Left My Cheating Husband And Married His Boss

The Heartbreak I Didn’t See Coming

CHAPTER 5

After dinner, I returned to our bedroom and began rearranging the books on my nightstand, stacking them neatly just to give my hands something to do. My body felt heavy, sapped of energy, and I knew sleep would be something I would battle with in this state. So, I busied myself with little tasks—rearranging the books, dusting the dresser, fixing the bed and pillows, straightening the curtains—anything to quiet the noise in my head.

Maybe if I kept moving, I wouldn’t have to think about today, about Daniel’s harsh words, about Ethan’s sudden change in behaviour, about Julia’s smug superiority and self righteousness. Everything had been too much to process.

“Claire.”

Daniel’s voice came from behind me, low and familiar. Once upon a time, that voice could ease my nerves and make me feel safe. Now it only made my heart ache.

“I know you’re upset about how Ethan spoke to you today,” he said, taking slow steps toward me. “Don’t take it personally. He’s just a kid.”

I turned around and saw him watching me, his expression softer than usual. Maybe he truly wanted peace, but something deep inside me couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“I know,” I murmured, keeping my voice small, wishing he’d just leave me alone.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” He stepped closer, his hand brushing against mine. “You look a lot more beautiful when you smile.”

His fingers grazed my cheek, his face leaning in as if to kiss me.

“I just need some time to think,” I said, pulling away and carrying the folded clothes to the closet.

He sighed. “Fine, I’ll leave you to that. I’m heading out for a late meeting anyway.”

A late meeting. He never mentioned one before. But I said nothing. The quiet that followed after he left was all the relief I needed.

After cleaning up the house, I was exhausted as hell and finally crawled into bed close to 1 a.m. but sleep never came. I tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling before finally giving up.

“This is pointless,” I sighed, sitting up. To distract myself, I reached into my drawer and pulled out an old photo album of Ethan.

It was filled with pictures—from the time I was pregnant with him to him crawling to his first steps to his fourth birthday. I flipped through each one, reliving the memories like it were yesterday, seeing my younger self smiling so brightly, so full of hope. The more pages I turned, the more I noticed how my eyes had dimmed with time. Every piece of me—my energy, my dreams, my ambitions had been poured into this family.

And yet somehow, it was never enough.

“You’re not even worthy to be called his mother.”

Daniel’s words replayed in my head like a haunting echo. Tears stung my eyes as I whispered to myself, why would he even think that?

I had done everything—the meals, the school runs, the sleepless nights, early morning wakes. I had been there when Ethan was sick, scared, and growing. I was his mother in every way that mattered. How could Daniel say something so cruel and cutting?

My vision blurred as I turned the pages, memories flashing by birthdays, park picnics, messy cakes, and family smiles that once seemed genuine. Then I stopped.

It was Ethan’s first birthday. Daniel had planned a picnic outside the city, under a large Oak tree—balloons, cake, sunshine and shades. For a moment, I smiled, remembering the warmth of that day. But as my eyes scanned the photo, my heart froze.

In the far corner, under a tree, there was a blurred silhouette of a woman. I squinted. Her dress, her necklace… something about her felt eerily familiar.

I leaned closer. No. It couldn’t be.

That necklace, the same diamond pendant Julia usually wore.

My pulse quickened as I flipped through more photos. The same figure appeared again and again—always in the background, never obvious but always there like a ghost passing by.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Why would Julia appear in our photos taken years ago long before she became Mr Waverly’s wife?

My skin crawled as realization crept in. She had been around far longer than I thought, always hovering, always watching like a f*****g hawk.

Was she obsessed with him? With us?

I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers.

I jumped out of bed, grabbed a cardigan, and slipped on my shoes. Daniel hadn’t answered my calls all night, so I tracked his location using the family GPS app—something I’d installed after too many “late meetings.”

The signal led me to a luxury hotel just a few blocks from our house. My stomach knotted as I parked and stepped out. What was he doing in a hotel? Surely, it wasn’t an ideal place to host a work meeting let alone at night.

Before I could enter, I saw two people standing by the side of the building. My heart nearly stopped when I recognized them.

Daniel… and Julia.

Hiding behind a tree, I strained to hear their voices.

“I’m so tired of sneaking around like this,” Julia whispered, her tone soft and frustrated. She had a baseball cap pulled over her face, but I was certain it was her. I could tell from a mile away.

“What do you expect me to do?” Daniel hissed, glancing around nervously. “If anyone finds out, your husband and my boss especially then it’s over for both of us.”

My hand trembled as I gripped the bark of the tree.

“I just don’t understand why we have to hide,” she murmured, leaning into him. “Your wife suspects something already.”

Then to my greatest shock, he kissed her.

Not a quick, guilty kiss. But one filled with longing, one that said he didn’t care anymore who got hurt.

My breath was knocked right out of my lungs. My world collapsed.

When they finally pulled apart, Julia sighed, planting her fingers against his chest.

“I can wait,” she said softly. “But I feel terrible for Ethan. Ever since he found out I’m his real mother, he keeps asking when I’m going to take him home.”

The words hit me like a thousand knives.

His real mother?

No. No, that couldn’t be true. My head spun. My legs weakened beneath me.

I stumbled backward, stepping on a dry twig then came a crack.

Daniel’s head snapped up. His eyes darted dangerously toward the sound.

Panic surged through me. I turned to run, but before I could take a step, a strong hand grabbed me from behind and yanked me into the shadows behind a car that was as black as midnight.

A palm covered my mouth before I could scream.

“Don’t make a sound,” a deep voice murmured against my ear.

My whole body went rigid. I knew that voice.

It was Mr. Waverly, our boss.

How in the world did he get caught up in the middle of this?