few days to reset.Clear her head.Figure things out.Sophia climbed the steps.Dropped her bag beside the seat.Then stopped.Patrick.Sitting there.Watching her.Her brows pulled together immediately.“Why aren’t you with my children, Patrick?”Her tone wasn’t soft.It wasn’t angry either.Just… sharp.Confused.Patrick didn’t look away.His eyes were heavy.Tired.Serious.“Because you’re the one I need to be with.”That landed.Harder than she expected.“And besides,” he added, leaning back slightly, “your parents took the girls to Disney.”Sophia blinked.“What?”“They wanted time with them,” he said. “They’re fine. More than fine.”A beat.“So… it’s just us for a couple days.”Sophia sat down slowly.Her mind catching up.“You planned this?”Patrick shook his head.“No.”But his tone said—He wasn’t upset about

Patrick didn’t push her that evening.He watched her.Carefully.“Get dressed,” he said earlier, more relaxed than she’d seen him.Sophia raised an eyebrow.“For what?”“Dinner.”She didn’t argue.Didn’t have the energy to.The restaurant was quiet.Upscale.Nothing like the chaos she’d left behind.Patrick let her talk—or not talk.Let her drink.One glass turned into two.Then more.He followed her pace.Not ahead.Not behind.Just… with her.After dinner, he didn’t take her home.He drove.“Where are we going?” she asked.“You’ll see.”The bowling alley lights came into view.Sophia laughed for the first time in days.“Seriously?”Patrick smirked.“Yeah.”They bowled. Patrick just watched her like a hawk.. While she bowledBadly.Laughed.Drank.More than they should have.More than she realized.And for a little while—Sophia didn’t think about Dominic.Didn’t think about anything.The house was quiet when they got back.Too quiet.Sophia changed into a loose t-shirt and boxers.C

They stood there in the living room.Not touching.Not fighting.Not pretending.Just… standing.And somehow—That said everything.“I still love you,” Dominic said quietly.No pride.No ego.Just truth.She didn’t answer right away.Because love—Wasn’t the question.It never had been.Then finally—“I love you too.”That was the part that made everything harder.Not easier.Because if they didn’t love each other—This would be simple.Walk away.Close the door.Move on.But they did.Deeply.Sophia looked at him.“Love isn’t what we’re missing.”Dominic nodded.“I know.”“It’s everything around it,” she said.“Trust.”“Respect.”“Safety.”Each word landed heavier than the last.“I want to fix that,” he said.Not defensive.Not desperate.Just… honest.“I want that too,” she said.A beat.“But wanting it isn’t enough anymore.”Dominic stepped closer.Careful.Like he didn’t want to push too far.“What does enough look like?”Sophia took a breath.“Consistency.”“Time.”“And no more b