Chapter 3 Cracks in the Glass

Sophie's POV

My fingers were ice-cold as I lowered the phone. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat.

Who was she?

How did she know me?

I stared at the blank screen, my mind racing. Every part of me wanted to believe it was just a cruel joke. A prank call from someone who had nothing better to do.

But something deep inside me whispered the truth.

It wasn't a joke.

And it wasn't just a coincidence.

Whoever she was, she knew Daniel. And she wanted me to know.

The rest of my shift passed in a blur. I moved through my rounds mechanically, checking vitals, giving instructions, forcing smiles. But my mind was somewhere else.

With him.

With her.

I replayed the call over and over again. The way she had spoken so confidently. The way she had laughed.

I barely noticed when one of my nurses called my name. "Dr. Cater?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

She gave me a strange look. "I was saying your last patient has arrived. The young woman in Room 206?"

"Right. Right, of course."

I pulled myself together and walked toward the room, pushing the door open with a professional smile. "Good evening, Miss-"

The words died in my throat.

Sitting on the hospital bed, her legs crossed, was a woman who looked too put-together for an emergency visit. Long, silky dark hair. Red lipstick. A knowing smirk.

And a pair of cold, familiar eyes.

Eyes I had never seen before, yet somehow... recognized.

"Hello, Dr. Carter," she said smoothly. "I figured we should meet properly."

My breath hitched.

It was her.

The woman from the phone.

Daniel's POV

I sat at my office desk, staring blankly at the reports in front of me. The numbers blurred together.

I couldn't focus.

Not after last night.

Not after the look Sophie gave me this morning.

She knew something was wrong.

And I was running out of ways to cover my tracks.

I glanced at my phone for the hundredth time, tempted to call her. To check if she was okay. To hear her voice and remind myself that she was still here.

But I didn't.

Because I knew what I was doing was unforgivable.

Instead, I pulled up another number and dialed.

The phone rang twice before she answered.

"You finally decided to call," Lena's voice came through, smooth and teasing. "Miss me already?"

I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face. "Lena, what did you do?"

A pause.

Then, a soft chuckle. "Oh, so you know already? That was fast."

My grip tightened on the phone. "Tell me you didn't."

"Relax, Daniel," she sighed. "I just wanted to introduce myself to your wife. No harm done."

I clenched my jaw. "Stay away from her, Lena."

"Why? Are you afraid she'll figure out the truth?"

A cold silence stretched between us.

She laughed again. "Oh, darling. She's already halfway there."

Sophie's POV

I forced myself to stay calm.

To breathe.

To act like I wasn't crumbling inside.

"What exactly is this?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected. "You faked a medical emergency just to meet me?"

Lena tilted her head. "Come on, Doctor. You're too smart for this. I didn't fake anything. I just used the perfect excuse to get your attention."

I crossed my arms. "And why would you want my attention?"

She smiled-a slow, satisfied smile. "Because I thought you deserved to know the truth."

A lump formed in my throat. "And what truth is that?"

She leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee.

"That your husband isn't as loyal as you think."

The room spun for a second. I held my ground. "And you would know this how?"

Her smirk widened. "Because, sweetheart, he's been keeping me warm at night."

A sharp pain twisted in my chest.

I wanted to laugh. To tell her she was insane. That she was making it all up.

But I couldn't.

Because I wasn't sure anymore.

Lena stood up, smoothing down her dress. "He won't tell you, you know. He'll keep lying, keep pretending. And you? You'll keep waiting for him to love you the way you deserve."

I hated her.

Not just because of what she was saying-but because deep down, I was already afraid it was true.

She walked past me, pausing just at the door. "I'll see you around, Sophie."

And then she was gone.

Leaving behind nothing but her perfume and the wreckage of my heart.

I drove home in complete silence, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.

The city lights blurred outside my window, streaking past like ghosts. My thoughts were everywhere, tangled and chaotic, replaying Lena's words over and over.

"Because, sweetheart, he's been keeping me warm at night."

I wanted to believe she was lying.

I wanted to believe Daniel would never do this to me.

But then I remembered the way he avoided my gaze this morning. The way he left me in bed last night. The way his excuses never quite added up.

And just like that, the doubt crept in.

When I pulled into the driveway, Daniel's car was already there. The house loomed in front of me, its warm lights glowing through the windows-deceptively perfect.

I stepped out of the car, my heart hammering in my chest. I wasn't ready to face him.

I wasn't ready for the answers I might get.

But I had no choice.

I walked inside.

Daniel's POV

The moment I heard the front door open, I knew she was home.

I set my glass down on the counter, inhaling deeply, preparing myself.

Sophie had been distant lately. Different. And I knew exactly why.

Lena.

She did something.

And now, I had to find out what.

When Sophie walked into the living room, I expected her usual warmth, her tired but genuine smile.

Instead, she stopped at the doorway, her face unreadable.

For the first time, I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

I stood up. "Hey, you're home. How was your shift?"

She hesitated. Just for a second. Then she walked past me, dropping her bag on the couch.

"Long."

That was it. No soft kisses. No playful remarks about how she needed coffee to survive another night shift.

Just long.

A chill crept into my bones.

She knew something.

I cleared my throat, trying to keep my voice steady. "Everything okay?"

She met my eyes then, and for a moment, it felt like she was searching for the truth.

And I hated that she had to.

"I don't know, Daniel," she said slowly. "Is it?"

Sophie's POV

I wasn't going to confront him.

Not yet.

Not without more proof.

But standing there, looking into his familiar blue eyes, I realized something terrifying.

I wanted him to lie to me.

Because the truth would destroy me.

I turned away before he could see the pain on my face. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay," he said after a pause. "I'll make us something to eat."

I nodded and walked upstairs, my stomach twisting with nausea.

I turned the shower on and stepped under the hot water, hoping it would wash away the doubts. The fear. The ache in my chest.

But nothing could erase Lena's voice from my head.

"He won't tell you, you know. He'll keep lying, keep pretending."

Was that true?

Had Daniel been lying to me all along?

Or was she just trying to break us apart?

I had to know.

I had to find out the truth.

No matter how much it hurt.

Daniel's POV

I barely touched my drink as I waited downstairs.

Sophie was acting off.

Not in an obvious way. No screaming, no accusations, no cold silence.

But I could feel it.

A shift.

A crack in something that used to be unbreakable.

I ran a hand through my hair and pulled out my phone, staring at Lena's name.

I had to end this.

Before it was too late.