I Illustrated My Husband’s Affair For His Mistress

I glanced at my phone and saw several messages from Elijah.

12:36 AM:

"Honey, why didn’t you text me to check what time I’d be home?"

"Are you still mad at me? Work has been hectic, I’m sorry."

1:10 AM:

"I might be working all night. Don’t wait up for me."

1:45 AM:

"Are you asleep? I miss you."

3:28 AM:

"I love you."

From anxious to carefree. I chuckled bitterly. It’s typical for someone who's messed up to cover their guilt with fake affection.

I didn’t reply with my usual "I love you too."

I got up, collected my things, and made my way to Lacey's house. Lacey had always treated me kindly, more like a daughter than a daughter-in-law.

On the way, I reached out to a friend to help me find a divorce lawyer. After a brief conversation, I shared what was going on between Elijah and me and asked for a divorce agreement to be drawn up promptly.

As I arrived at Lacey’s door, I was about to knock when I overheard muffled voices inside. Elijah’s father had passed away years ago, so Lacey usually lived alone. Driven by curiosity, I leaned in to listen.

"How long are you going to keep this up? I’m telling you, women can see through this..." Elijah's voice was laced with frustration, as if this conversation had happened many times before.

"I know, Mom, stop worrying. I really love Raelyn, it’s not just a show."

"Just keep pretending to be busy convincingly. Give me more time, and I’ll handle it."

"Raelyn should be here soon, so don’t let anything slip."

It felt like a crushing weight on my chest, squeezing the breath out of me. So, I was the only one kept in the dark. Lacey had known about his affair all along, and instead of stopping him, she helped him deceive me. This was the woman I considered a second mother.

I should have seen it coming. Like mother, like son.

Thinking back over the past few months, Elijah had spent less and less time with me. It was always overtime, fancy dinners, or taking care of Lacey. Their fabricated busyness was the perfect excuse. In reality, he must have been spending his time with that woman, just like last night.

I took several deep breaths to steady myself and knocked on the door. The conversation inside stopped abruptly, and Elijah opened the door with a sheepish grin.

"Babe, you're here."

"I left the office at five, didn’t want to disturb you at home."

"Since Mom usually wakes up early and you were coming over, I thought I’d give you a ride back."

I didn’t even look up. "I didn’t ask, so why are you so jumpy?"