Chapter 4: The conftrontation

Caroline’s Point of View

The air feels thick as I approach the café. My hands tremble slightly, though I force them to remain at my sides, steady. I’ve run this moment over in my head so many times, imagining the words I’d say, how I’d keep my composure, but now that it’s real, there’s an uncomfortable tightness in my chest. I push open the door, the chime overhead ringing lightly, a sharp contrast to the heaviness I feel inside.

Dolly is already there, seated in a corner, legs crossed, looking like she stepped straight out of a magazine. Her hair is perfect, her makeup flawless, and her lips curl into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Caroline,” she says, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness, like we’re old friends. “You’re right on time. Why don’t you sit? We have a lot to discuss.”

I don’t bother with pleasantries, cutting right to the point. “You’re back, and I want to know why. What are you planning?”

She leans back, her smirk growing. “Oh, Caroline,” she sighs, like she’s disappointed in me for even asking. “It’s not about what I’m planning. It’s about what’s already happened.”

A small pause, her eyes sparkling with amusement as if she’s savoring this. “I slept with Knoxx. The night I got back.”

Her words hit me, not like a surprise, but like a slow, deep wound being reopened. It’s not disbelief that I feel—more like a confirmation of something I’ve already suspected, something that’s been festering between us for months. Still, hearing it aloud makes it real in a way I wasn’t ready for.

I swallow, trying to keep my voice steady. “That night? He didn’t come home.” It’s not a question, but she nods anyway, the smirk never leaving her lips.

“You didn’t know? That was the same night he didn’t come back to you.” She shrugs, like it’s nothing. Like it’s something I should’ve known all along.

I want to scream at her, but instead, I feel a strange calm settling over me. In a way, it all makes sense. The late nights, the excuses. The way he brushed off my questions, his distant demeanor. I had convinced myself it was just work. Stress. Maybe I was even hoping it was something small enough to fix if I tried hard enough.

But this? This isn’t something you fix.

My jaw tightens. “So, you’ve come here just to tell me you’ve slept with my husband?”

Dolly chuckles, the sound sharp, mocking. “Oh, Caroline, it’s so much more than that. I just thought you deserved to know your place.” She leans in, her eyes narrowing. “I saw you, you know. On your anniversary date, sitting alone at that restaurant while he was with me. Celebrating my birthday.”

Her words sting, even though they shouldn’t. I remember that night all too well. But now, seeing Dolly here, hearing her lay it all out so casually, it feels like a cruel joke.

“I’m pregnant with his child,” she adds, her voice cold and calculated. “He’s already shown you he doesn’t care about you, Caroline. It’s time for you to step aside.”

I don’t even flinch. My gaze hardens as I look at her, trying to gauge just how much of this is true and how much is her twisting the knife for the sake of it. “You expect me to believe that?”

She reaches into her bag, pulling out a piece of paper and sliding it across the table with a smug grin. “See for yourself.”

I hesitate for a moment, then pick up the document, my hands trembling slightly. It’s a pregnancy report, the results confirming everything she’s said. I drop it back on the table, feeling the weight of it all settle into my bones.

My mind is spinning, but I force myself to stay grounded, to keep my composure. “You think this is going to get me to walk away?” I ask quietly, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me.

Dolly’s smirk grows. “I don’t need you to walk away, Caroline. He’s already chosen me. You’re just the last thing in the way.”

I look at her, really look at her, and for the first time, I feel a strange sense of clarity. This is the woman Knoxx has been tangled up with, the one he has chosen to betray me with. But as I sit here, listening to her gloat, it’s not disbelief I feel. It’s disgust.

Dolly’s sneer deepens, her triumph unmistakable. “I’m Knoxx’s first love, Caroline. He settled for you because he couldn’t have me. But the moment I came back, everything changed. He was all over me, like nothing had ever happened between you two. He’s always wanted me.”

I swallow hard, her words cutting deeper than I want to admit. “But he chose me.”

Dolly leans back, radiating satisfaction. “Did he really choose you? Or were you just the best option at the time? Once I returned, you became an afterthought. You saw it with your own eyes, didn’t you? That night, your anniversary? He picked me.”

My breath quickens as I realize how long I’ve been trying to convince myself that things would change, that Knoxx would eventually learn to love me. But now it feels like the facade is crumbling away, piece by painful piece.

I knew things weren’t perfect, but betrayal like this? I wasn’t prepared for it.

Dolly’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Now that you know about our baby,” she says, her tone smug and unapologetic. “You need to step down as his wife. It’s only fair.”

I don’t respond.

Dolly watches me closely, her eyes shimmering with triumph. Then, her laughter rings out, sharp and merciless. “Think about it, Caroline. He’ll be happy without you. You’re just a burden to him—a rotten root that needs to be pulled out.”

I still remain silent.

As she stands to leave, her voice turns venomous. “If you don’t walk away soon, I’ll make your life hell. You’re nothing but a gold digger in his eyes, Caroline. Remember that.”