I took a big breath and stepped out to welcome him. “Hello, sweetheart.” “How was school?” I inquired, attempting to keep my voice steady.
“Same old, same old,” Jake said, dumping his backpack near the door. He stared at me with a frown. “Are you okay, Mom?” “You look pale.”
I forced a smile. “I’m fine, just a bit tired from all the cleaning.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
I nodded, attempting to appear cool. “Yes, it was a long day.” Why don’t you go and finish your homework? Dinner will be ready shortly.
Jake shrugged and went to his room. I watched him leave, my head still reeling from what I’d discovered. I realized I couldn’t keep this to myself. I needed to find out the truth. But first, I had to find out how to confront Jake with what I had discovered in his piggy bank.
I returned to Jake’s room, my heart pounding. I pulled the photos and money from under the pile of clothes, staring at the images in disbelief. Now that I was looking at them in greater detail, I noticed there were at least ten photos, each one more damning than the last.
David’s familiar smile, the one that used to make me feel so loved, was now a cruel mockery. Each picture showed him with different women, holding them, kissing them. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks – my husband had another woman.
My perplexity swiftly evolved into horror. These were not random photos. The angles and distances appeared to have been taken by a private detective.
Why would Jake keep these? My stomach churned with fear and wrath. I felt nauseous. I needed answers now.
I summoned Jake downstairs, attempting to maintain a steady voice. “Jake, can you come here, please?”
He stood in the doorway, appearing intrigued. “What’s up, Mom?”
I held up the photos, my hand shaking. “Can you explain these?”
Jake’s face went pale. “Mom, I can explain…”
“Please do,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Jake looked down, shuffling his feet. “I found out about Dad a few months ago. I followed him one day and saw him with another woman. I didn’t know what to do, so I kept following him, taking pictures. I didn’t want to believe it at first.”
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