Second Time’s A Charm

Two

“Hey Aunt Lilly, this is my dad”, Nathan ran to the door, his childish voice breaking the silence. My stomach hollowed and my head felt lightheaded.

There must be a mistake, there must be a proper explanation for this. I looked at Michael searching his eyes for answers, searching for the truth. But all I saw was indifference and annoyance.

“Lilly”, Emily began to speak but was stopped by Michael.

“You don't have to explain anything. She can see it, it's clear as day”, Michael said as he held Mia in his arms.

“I want a divorce”, he said after telling Nathan to go to his room.

“Michael, what's going on here? Why are you here? And why did Nathan call his father”, I asked.

Emily always avoided any conversation about Nathan’s father. So I figured it was a painful subject and I wasn't going to force my best friend to talk about something that would make her uncomfortable. And as for Mia’s dad, all she said was she wanted her son to have a sibling, just like me, she was an only child too.

“I'm sorry Lilly”, Emily said and Michael closed the door on my face. I didn't know what to do, I banged onto the door and twisted onto the door handle trying to force myself in.

“Open this door! Opened the goddamn door!”, I yelled. I prayed and hoped this was all a prank, my husband has always been the funny guy so maybe this was his way of apologizing for not coming home for the past few days.

I saw the neighbors walk out of their homes curious to know what the noise was all about.

“Come out and face me! How can you do this to me? To us”, I banged on the door and screamed like a shrew.

As I stood by the door banging and yelling for them to open it, I heard the sirens of a police car behind me. I noticed two police officers get out of the squad car. My heart skipped a beat as they made their way out of their car. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized they were heading towards me.

"Excuse me, ma'am," one of the officers said, his tone serious. "We need you to come with us."

Confusion and panic washed over me as I tried to understand what was happening. My mind raced with questions, but before I could ask anything, the officers gently but firmly escorted me from the front yard.

“You don't understand my husband is in there, he is having an affair with my best friend! Let go of me!”, I scream fighting to get myself out of their hold.

“Come down ma'am or else we will have to arrest you for resisting”, he said in a serious tone.

Walking alongside the officers, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread as we made our way to their patrol car.

I can't believe it, they even called the cops on me? I sat on the ground as my kneels gave out listening to them talk to me about how the homeowner didn't want me near their house and that I was trespassing.

After giving me a tissue and letting me off with a warning they escorted me to my car to make sure I got in it and left.

As we stepped towards my car, I couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment wash over me. Passersby glanced in our direction, and I could feel their curious stares.

Once inside my car, the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I was being taken away by the police, and I just found out my husband was maybe having an affair with my best friend. My mind raced with possibilities, but one thing was certain: this was not how I expected my day to unfold.

I drove all the way home absentmindedly and parked in the driveway. As soon as I parked the door to the house opened and a blond curly head stuck out.

“Mummy is home!”, my son Mason said in excitement and ran towards my car.

Making me sob even harder. As I saw him approach I quickly wiped my tears and put on my sunglasses.

“Hey baby”, I said with the little excitement I could muster not wanting him to notice my sad mood.

He threw himself into my arms and chatted away about all that he did in kindergarten. I held his little hand as we walked into the house and saw his nanny and our housekeeper waiting to receive me.

“Shannon please take Mason for a walk in the park”, I said and handed her my car keys. She quickly understood and took Mason who was reluctant to leave, she managed to take him away in the guise of getting him some ice cream.

After they left I walked into the living room and took a sit on the carpet, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to wrap my head around what just occurred. As my thoughts were running wild and tears streamed down my face I noticed Emily’s cellphone that I had earlier placed on the coffee table together with my purse.

I took her phone in my shaking hands and opened it, only to be met by a passcode. I tried all the numbers I could think of, her birthday, her son's birthday, and her daughter’s birthdays, but none of them were the passcode. I pulled on my hair in frustration and threw her phone against the wall, shattering the screen.

I picked it up once more feeling relieved as I saw that it was still working even though its screen was cracked. I finally tried Michael’s birthday and the phone finally opened.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the screen of my best friend's phone, disbelief and betrayal flooding my senses. There, in black and white, were messages between him and Emily—flirtatious words, intimate confessions, evidence of a betrayal I would have never imagined.

My hands shook as I dropped the phone onto the coffee table, tears blurring my vision. How could this be happening? How long had they been hiding this from me? Every memory, every shared moment with both my husband and my friend felt tainted, as if their laughter and camaraderie had all been a charade.