Later that night, I listened alone in the dark.
“If your mother leaves your father,” my mother-in-law’s voice said clearly on the recording, “that will be because of you.”
“Your dad made a mistake,” my father-in-law added. “Adults do. You don’t ruin lives over it.”
My son whispered, “I promise I won’t tell.”
My heart broke.
Whatever he had seen involved my husband. And it was serious enough that they were willing to pay for silence.
I decided to find out the rest myself.
One Friday, my husband told me he had a late meeting. Instead of going to his office, he drove across town to an apartment building I didn’t recognize.
I followed.
An hour later, he walked out with a younger woman. They laughed together. She touched his arm easily, like it was familiar territory.
