The women He Chose

Maya Chen has the perfect life—a successful interior design career, a beautiful San Francisco home, and twelve years of marriage to Daniel, a partner at a prestigious law firm. But when she discovers a receipt for expensive lingerie in her husband's pocket, her perfect world begins to crumble.
Determined to uncover the truth, Maya follows the trail of hotel charges, mysterious credit card statements, and a coffee shop in the Marina district where Daniel has been spending his mornings. There, she spots a woman who captures her attention—Sophia Reeves, a vibrant artist with wild auburn hair and an infectious energy that's the complete opposite of Maya's carefully controlled existence.
Convinced Sophia is her husband's mistress, Maya infiltrates her world, attending her gallery opening and befriending her under false pretenses. But instead of finding ammunition for confrontation, Maya discovers something a connection deeper than anything she's felt in years. Sophia's honesty, passion, and zest for life awaken parts of Maya she thought had died long ago—including her abandoned dreams of being an artist.
As Maya spends more time with Sophia, the lines between investigation and genuine friendship blur. She begins painting again. She starts questioning not just her marriage, but the entire life she's built. And when she finally confronts Sophia about the affair, she discovers a shocking Sophia has never met Daniel. She's not the other woman.
But the revelation only complicates things further. Because by now, Maya has fallen in love with her—the woman she'd set out to destroy. After a night of passion, Maya leaves Daniel and chooses Sophia, ready to build a new, authentic life.
The final twist comes months later when Maya learns the devastating Daniel orchestrated the entire affair from the beginning. Too cowardly to ask for divorce, he deliberately left evidence and created an obvious trail, hoping Maya would discover his infidelity and leave him. He made himself the villain to set her free, never imagining that his calculated betrayal would lead her to discover her true self—and her true love.
"The Woman He Chose" is a story about the messy paths to self-discovery, the difference between the lives we build and the lives we actually want, and how sometimes the worst betrayals lead us exactly where we need to be. It's about a woman who went looking for her husband's mistress and found herself instead.