My husband, Victor, and I went through four heartbreaking miscarriages before we finally welcomed our baby boy into the world. It was a long, tough journey, but we always supported each other. Victor would comfort me after each loss, saying, “Everything will work out in the end. We have other options if we can’t have a child of our own.” His words always made me feel better.
When our son Mason was born, it felt like all our broken dreams had come together. We made him the center of our universe, putting him above everything else, including our careers. I was the CEO of a clothing company, which meant I had to travel a lot because I was involved in every stage of the design process. Even though I was often away, I knew Victor was a great dad who took excellent care of Mason.
When Mason turned four and was about to start preschool, I decided to cut back on my work trips to spend more time with him. Usually, after being away for three days, I couldn’t wait to come home and hug my son. But this time was different.
As I walked into the house, it was oddly silent except for some quiet shuffling sounds coming from upstairs. I heard Victor talking to Mason in a hushed but urgent tone, which usually meant our son had been misbehaving or it was bedtime.
“Buddy, just make one promise to me, please,” Victor said.
“Okay. What’s that?” Mason replied innocently.
“You have to promise me that you won’t share what you saw with Mom.”
“But I don’t like secrets. Why can’t I tell Mommy?” Mason asked.
Victor sighed deeply, and the sound seemed to travel through the house. “It’s not a secret, Mason. But Mommy will be upset if we tell her. Do you want Mommy to be sad, buddy?”
“No,” Mason answered softly.
Not having heard this conversation, I called out, “Mason! Victor! Mom’s home!” Mason jumped into my arms as I walked up the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Victor smiled and winked. “Nothing, honey. Just some boys’ talk. Welcome home.”
I tried to convince myself that the conversation I overheard wasn’t a big deal. Victor was an ideal father and husband, so I thought he might just be hiding something silly, like letting Mason have too many sweets. But letting it go was harder than I expected.
During my next work trip, I was both happy and anxious. I loved my job, but the thought of leaving Mason made me uneasy. The pictures Victor sent me of Mason were comforting, but one picture raised more questions than answers. It showed Mason playing with toys, but in the background were blue shoes I had never seen before. They were in our living room, and they weren’t mine.
I decided to look through every picture Victor had ever sent me, and I found more evidence that someone had been in our house while I was away. Was it a nanny he hired to look after Mason? If so, she had very expensive taste.
Determined to find out the truth, I decided to come home without telling Victor. I wanted to surprise him. When I got back, I went straight to Mason’s room. He was just waking up and rubbing his eyes.
“Dad’s not downstairs?” I asked as I heard noises coming from the bedroom.
“Don’t go in there, Mama. You’ll feel sad,” Mason warned me.
Ignoring his warning, I went to the bedroom and found Victor in bed with another woman. He sat up, shocked, and yelled, “Paige! This isn’t what you think!”
“Do I really look that dumb?” I snapped back.
The woman quickly dressed and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. What followed was a storm of yelling, denials, and misery. Victor tried to charm his way out of it, but I knew I couldn’t believe his lies anymore.
“I don’t have anything else to say to you,” I told him.
“Paige, what were you expecting?” he asked defensively.
After the woman left, Victor and I had a painful confrontation. “You never show up here,” he said bitterly. “You never appear. And when you’re home, you spend all your time working or with Mason. What about me?”
He tried to play the victim. “I need human contact too. And I have no idea what you do when you’re traveling. You must have your own stories.”
“Victor, no,” I said firmly. “You’re not me. My vows meant something to me.”
In the end, I filed for divorce and asked Victor to leave. Looking back, I realized the signs were always there, but I had ignored them, focusing only on the good in my soon-to-be ex-husband. Now, I had to face the reality of who he really was.
