I have never been the type of person to question other people’s marriages.
I always believed in supporting my friends, even if I didn’t fully understand their situation.
With that mindset, I agreed to help when my best friend Sophie asked me for a favour one Friday night.
She and her husband Derek had planned a long-anticipated evening out for the two of them to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
But, as is often the case, their babysitter cancelled their plans at the last minute.
Sophie, gripped by a slight panic, turned to me.
‘Please, can you help? It’s only for a few hours. The kids adore you and I promise it will be easy.’
I agreed without a second thought.
Sophie and Derek had two adorable children, five-year-old Max and three-year-old Lily, and I had always loved spending time with them.
Besides, it was only a couple of hours.
What could have gone wrong?
When I arrived at their house, everything seemed perfectly normal.
Sophie and Derek were dressed up for going out, and the kids were already in their pyjamas and getting ready for bed.
We quickly exchanged hugs and soon they drove off, their car disappearing at the end of the driveway.
The evening began quietly.
Max was reading his favourite book and Lily was playing quietly in the living room.
I felt comfortable, even content, watching them.
The house was warm and cosy, everything was exactly as it should be.
But then, about an hour into my watch, I got a text from Derek.
I wasn’t expecting anything from him – after all, he and Sophie were out celebrating their anniversary – but the message caught my attention immediately.
‘Hi. Hope you’re doing well with the kids. I know Sophie asked you to look after them, but I was wondering how you were. How are you really feeling?’
I stared at the screen, confused.
What did he mean by that?
I had no reason to think there was anything wrong here.
I considered whether to answer, but decided to let it go unheeded.
Maybe it was just a friendly question.
Sophie always joked that Derek was overprotective when it came to kids, so it didn’t seem like anything strange.
But then came another text.
‘Look, I know Sophie can be tricky.
She’s always so busy with work and the kids, and I feel like she hasn’t been paying any attention to you at all lately.
But how are you really?
Are you happy?
You deserve it.’
A chill runs down my spine.
Is Derek flirting with me?
I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but there was clearly some intimacy in his words.
It was too personal for a casual question about my well-being.
I quickly reread the message again, trying to make sense of it.
Why was Derek asking me these questions?
Sophie and I had been friends for years.
We’d spent countless evenings together, trusting each other with our deepest secrets.
And never once had I felt anything but friendship for Derek, and I thought he felt the same way about me.
But then my phone vibrated again.
‘I’ve always thought of you as a strong woman, Amanda. I admire that about you.
It’s hard for me to watch Sophie take you for granted.’
I froze.
My breath caught.
This wasn’t just an innocent text anymore.
It seemed like something more-something elaborate.
Was Derek trying to manipulate me?
I felt my heart pounding frantically in my chest as I reread his words.
I’d known Derek for a long time, but I’d never known him like this.
Sure, he could be charming, but he’d always been exceptionally kind to me, like an older brother.
And yet these messages seemed…different.
I quickly glanced at the children who were playing merrily on the floor, completely oblivious to the tension I was feeling.
I didn’t know how to respond.
Should I have ignored him completely?
Should I have told Sophie?
I felt cornered, not knowing what to do.
Part of me wanted to cut it off right away and pretend it hadn’t happened, but deep down I knew that would only make it worse.
Derek was overstepping his boundaries, and I couldn’t pretend not to notice it.
Another text came, and this time it was different.
‘I’ve always been there for you, Amanda. You’ve been through a lot, and I’ve seen how busy Sophie has been lately.
Maybe it’s time to let me take care of you for once.
We could bond for real. What do you say?’
My stomach twisted.
I could hardly believe my eyes.
Was he serious?
Was he really hinting at something inappropriate, even when Sophie was just a few miles away celebrating their anniversary?
Before I could decide what to do, the doorbell rang.
I flinched, my heart hammering even harder.
It was Sophie and Derek.
They had come back early.
I quickly muted the sound on my phone, trying to act natural.
Sophie walked in first, beaming with happiness.
‘We weren’t going to be back this early,’ she said with a laugh. – ‘How’s everyone here?’
I nodded quickly, pulling on a smile.
‘Everything’s fine. The kids are already asleep.’
Sophie hugged me tightly and thanked me gratefully for my help.
I could see she was in a great mood, completely unaware that I was still shaken up from my correspondence with Derek.
But the feeling of unease didn’t go away.
While they were getting settled, I slipped away to the kitchen to get my thoughts in order.
I was still digesting the messages Derek had sent.
Should I have told Sophie?
Should I have confronted Derek face to face?
Part of me wanted to do both, but I didn’t want to ruin their family.
In the end, I decided to keep quiet for now.
But that night, lying in bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed.
Derek was clearly crossing boundaries, and I wasn’t sure I could ignore it anymore.
I needed to find a way to deal with it without destroying everything around me, but I couldn’t deny that Derek had made me question everything.
Was he really the man Sophie thought he was?
Or was there something darker lurking behind his appearance?
And most importantly, how do I deal with this without losing my best friend?
