I was ten when I lost my mom, and it broke me. She died minutes after discovering my dad was cheating on her ā a secret Iād been keeping, hoping to protect her. Seven years later, I caught him doing it again.
This time, I wasnāt going to stay silent and watch him betray my stepmother. When I was ten, I learned two things: secrets destroy families, and silence can kill. I still remember the afternoon my mom found out about my dadās affair, just 20 minutes before she died.
Sheād looked at my dad with such heartbreak and fury that it felt like her soul shattered right in front of me. Her hands trembled as she held his phone, the bright glow of the screen illuminating her tear-streaked face. āWho is she, David?ā she had asked.
My dad stammered, his face pale. āStella, I can explain āā
āExplain WHAT? That youāve been lying to me?
To us? Is this why youāve been coming home late? All the work meetings?
How long, David? How long?ā
I remember standing frozen in the hallway, gripping the edge of the wall like it was the only thing keeping me upright. Sheād discovered his affair by accident ā a text from his mistress had popped up while his phone was sitting on the counter.
The message read: āMiss you already. Last night was amazing. Canāt wait to see you again.ā I didnāt have to read it twice to understand what it meant.
What made it worse and what BROKE me was that I knew about the affair a week before Mom did. I overheard Dad on the phone one night when I got up to get water. He wasnāt exactly whispering.
I paused in the hallway, clutching my glass. āI miss you too,ā heād said, chuckling softly. āYouāre the only thing keeping me sane these days.
I love you, Sarah.ā
My heart dropped. I didnāt know what to do with the ache spreading through my chest. The next morning, I confronted him.
āDad, whoās Sarah?ā
His eyes widened. āMia, itās not what you think,ā heād said, but I could see the sweat beading on his forehead and his hands shook as he reached for my shoulder. āThen what IS it?ā Iād demanded, tears threatening to spill.
āWhy did you tell her that you āloveā her?ā
He crouched to my level, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper. āListen to me. You canāt tell your mom.
If you do, itāll ruin everything. Our family will fall apart. You donāt want that, do you?ā His eyes, usually so steady, were pleading.
The story doesn’t end here ā
it continues on the next page.
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