When He Falsely Accused Me, I Exposed His Betrayal

Chapter 2

The next day, one of my dad's good friends invited Mom and me to his birthday party at a private dining room.

We had barely stepped through the door when an oddly familiar woman grinned and strode straight up to Dad, thumping him playfully on the shoulder.

"Julian, you're the last one here," Elara said. "You owe us three drinks for being late."

"Anything you pour me, I'll definitely drink," Dad replied.

My grip on Mom's hand tightened instantly. I recognized her right away. This was the same woman I had seen in Dad's room that day.

"Mom..." I started, but before I could finish, Mom leaned down and shushed me softly. Confused, I snapped my mouth shut.

Everyone at the party seemed very happy. After the meal, they pulled out a game of Truth or Dare to keep the fun going.

That was when I saw it. Dad and that woman, Elara, were doing a romantic toast where they linked arms and drank from each other's glasses as part of the game. Their cheeks pressed so close together, and a bright flush stained Elara's face.

Dad's friends whooped and hollered, chanting over and over, "Kiss her! Kiss her!"

I snuck a quick glance at Mom. She sat alone in the corner, just staring at the two of them, completely out of place amid all the rowdy excitement filling the room.

I remembered what my teacher had taught us: you only do that kind of linked-arm toast with the person you love. Dad was clearly Mom's person. So why was he doing it with that other woman instead?

I could not hold it back any longer. "Daddy, why are you doing that with her instead of Mom?" the question spilled right out of my mouth.

Dead silence crashed over the private dining room in an instant. Every single eye locked onto me and Mom.

Elara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear like nothing had happened, then smiled sweetly and said, "Maeve, you keep Julian on such a tight leash? It's just a silly game of Truth or Dare, that's all. If you're upset next time, just say it yourself. She's still so little. You'll warp her little mind, putting weird ideas like that in her head."

The rest of Dad's friends joined in the teasing, joking that Dad could not even uphold his husbandly authority around the house and saying Mom was being way too controlling.

Dad's face turned bright crimson in a second. Red with humiliation and rage, he snatched up a wine glass and smashed it right at Mom's feet.

"Maeve, what are you being so dramatic for?" Dad snapped. "We're just out having fun, and you have to nitpick everything. If I actually had something going on with Elara, do you think I would have married you in the first place?"

Shards of flying glass cut across Mom's cheek, leaving a bright bloody gash. Mom stared straight at Dad, her voice soft but steady as she spoke, "When you're married, people with a little decency know how to keep proper boundaries with others..."

"Julian, don't be angry," one of Dad's friends jumped in to smooth things over. "Maeve's just like this because she loves you so much."

Elara twisted her bright cherry-red manicured nail between her fingers, a gracious smile plastered on her face. She raked a slow, leering look up and down Mom's body, then let out two sharp, biting laughs of mocking laughter.

"Julian, I think Maeve's just a little insecure, that's all," Elara said. Then, with a saccharine, fake-friendly smile, she turned to Mom and added, "Maeve, us women really need to fix ourselves up properly, right? Otherwise, what man is going to feel like being intimate, huh? Look at you, your pores are huge, your skin's dull and yellow, and your waist's as big as a barrel. It's no wonder Julian complains to me he's not attracted to you anymore."

Mom's face drained of every last bit of color in an instant. She could not believe Dad had actually told this woman such private, intimate things.

Dad snapped, annoyed and impatient. "She's not like you, running around working every day. She's just a stay-at-home mom, stays home all day and barely sees anyone anyway. Why waste money on all that beauty stuff?"

Mom let those cruel words sink in and did not say a single word for a long, long time.

I was burning up with anger. Dad had told me himself once that Mom used to be a total stunner with a gorgeous figure. She only gained weight and lost her shape after giving birth to me for him. He had even promised me he would love her no matter how she changed.

So why was everything so different now?

After that party, Mom grew even quieter and pulled even further away from Dad.

While Dad was asleep, she sneaked through his phone. The longer she scrolled, the more sorrow carved itself into her features.