I Invited My New Friend over — When She Saw My Husband, She Almost Lunged at Him

I called out, smoothing my dress as I headed for the door. With a deep breath and a bright smile, I swung it open.There stood Mary, looking gorgeous in a flowy summer dress, Cindy peeking out shyly from behind her legs. In Mary’s hands were a bottle of wine and what I assumed was the promised apple pie. “Hey, you made it!” I said, ushering them in. “Come on in, let me take that.” And that’s when everything went straight to hell. I heard Dan’s footsteps behind me, probably coming to say hello. But the moment Mary’s eyes landed on him, it was like someone had flipped a switch.

The warm, friendly expression I’d grown so used to vanished, replaced by something I’d never seen before: pure, unadulterated shock, quickly followed by a rage so intense it made me take a step back.The wine bottle slipped from Mary’s fingers, shattering on the floor. The sound seemed to snap her out of her trance, and suddenly she was moving, pushing past me with a fury that left me speechless. “YOU!?” she screamed, jabbing a finger at Dan. “I’M CALLING THE POLICE!”I stood there, mouth hanging open, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Dan looked just as confused, his face pale as he held up his hands. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered, “but I’ve never seen you before in my life.” Wrong thing to say. Mary’s eyes flashed dangerously, and for a second, I thought she might actually hit him.”DON’T LIE!” she yelled, her voice cracking.”This man,” she gestured wildly at Dan, “is Cindy’s father! He left us when I was pregnant, just disappeared! How dare you lie!” The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt dizzy, like the floor was tilting beneath my feet. This couldn’t be happening. This was some kind of sick joke, right? “Mary,”