My heart ached while I listened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jake groaned as tears welled up in his eyes. “I was scared, Mom.” I did not intend to hurt you. But then.. I faced dad. I showed him the photos and asked money to remain silent.
I looked at him, my head reeling. “You blackmailed your father?”
Jake nodded, humiliated. “Yes, he paid me off. I put the money in the piggy bank because I wasn’t sure what else to do with it.”
I felt a sense of betrayal come over me. Not only had David fooled me, but so had Jake. My own son is maintaining this horrific secret and utilizing it for money. I wasn’t sure who I was more outraged at: my husband for his infidelity or my son for his betrayal.
Tears rushed down my face. “Jake, how could you do this? “How could you keep this from me?”
Jake also started to cry. “I apologize, Mom. I believed I was protecting you.
I felt as if I was drowning. The weight of their betrayals proved too much to bear. I needed to regain control of my life. “Jake, go into your room. “I need to think.”
As he went away, I felt both heartbroken and angry. I loved my son, yet his actions greatly pained me. I could not stay in this marriage. I needed to do what was best for myself.
The next morning, I contacted a lawyer and began the divorce proceedings. It was the most difficult decision I’d ever taken, but I was confident it was the right one.
I couldn’t be with a man who had betrayed me so badly. I needed to move forward, even if it meant starting over.
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