I walked into the house, leaving my luggage in the living room. The house was quiet again — but it made sense. It was Mason’s nap time.
I walked into my son’s room first. He was just waking up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Hi, baby,” I said, kissing his head.
Before he could answer, there were muffled sounds coming from inside my bedroom.
“Dad’s not downstairs?” I asked, getting up.
Mason looked at me for a moment too long.
“Mommy, don’t go in there. You’ll be sad,” he warned, his words echoing the secret pact I had overheard.
Fueled by a mix of dread and anger, I approached my bedroom. The muffled sounds from inside were enough confirmation. I braced myself and opened the door.
Victor swore.
The woman untangled herself from my husband and my bedding.
“Paige!” he exclaimed, sitting up in bed. “It’s not what you think!”
I laughed.
“Do I look that stupid?” I asked him, before I felt the tears well in my eyes.
The woman picked up her clothes and locked herself in our bathroom.
The confrontation that followed was a blur of tears, accusations, and heartbreak. Victor tried to deny everything — he was a charming man. And I knew that if I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I probably would have believed his lies.
“I have nothing else to say to you,” I said.
“What did you expect, Paige?” Victor asked later.
The woman had fled, and I was left to face the man I no longer knew.
“You’re never here,” he lashed out. “You’re never around. And when you’re home, you spend all your time on Mason or working. What about me?”
I listened to Victor go on about how he was the victim in the story.
“I need human contact, too,” he said. “And I don’t know what you get up to when you’re flying all over the country. I bet you’ve got stories, too.”
Mason had been put to bed again, and his bedroom door was shut — anything to try and keep my son from losing any more of his innocence.
“No, Victor,” I said. “I’m not you. My vows meant something to me.”
After that, I took a walk around the block. I felt guilty for leaving Mason with Victor once again. But I just needed a moment. I felt betrayed — yes, I was working all the time. I couldn’t deny that. But my job also sustained our home — it wasn’t just up to Victor to provide for us…CONTINUE READING