When He Falsely Accused Me, I Exposed His Betrayal

Chapter 3

Dad hid his tracks carefully, but Mom had spent almost eight years living by his side. She knew every little tell of his.

His main phone looked completely normal, with no suspicious clues anywhere. But he had a whole second hidden user profile.

The chat app in that profile only had one contact, and the profile picture was a photo of a man and woman kissing.

Sure, the man had his back to the camera, but Mom had lived with Dad for years. She knew every inch of his body like the back of her hand.

That was him. It was Dad.

Mom's fingers began trembling so hard that the phone nearly slipped out of her grasp.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. One drop fell right onto the phone screen, smudging the photo posted on his timeline.

His latest post was from their sixth wedding anniversary. I remembered that day clearly. Mom had been so giddy that she had booked a candlelit dinner.

But Dad had called at the last minute, saying he had to go out of town for work. So Mom sat all alone in that restaurant, heartbroken, for hours.

So that was what really happened. He was not on a business trip at all. He was with Elara.

Next, Mom tried the locked encrypted albums and files. She guessed the passcode only a couple of times before it unlocked, and inside that hidden folder, she found a whole other life Dad had been living.

It was a life that belonged only to Dad and Elara.

Her quiet sobs grew louder and louder, until I could not pretend to be asleep anymore. I got out of bed, wrapped my arms around her, and whispered soft comfort, "Mom, you still have me."

But that only made her cry even harder.

Early the next morning, Mom laid the phone right out in front of Dad. The hidden profile he had covered up for so long sat there, bright and unmistakable for him to see.

It was irrefutable proof that he had betrayed me and Mom.

Dad stared at the profile, and his face drained of all color in a second. Then he rounded on Mom, his eyes burning with anger.

"What right do you have to go snooping through my phone?" he demanded.

Mom gave him a bitter smile. "If I had not looked, I never would have even known you were cheating on me."

"Julian, I have loved you for ten years. I have been by your side since you started from nothing. I sold my pre-marital house just to fund your startup, and this is how you repay me? You cheated on me with Elara, messed around in our master bedroom, and even made Iris buy condoms for you. How could you do this to me?" she cried.

Mom hurled the crumpled box of condoms straight at Dad's chest and screamed hysterically.

Instead of panicking at Mom's wild, broken state, Dad went cold and calm. He dropped onto the sofa and lit a cigarette, thick smoke curling up to hide his face. But when he spoke, his words hit Mom like a plunge into ice water.

"So what if I cheated? What is it to you? Maeve, I always thought you were a smart woman. A guy with my money and status, is it not normal to have a few pretty women on the side? I never brought any of them right to your front door. Can you not just pretend you do not know and leave it be?

"I am not a total monster. You are my wife, the one who was with me from the start. If you just stay in line and behave, I will not mistreat you," he said coldly.

Mom shook from head to toe, rage coursing through every vein. When she spoke, her voice was raw and gravelly.

"Julian, this is nothing but a slap in the face to me. I want a divorce. I am divorcing you," she said.

"Divorce?" Dad repeated, getting to his feet and stepping right up to her. He blew a cloud of stale smoke straight into her face, then raked a contemptuous gaze over her from head to toe.

"Divorce? You are just a stay-at-home mom. If I play my cards right, you will walk out of here without a single penny to your name, and you will never get custody of our daughter either. Not to mention..."

Dad gave her a long, knowing look, then straightened his suit and walked out the door.

Mom froze on the sofa, turning to solid stone like a statue. Not long after, the phone rang. All the blood drained from her face the second she answered, and she begged brokenly, "Don't remove the machines. I will pay the fee today, I swear."

As soon as she hung up, Mom clung to me, pressing me tight against her chest, and sobbed brokenly, her voice raw with utter despair.

When the tears finally ran out, she fumbled her phone out with shaking hands and dialed Dad. His smooth, calm voice poured through the speaker.

"Maeve, you got the call from the hospital, did you not? The life support and medication for your mother cost almost fourteen thousand dollars a month. If you do not want me to pull the plug on her treatment, just stay home and keep the house like a good girl," he said smoothly.

"Fine. I agree," Mom replied, her voice coming out hollow and empty, like there was nothing left inside her.

Dad chuckled on the other end of the line, all fake sweetness and concern. "Maeve, I still care about you, you know? If I did not, I would have divorced you already and left you with nothing. Don't worry, my heart is still with you. None of those other women can ever take your place."

Mom did not say a word. She hung up in silence, then pressed her hands over her face and started laughing. The sound was thick with bitter self-mockery and crippling sadness.

That afternoon, Mom took me to the hospital to see Grandma. She rushed around, questioning the doctor about every detail of Grandma's condition.

When Mom stepped out to pick up Grandma's medication, Grandma pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "Iris, something is wrong lately, is it not? Your mom looks so unhappy."

My teacher had told me that good kids never lie. I told Grandma everything, every last detail, just like it happened.

Grandma froze for a second, but by the time Mom walked back in, she had schooled her face back to normal. She never let Mom suspect that anything was amiss.