Caught
I open the door to my house, rushing upstairs to grab the forgotten backpack of my preschooler. My husband Eli should still be asleep since he doesn't have to be at work until 10, but I hear moaning when I'm passing the door to our bedroom. 'Oh f**k no, that man is not watching porn right now knowing I want that d**k later.' I thought, grabbing the door handle. I twisted it and pushed, the noises getting louder.
On the bed, I saw my husband balls deep in his "friend" from work. Her ass was up, and her face was down on the bed. Neither one of them seemed to see me in the doorway yet, too enthralled with each other. So I snapped a picture, ensuring I got both of their faces in the image, and walked out, leaving the house after grabbing my son's backpack.
I drove to Ryan's preschool to drop off his backpack, calling into work on the way. I ran in and hugged my curly-haired blonde boy, kissing both of his cheeks. His big green eyes looked at me in confusion. "What's wrong, mommy? Why aren't you happy?" He pulled my cheeks up to make me smile, laughing. "See, mommy, now you are happy."
I gave him one more kiss on his forehead before standing. "Thank you, baby. Mommy will be back to pick you up after school, okay? Make sure you listen to your teacher. I love you." I smiled at him and turned to leave, tears already streaming down my face. He looks so much like his daddy; it breaks my heart.
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I pulled into the first law office I saw and parked the car. 'Breathe, Bella. You can do this. You deserve better.'
I kept repeating my mantra as I walked into the office. The secretary took one look at me and said, "Best divorce lawyer is Ms. Abigail Martin, third door on the left."
"Thank you, ma'am; you must get a lot of women in here looking like me to know who I need to talk to," I said, grimacing.
"You have no idea, hun. I don't know what he did, but I know he's an i***t. I hope you get what you deserve. Ms. Martin will help you get it." She gave me a reassuring smile.
I walked to the door she indicated and knocked.
"Come in." A throaty feminine voice called out.
"Hello, Ms. Martin. I'm Bella Davis."
What can I do for you, Bella? I'm assuming you're here for a divorce?"
"Yes, ma'am. I walked in on my husband cheating on me. He didn't see me, but I took a picture in case I needed proof or something. I've never done this before, and I'm not sure what all I will need."
"Well, the proof will help us get you what you want during the divorce proceedings. What do you want? I need to know what assets you have together."
"Well, almost everything was put into his name when we bought it as I was staying home and not making income at the time. I have the car I drove here and a bank account with a small amount of money in it, but that's it." I chuckled, hating myself for letting him take care of everything for so long. "Looking back, I'm wondering if it was on purpose, so if I ever caught him, I wouldn't be able to leave."
"I see it a lot, trust me. Men encourage women to lean on them so they can do what they want without consequences. Women are less likely to leave if they can't support themselves. Now, tell me how many kids you guys have together."
"Two boys, ages one and three." I could feel tears coming, thinking of how my boys would grow up without a family unit now. How do you even explain to kids so young that their mom and dad aren't going to be together anymore?
"Have you ever discussed custody issues before? I know something like this usually has a lead-up argument and discussions of divorce." She said.
"In the past, he's said that he doesn't want custody if we split up. So I'm not sure if that's still the case."
"Why don't we give him a call and see what he says. If that's the case, the divorce won't be nearly as hard. All you would have to decide is whether you want child support or for him to sign away his rights. I would recommend that you ask him to sign away his rights as that would mean that in the future, he would have no claim over the kids."
I dialed his number, waiting for him to pick it up.
"Hey, babe, what's up? I'm getting ready for work."
"Oh, is your slut still there, or did she already head out?" I cringed, looking at Ms. Martin and mouthing, "Sorry."
She waved her hand like it was no big deal and laughed.
"What are you talking about, Bella?" He sounded worried, which made me laugh.
"Sarah, from work. It was great seeing you f**k her on our bed. Don't even try to deny it. I took a picture as proof before I left. But, unfortunately, you were too busy f*****g her to see me in the room. I want a divorce, Eli. I need to know what you want and what you want the custody agreement to look like."
"I don't want custody. Aren't you going to ask me if we can fix this? I was only f*****g her because of you anyway."
"What the f**k is that supposed to mean?" He's really this much of a d**k. How could I think marrying him was even a good idea?
"It means you don't try to satisfy me, Bella."
"You know what, Eli? I'm not doing this. You don't want custody of our kids, then fine, I won't fight you. You can sign your rights away, and we can both move on. No child support to worry about or anything. All I want is half of our savings and half of what the house is worth so I can support us until I find a better job."
"Fine, Bella."
I hung up, feeling a massive weight off my shoulders. At least he wasn't going to fight me on the divorce, and I would have a good amount of money to pay for the divorce and start our future somewhere far away from him.