I’m The Other Woman… Again

Phaylen Fairchild
10 min readAug 7, 2023

Your girlfriend called after finding my shared location for our date on your phone.

I met Tayler 10 years ago while performing in a bar. We had this intense chemistry that’s rare. We were young and beautiful and free to taste everything the buffet of life offered. We went out, made out… did a little more. After several months I accepted his friend request on Facebook. That was when I saw it. Engagement photos posted by his former fiancé that she had posted and tagged him in. The engagement pictures were beautiful, featuring prominently their June wedding date on the end of his Hockey Stick- an ode to his profession.

WHAT?

Immediately I investigated, basically becoming the Angela Transbury of internet sleuths. I found her, Kaitlyn, on Twitter. She was 5 months pregnant posting bump pictures to her adoring fitness and health fans. This was the soon-to-be wife of the man I’d been sleeping with. I had no idea, until now, that she existed- and she still doesn’t know I do. Immediately, I was thrown into conflict. Do I tell her? What would the stress do? She was with child after all. What if something happened? I’d never forgive myself. Maybe she knew and didn’t care. But, what if he’s doing this with many people behind her back? Ultimately, I chose to tell him what I’d learned before I blocked him and decided to move forward.

3 years later, he found me online and sent me a DM on Twitter asking to talk. I expected an apology. I got that, and an explanation. “I didn’t love her, I just didn’t…

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Phaylen Fairchild

Actor, Filmmaker, LGBTQ+ & Women’s Rights Activist All work copyright phaylens@gmail.com