The Stranger in Unit 906

Realizing his tone was off, he cleared his throat and tried again.

"Babe, I mean, we’re working hard here, trying to settle down—we need a place to call home."

He softened his tone. "And when our kids go to school, we’ll need a house for the school district. Your place is right downtown, great schools. Let’s just keep it for ourselves."

"Babe, your paperwork can’t be finished yet. Just stop the sale."

On the surface, what he said sounded reasonable: downtown, good schools, all that.

But he seemed to forget—his house was in the neighborhood right next to mine, with all the same advantages. In fact, his was in a slightly better school district. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. His logic was all over the place.

His logic didn’t add up.

Suddenly, I felt exhausted.

We exchanged a few polite words, then before we hung up, he stressed again, "Babe, be careful—handle this quickly."

I wanted the truth, so I went to dinner with the friend who’d introduced us.

During the meal, my friend said, "Maddie, congrats to you and Lucas—you’re almost married!"

I paused, smiled, and replied, "Yeah, what a coincidence—you introduced us. Now we’re about to get married."

My friend smiled mysteriously, like he was waiting for me to ask something.