Page 57 of This Life of Mine

“Yeah…I didn’t know any of this back then,” I say. “I didn’t find out about the lies and secrets until after the divorce.”

That gets their attention. So I brace myself for the backstory I’m about to tell them. The kind of story that sounds impossible until you’re living it.

“Steven, Cole’s nephew, and I met up a couple of years after my divorce. We’ve known each other since high school, and we used to be good friends,” I continue.

“Steven wanted to tell me what had really happened. With Cassie. With Cole. How the lies they’d built their relationship on were starting to unravel, and how far they’d gone to keep the truth buried.”

The room goes quiet. Every set of eyes remain fixed on me, their expressions intent as they wait for me to continue.

“Steven told me it started with a message that popped up on Cassie’s phone one early morning. A notification with a contact nameMy Baby—with hearts.”

Val mutters a curse under her breath, rolling her eyes. She knows the background.

“Steven confronted Cassie. He was angry—said things he shouldn’t have. Thrown things. Yelled. But he never touched her. Not in the way she claimed to the police.”

I see their eyebrows draw up.

“Their kids were there. They saw everything.”

I pause before continuing.

“Cassie called the police after Steven left with the kids and told them Steven tried to choke her.”

Donna’s hand flies to her mouth. “Oh shit.”

“Steven was later arrested and put in jail,” I say. “And when his case went to trial…” I stop and let out a long breath. “It didn’t quite go as planned.”

“Cole was listed as a witness. So was a cousin who had seen Cole and Cassie together while we were still married. From what Steven told me, the cousin was prepared to testify that he had personally witnessed the affair. Cole was also being called to testify under oath and confirm that the relationship with Cassie had been ongoing. Steven’s attorney was trying to prove that the accusation of Steven choking Cassie was fabricated—a story designed to cover up the affair and push Steven out of the picture.”

Donna asks. “Did they testify?”

“No,” I say. “Cole and the cousin were both there at trial sitting outside the courtroom waiting to be called.”

I swallow.

“They were never called to the stand.”

The words still weigh heavy—like truth doesn’t need a microphone to do damage.

“Steven was told by his attorney that if the case dragged on—if it turned into a credibility fight—because of his prior jail history for theft, they would likely have to call the kids to testify what they saw. His eldest daughter could testify on his behalf since she was older.”

My voice drops.

“Steven refused. He didn’t want to put his daughter through that. So he took a plea deal.”

Silence stretches.

“Basically, Cassie lied,” I say simply. “And Steven went to jail for something he didn’t do. She put him there because she knew he complicated things. Steven knew too much. He threatened the future she wanted with Cole, so she got him out of the way.”

Val’s hands curl into fists. “Like how fucked up can you be? To help put your nephew in jail over a trashy tramp?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Cassie wanted Steven gone, and Cole helped make it happen. Steven was furious with Cole over the affair and wasn’t quiet about it. He was a threat to everything they were trying to build together.”

I nod my head in disbelief.

“Cassie knew Steven had a record. She knew that if he disappeared into the prison system, nobody would take his accusations seriously. As far as she was concerned, her problem was solved.”

I continue. “Steven told me later that if he hadn’t gone to jail, he probably would have hurt Cole. He lost everything.” I sigh, sad thinking about the whole thing. “I don’t blame him for what he felt. I was hurt too when I found out. But my hurt was related to wasted time being with a cheater.”