Twenty minutes into our first date, he dropped his fork and ducked under the table, as if he were trying to hide. A woman appeared before us furious, red-faced. Wordlessly, she shook her finger at Richard, then stalked off.

That night she found me on Facebook.

“Were you with Richard at Empire Diner?” she demanded.

“You should know he has a wife in Serbia and he’s living with my best friend Joan.”

Her name was Michelle and she confronted Richard after Joan found my name and the diner address in his calendar. He claimed he was going to the library. Michelle kept urging Joan to leave Richard, who FaceTimed his wife every night as Joan cooked dinner. He texted women from dating sites when he thought she wasn’t looking. Michelle was on a mission to find them all and expose him.

I began exchanging Facebook messages with Joan, a widow who met Richard on Coffee Meets Bagel. He moved in a month later. Every morning at 5, she made him an egg and muffin sandwich before driving him to the train station. Neighbors thought they were married.

“In some ways, I use him too,’’ she explained. “I like having him around.’’

I confessed to Joan that I’d been in love with a man who cheated, and even after I discovered the truth, I kept seeing him. But one day, I messaged his girlfriend on Instagram and slept with someone else. I promised Joan that she, too, would someday break free. 

Six months later, I saw Joan and Richard at Empire Diner, smiling together over omelets, until Richard checked his phone.