Forbidden Fiance – My husband. The bed I had made that morning before rushing to work. Our marital bed he was sharing with a woman who seemed familiar. The sight of them felt like a slap in the face. Long limbs and perfect skin, with her head thrown back in a laugh that made my stomach lurch. Jack’s hands were on her slender waist, his mouth-the one that had pecked my cheek that morning after breakfast-on her neck. The sheets I had washed just days ago were tangled around their bodies. For one whole second, the world went completely silent. I… we were together for decades. Since childhood and now he- Lily.
I had to get my daughter out of there. Paige The giggling stopped me cold at the front door. It felt wrong. My hand froze on the doorknob of my apartment, keys dangling from fingers. It was barely past seven. I had left work early for once, so I could surprise Jack with his favorite takeout and maybe, just maybe , reclaim a shred of the marriage I had been watching crumble for months. The giggling came again. It was high-pitched and feminine. And most definitely not from the television. It was Lily’s nap-time, so Jack wouldn’t play something on his phone so loudly as to wake her up. My heart hammered against my ribs, and perspiration coated my temples. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The apartment was dark except for the hallway light I had left on that morning. Lily’s baby monitor sat on the console table, its green light blinking.
Our home was small and cozy with walls covered in framed photos of our wedding, my pregnancy and Lily’s newborn baby-pictures. The sight of them always warmed my heart after a tiring workday, even though I knew Derek tried to lower my workload, making me do admin tasks ever since I came back from maternity leave. But I couldn’t relax my shoulders seeing them. Because I couldn’t ignore the feeling of something being wrong. I moved toward our bedroom on autopilot, each step feeling like I was wading through concrete. My ears started ringing as a part of me screamed to turn around, to grab Lily and leave, to preserve whatever ignorance I had left. But I couldn’t stop. I had to know. I need to know. I need to see it with my own eyes. The door was cracked open. And there they were. My husband. The bed I had made that morning before rushing to work.
Our marital bed he was sharing with a woman who seemed familiar. The sight of them felt like a slap in the face. Long limbs and perfect skin, with her head thrown back in a laugh that made my stomach lurch. Jack’s hands were on her slender waist, his mouth-the one that had pecked my cheek that morning after breakfast-on her neck. The sheets I had washed just days ago were tangled around their bodies. For one whole second, the world went completely silent. Is it a prank? Is there a crew with cameras and crew in our small apartment? Is it one of weird Derek ‘ s pranks? Like the time he poured blue dye in my conditioner when we were kids and I was called Smurf for two entire months because he ‘ d hated the guy I was dating. But then Jack looked up. His face drained of color so fast that I was going to puke. “Paige.This isn’t-” ” Don ‘ t ,” I said with deadly calm.
My voice felt colder than I knew I was capable of. “Don’t you dare.” The woman scrambled for the sheets, her eyes widening with guilt or fear. Why? How could he? I… we were together for decades. Since childhood and now he- Lily. I had to get Lily out of there. I turned on my heel and walked straight to Lily’s nursery, my body moving on pure instinct while my brain struggled to process the nuclear bomb that had just detonated my life. My hurried steps slowed when I saw my daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib, her tiny chest rising and falling in that perfect rhythm that usually soothed me. She had no idea her father was a lying, cheating jerk. That her family had just imploded. That everything I had been working so hard to build for her-for us -was crumbling to ash. “Paige, wait. Let me explain-” Jack’s voice came from behind me, and I heard him struggling into clothes. I didn’t turn around. I grabbed the diaper bag from the changing table and started throwing things in like diapers, wipes, and formula. My movements were jerky and frantic, but I forced myself to focus.
Lily needed bottles, changes of clothes, and even her pacifier. I can ‘ t afford a crashout right now. I can have it later. “It’s not what you think-” “Oh, really?” I turned to face him, and let out a bitter laugh. “Because I just found you screwing another woman in our bed while our daughter- our one-year -old daughter-slept twenty feet away. Please, Jack, enlighten me on what I am getting wrong.” I wanted to punch him. Slap him. Tell me it was some stupid prank- But he had the audacity to look wounded. His hair was a mess, his shirt was buttoned wrong, and there were lipstick stains on his collar that made me want to scream. “You have been distant and so cold! Ever since Lily was born, you have barely looked at me, and I’ve been craving-” I laughed, tears threatening to burst through my eyes. “So this is my fault?” My voice rose dangerously close to waking Lily, and I forced myself to breathe in and out. Don ‘ t let him see you break. Not yet. “I’ve been distant because I’m exhausted, Jack! Because I’m working full-time and taking care of our daughter while you stay late at the office doing God knows what!” I knew I didn’t need to explain to him why I was being distant.
That I was feeling like trash in my body after giving birth and working more hours so I could give my daughter the childhood I never had. Spoil her with Disneyland vacations, give her a car on her sixteenth birthday and pay upfront for her university fees. ” Babe -” “Don’t call me that!” I snapped, zipping the diaper bag with trembling fingers and lifted Lilly, who stirred but didn’t wake. “We are done.” The world felt small in that tiny room, which we both had painted with happy smiles. I remember pecking him and thanking the universe for having such a good husband and friend. Now I wish I could never see his face again. “What do you mean we are done?” He said, scoffing and shoving his hands in his pants, which were unzipped. Strange. I had known him for years and yet had never seen him make that face before. At least not in front of me. What else didn ‘ t I know about him? “You can’t just leave. Where are you even going to go?” I didn’t answer, mostly because I didn’t know. My parents were halfway around the world on their retirement cruise. My sister was in Texas with a new baby of her own.