Battling 'The Other Woman'

I was building a happy life as a young bride-to-be and mother when I discovered my fiancé had a mistress. And she was pregnant with twins. Here’s how i came to terms with that betrayal - with help from the least likely person in the world. 

- Lily G

For years, fans of ABC’s Scandal have savored the forbidden Oval Office love affair between Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and married president Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn)— every furtive glance, stolen kiss, and secret late-night phone call. But there’s a part of me that never appreciated those ardent moments between Olivia and Fitz.

My unsympathetic feelings are doubtless colored by my own experience. In August 2004, when my son was only five months old, I discovered that my then-fiancé Steven*, the father of my child, was deeply involved with another woman. While house-sitting for Steven’s sister in Manhattan, I’d stumbled upon a puzzling answering-machine message from someone named Kayla M.*, who said she’d been seeing Steven and was desperate to contact him. The word “seeing” sent a chill up my spine—that wasn’t the usual term for a platonic friendship. I nervously phoned Steven, who was out of town, but only got his voice mail. Eventually, I summoned the nerve to dial Kayla, who revealed she’d been dating Steven for four months and was now pregnant with twins.