While I was in the kitchen Linda called with bizarre news about a connection between Gary and her sister Carol. Linda explained that Carol was currently hosting a friend named Rachel who had just kicked out her lying boyfriend. This man had claimed to be divorced for two years and the timing aligned perfectly with Gary suddenly needing a place to stay. I told Linda to find a photograph to confirm her suspicions while I returned to the porch with the water. I interrogated Gary about what exactly he told his girlfriend regarding our marital status and he nervously admitted he only told her we were separated. My phone buzzed with a message from Linda confirming that Rachel was indeed Gary’s girlfriend and they were all coming over immediately. I watched the color drain from Gary’s face as I refused his panicked requests to move our conversation inside behind closed doors. Minutes later Linda pulled her car into the driveway and two women stepped out to join her on my lawn. Gary dropped his suitcase handle in pure terror as his former girlfriend marched directly toward us.
Rachel stared at Gary with complete disgust and immediately started exposing the massive web of lies he had constructed to gain her sympathy. She revealed that Gary had been using his middle name James and completely fabricated a story about me being a controlling ex wife. He had told Rachel that I refused to let him see his teenage son even though our son is actually twenty four years old and moved out three years ago. Worse still he claimed I had abandoned his sick mother when in reality I spent six months driving her to chemotherapy appointments every single Thursday. Gary stood there silently as Rachel realized he had villainized his loyal wife just to play the victim. The most painful revelation came when Rachel shared that Gary first professed his love to her on March eighth. That date was our twenty second wedding anniversary and I had spent that exact evening eating alone while keeping his dinner warm on the stove because he claimed to be stuck at a mandatory work event. Rachel was horrified to learn the truth of his absolute betrayal and cold manipulation.
