One-night stand with cheating fiancé's uncle

Isla’s stomach was twisted in knots on her first wedding night.

After her shower, she dried her hair and slipped into the slinky nightgown someone had laid out for her. Soft amber light gilded her stunning features, turning her beauty into something you couldn’t look away from if you tried. The sound of the shower still running in the bathroom pulled her mind back—five years with Vicente, four of them long distance. Now he was finally back, here to marry her.

She squeezed the nearly sheer fabric of her nightgown between her fingers, her heart hammering against her ribs. A ping from a phone on the table yanked her attention away. When she unlocked it, a jolt of surprise went through her—her own face stared back from the lock screen. She’d grabbed Vicente’s phone by mistake.

Vicente had given her all his passwords. The day he got his new phone, he’d added her fingerprint right away. He always said trust was everything, swore he’d never keep a single secret from her.

Just before she set it down, a new message popped up from someone named “Lilith.” Isla knew almost everyone from his design studio, but that name didn’t ring a bell. Even though she trusted Vicente, something in her gut pushed her to open it.

[Lilith: Vicente, I finally nailed that spiced honey cake you taught me! Aren’t I the best?]

Attached was a photo: a young woman in a tiny pink skirt, wearing cat ears, a smudge of cream right on the tip of her nose.

The words “spiced honey cake” sent cold shivers racing down Isla’s spine. That was her favorite dessert. The one Vicente used to make to wow her, always cutting strawberries into little bunnies just for her. The cake in the photo looked exactly like the ones he’d made for her.

Ice spread through Isla’s entire body. Her fingers shook as she scrolled through the chat thread. There wasn’t much here—Vicente must have deleted all their old messages before he came home.

Tapping into Lilith’s profile, Isla saw almost every post was about Vicente: him passed out at his desk after overtime, their trips to the amusement park, sunrise hikes and sunset drives.

The worst blow? The birthday necklace Vicente had given Isla? Lilith had picked it out. The comments spelled it all out: Vicente and Lilith weren’t officially dating, but they were in that messy, vague in-between that meant anything could happen.

Suddenly, Isla got it. The perfect, pure relationship she’d thought she had? Lilith had been in it this whole time.

The shower cut off.

Isla hesitated only a few seconds, then typed back three words: You’re amazing.

[Lilith: That’s just ‘cause Vicente is the best teacher ever! What took you so long to reply? You gonna ignore your little sis now that you’ve got a fiancee? 😠]

Isla saw right through her little game. If this was actually Vicente texting back, he’d sweet-talk her and smooth everything over just like she wanted.