The sizzling sound of burgers on the grill and the rich smell of barbecue sauce filled the air as I stepped through Jill’s front gate.
It was my first company barbecue, just three months after I started my new job. Honestly, I was impressed by Jill’s hosting skills—she knew how to throw a great party.
The late summer sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across her perfectly trimmed lawn. I saw coworkers lounging in camp chairs, balancing paper plates on their laps, chatting and laughing.
“Liz! You came!” Jill waved at me from the grill, spatula in hand.
She wore a bright yellow apron that said “Queen of the Grill” in sparkly letters, and it suited her perfectly—bold, warm, and a little extra. Jill had quickly become the best boss I’d ever had, and I felt lucky to be part of her team.
I navigated through the crowd, trying to dodge Karen from HR, who was too eager to rope me into yet another discussion about her latest MLM scheme. I did, however, manage to grab a beer from Tom in accounting—a name I actually remembered.
The food was mouthwatering. There were burgers sizzling away, potato salad gleaming with fresh dill, and a big bowl of Sandra’s famous seven-layer dip. I’d heard so much about it, and it looked just as good as they’d promised.
“Perfect timing,” Jill said when I reached her. “The second batch is almost ready. How are you settling in?”
“Everyone’s been great,” I replied, grabbing a plate. “By the way, those quarterly reports you wanted are almost done.”
Jill laughed and shook her head. “No work talk! This is a party.” She flipped a burger with ease, like she’d been grilling for years. “Oh, Mark just got home.”
She gestured toward the gate, where a tall man had just walked in. Someone had mentioned that Jill’s husband, Mark, worked as a financial advisor and usually came late to these things, caught up in client meetings.
Mark looked just like what you’d expect from a financial advisor—crisp button-down shirt, neat haircut, and a responsible-looking watch. A photographer from the marketing team was snapping candid shots for the company newsletter when Mark walked over to Jill, wrapping her in a warm hug as the camera clicked away.
It was a picture-perfect moment—until Mark’s eyes met mine over Jill’s shoulder.
He froze. The smile faded, and his expression shifted to something I couldn’t quite place. Was it recognition? No… it was more than that. It was as if he was looking at me like I was someone from his past—a lover, maybe? The moment seemed to stretch on forever, and I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that followed.
From then on, things felt different. It was subtle at first, but as the afternoon wore on, I could feel the shift. Mark kept staring at me, and it wasn’t just the occasional glance. His eyes lingered on me in a way that made my skin crawl. It was like he knew me—but that was impossible. I’d never met him before.
I tried to shake off the feeling, but every time I looked up, there he was—his gaze following me with a strange mix of recognition and… longing? It didn’t make any sense. I’d only started working here a few months ago, and we had never crossed paths.
“Want another beer?” Sandra’s voice made me jump.
“God, yes,” I said a little too quickly, and she laughed.
I was about to follow her to the cooler when a hand touched my elbow.
“Hi, Liz.”
I froze. Mark stood there, close enough that I could smell his cologne. How did he know my name? I was the newest person in the office, and we’d never been introduced.
He leaned in, his voice low. “Meet me behind the house in 10 minutes.”
I should’ve said no. I should’ve gone to find Jill, but instead, I found myself nodding, curiosity overpowering my better judgment.
And just like that, he was gone. I stood there with my plate, heart racing, unsure of what had just happened.
Nine minutes later, I found myself walking around the side of the house. My mind raced. Maybe this was just a weird work thing, I told myself. Maybe Jill had asked him to talk to me about a promotion, or… who knew?
Mark was already there, pacing behind the house, his face tight with something like relief and desperation.
“Thank God,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “We need to figure out a cover story. I didn’t realize you work for my wife, but she doesn’t have to know about us.”
I blinked, not understanding. “Know what?”
“That we’re…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Having an affair!”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, totally caught off guard. “We’re what now?”
“This isn’t funny, Liz.” His brow furrowed, frustration creeping into his voice. “You knowing Jill complicates everything. But we can make it work.”
He took a step closer, and I instinctively stepped back, raising a hand to keep some distance between us. “Whoa! I don’t know who you think I am, but I’ve never met you before.”
“Don’t play dumb, Liz,” he snapped. “Not now.” He pulled out his phone and swiped through it quickly, then shoved it at me. “Look!”
I took the phone, my stomach dropping into my feet as I saw what was on the screen.
There were hundreds of messages—messages from me! Or, rather, from someone using my picture and name. Messages from a dating app. I stared at the phone, my mind racing.
“What the hell?” I whispered. “I didn’t write these.”
“You think I’m lying?” Mark’s voice was tight with frustration.
“No, you don’t understand.” My hands shook as I handed the phone back to him. “You’ve been catfished.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. But then something clicked in my brain. A year ago, I had made a profile on that dating app—just as a joke, nothing serious. I never even used it. But clearly, someone else had… and I realized with growing horror who it was.
“Oh my god.” I fumbled with my phone, dialing as quickly as I could. When she picked up, I said, “You need to get here right now. I’m sending you the address.”
I sent the text, telling her to meet me behind the house. My heart was still pounding, but the pieces were finally starting to fit together.
Twenty minutes later, I watched as my mom walked around the corner. She froze when she saw Mark. The shock on her face confirmed everything I had feared.
“Mom,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “Have you been texting him from my account for the last nine months? The account I made when we joked about doing a mother-daughter double date last year?”
There was a long, painful silence. My mom’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Mark looked like someone had just told him the world was flat.
“Those times you visited, when I saw you grinning at your phone… you were texting him, using my profile, weren’t you?”
“I… it was just texting!” my mom finally burst out. “We never met in person! It wasn’t real!”
“Wasn’t real?” Mark’s voice cracked, hurt and confusion mixing in his tone. “We talked every day. You told me you loved me. I thought… I thought this was real!”
I turned to Mark. “He’s married, Mom! How could you do this?”
We all turned to see Jill standing there, her face a mask of anger and disbelief.
“Mark,” she said coldly, “get out.”
“Jill, please, I can explain—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Everything in that house belongs to me. Pack your things. You’re leaving.”
Mark’s eyes widened in shock, but Jill didn’t flinch. “You thought you were having an affair with my employee… who turns out to be my employee’s mother, pretending to be her daughter. Pack your bag. Now.”
The next morning, I sat down and typed my resignation letter. Two short paragraphs, professional and to the point. I couldn’t face going back to work, couldn’t handle the whispers and stares that would surely follow.
As I hit send, my phone lit up with another message from my mom—her fifteenth since the night before. I deleted it without reading. Some things can’t be fixed with an apology. Some betrayals cut too deep.
I closed my laptop and turned off my phone. Sixteen unread messages, each one no doubt full of excuses that wouldn’t change a thing.
I’d only been at the company for three months, but I had managed to destroy my boss’s marriage before my probation period was even over. Sometimes, the only choice you have is to walk away… and never look back.
And then there’s Austin, a man I thought was perfect, a widower raising his daughter alone. Everything seemed so grounded in tragedy. But everything changed the day his daughter whispered a chilling secret: her mother wasn’t dead.
