My chest tightened. “What places?”
Her eyes darted down. “We went to the movies.
we went with Miss Laura.”
That name made my heart skip a beat. Laura. Who was Laura?
“Daddy said I should like her, because she’s going to be my new mommy one day. I don’t want a new mommy.”
That was the moment I finally understood what was going on.
I swear I felt like my world had tilted sideways, and the sad part was that my little girl had no idea how her words had just shattered my heart.
I swallowed hard, forcing a smile through my spinning thoughts. “Thank you for telling me the truth, baby. You did the right thing.” I hugged her tight, hiding the way my hands shook.
“Are you mad at me, Mommy?” she asked, her voice muffled against my shoulder.
Her question nearly broke me.
When she was asleep that night, I went straight to Brandon’s home office. My heart pounded as I pulled open drawers, flipping through folders with trembling fingers.
And then I found something that made everything make sense.
Tucked inside a plain manila folder were photo booth pictures of him kissing a blonde woman, their faces pressed together like teenagers in love.
The carefree joy on his face was something I hadn’t seen in years.
Laura. This had to be Laura.
That’s when I suddenly remembered all the odd things that had been happening lately. The late nights “at the office.” The new cologne.
The way he’d been distant lately, checking his phone constantly. The puzzle pieces finally locked into place.
When I logged into our joint account, my stomach dropped.
The numbers on the screen blurred as tears filled my eyes.
Most of the money was already gone, transferred into accounts in his name only. The financial rug had been pulled out from under me, just like the marriage.
I didn’t want Lily to see me fall apart, so after I tucked her in, I went into the garage, sat on the cold cement floor, and cried until my throat burned. The silence of that space swallowed every sob.
When Brandon came home late, smelling faintly of perfume and beer, I forced myself to act normal.
I smiled, kissed his cheek, and asked about his “day at work.”
“Just the usual,” he said, not meeting my eyes. “Long meetings, boring clients.” The lie rolled off his tongue too easily.
He bought my act completely.Continue reading…
