He Comforted Another Boy, So I Divorced

On the very first day of school, my daughter Cathy Wood's teacher called, saying she had hit another child. I rushed over immediately. But when I reached the office, my husband, Ethan Wood, was already there. He had his back to Cathy, crouched in front of a little boy as he gently wiped the tears from his face. "She didn't mean to hurt you. Luke, why don't you two shake hands and make up, okay? I promise, this weekend I'll take both of you out for ice cream." I frowned. Since when did Ethan know this little boy? The boy pouted, yanked his hand away from Ethan, then came barreling straight into me. The second I got a good look at his face, I froze. I knew this kid. He was the son of my best friend, the one who'd moved overseas years ago. Cathy shoved Luke Hayes aside and threw herself into my arms. "I already gave you Dad! Mom is mine!" Ethan looked up. The moment our eyes met, panic flashed across his face, followed by a helpless sigh. And right then, I finally understood. Our marriage was over. ***** Cathy clutched the hem of my shirt so tightly that no matter how I tried to soothe her, she refused to let go. Her school uniform was damp with a thin layer of sweat beneath my fingers. Luke had already ducked behind Ethan, peeking out with only half his face showing. 8 years ago, Mia Hayes told me she'd gotten together with a wealthy heir. She said his family had arranged for her to give birth overseas. Over the years, I'd watched Luke grow through the pictures she sent me. From a wrinkled newborn into the little boy standing in front of me now. I had never once doubted her. Only now did I realize that Luke's eyes, his brows, even the shape of his face, looked almost exactly like Ethan's. "Stella." Ethan stood up. His hand reached toward me on instinct, but stopped just before touching my shoulder. "Let's deal with the kids first." The teacher clearly sensed something was off. She looked at Ethan, then at me. "Mr. Wood, are you Cathy's father and Luke's...?" "He's my friend's son. She couldn't make it, so I'm handling things for her." Then Ethan turned to Luke. "Luke, go wait for me outside." Luke's mouth twisted into a pout as he pointed at Cathy. "Why do I have to call you Uncle just because she's here? I hate her!" Ethan's expression changed. He scooped Luke up before he could say anything else and carried him out. I asked the teacher to excuse Cathy for the rest of the day and sent Cathy to get her backpack. When Ethan came back, he found me standing alone in the hallway. "Luke's still young. Don't take what he says seriously. But Cathy... she's never hit anyone before." I cut him off coldly, "Then do you know why Cathy tore up that boy's book?" He reached out and grabbed my wrist. His fingers pressed against my pulse, counting my heartbeat like he always did when he thought I was getting too worked up. "Don't do this here. Let's go home first. You don't want Cathy's new classmates seeing that her parents are fighting, do you?" I pulled my wrist free. "Answer one question first. Is he your son?" Ethan went silent, only for a moment. Then he said, "Yes." One word. That was all it took to destroy every excuse I'd ever made for him. The dental clinic was too busy. An emergency had been squeezed into his schedule. The meeting ran late. Every lie he'd ever told me led to the same destination. A child. "When?" "The year you were pregnant with Cathy." Ethan said it had been a drunken mistake. He said Mia had insisted on keeping the baby. "The kid didn't do anything wrong. I couldn't just pretend he didn't exist." He stopped there, as if waiting for me to understand. "I love you. I love Cathy too. Luke is my responsibility, but he won't affect our family." I looked at the whale cuff links on his shirt. Cathy had saved her allowance for 3 months to buy them for him last year. They were childish. But he wore them all the time anyway. He was wearing them today too. Maybe his love had been real. But so was his betrayal. Outside the school, Cathy climbed into my car. Luke was already sitting in Ethan's car, waiting for him. He stuck his head out the window and shouted, "Dad! I want ice cream now!" Ethan didn't answer. Cathy's hand suddenly tightened around mine. "Mom, are we going too?" "No." "What about Dad?" I looked at Ethan's car. "He's already made plans with someone else."