For ten years, I thought I had a good marriage. Mark and I had two kids, a house, and a life built on what I assumed was love. Sure, he wasn’t exactly a hands-on husband—he didn’t cook, clean, or handle much with the kids—but I convinced myself we were a team.
Apparently, Mark had joined a different team without telling me.
It all started on an ordinary afternoon. I had just come back from grocery shopping, mentally preparing for the usual routine of carrying everything inside alone. As I reached for the first bag, I heard voices drifting from the porch.
Mark’s voice. And another—Emma’s.
Emma was our neighbor’s 25-year-old daughter, freshly back in town after finishing her interior design internship. Her parents beamed with pride whenever they spoke about her. Now, she was on my porch, laughing with my husband.
I was about to call out, but something made me stop. Instead, I crouched behind my car, hidden by the groceries, and listened.
The Truth I Wasn’t Supposed to Hear
“I can’t believe she hasn’t figured it out yet,” Emma said with a giggle.
Mark chuckled. “She’s so busy with the kids and the house, Em. Lexie barely notices anything else. She’s let herself go, too. The gray hairs? She just brushes them the other way. Honestly, she doesn’t even look like a woman anymore. Not like you, my princess.”
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