The Widower's Secret

A Night To Forget

Elizabeth

I'll never forget the night it happened. 

The night my world fell apart!

Earlier that day...

Andrew had been gone for 3 out of 5 days. We hadn't talked since he left in the middle of the night after our big fight. I've sent him texts, but got short replies, nothing like when he usually leaves and we had been fighting. He called the first night to apologize to the kids for leaving and not saying goodbye. Matthew, wasn't very nice to him, because he has always been such a Momma's boy and he knew I had been upset. The girls talked to him about their days and games they had, and told him they loved him. When they were done, I hung up, not saying two words to him.  My wedding ring sits on the nightstand, with a note underneath that simply says, "I'm so sorry!" -Andrew 

A few hours later he calls again. "Are the kids in bed?" he asks. "Yes, but you know this is their bedtime, aren't you going out, like you always do?" "Liz (his nickname for me) I need to talk to you, I'm so sorry, I screwed up!" he says. "At the last conference, I had too much to drink, I messed up and ended up inviting a couple girls back to my room, one of them called a month later and said she was pregnant." he says. My body goes into shock, incontrollable tears start rolling down my cheeks. "Are you f*****g kidding me?" I yell at him. "After 20 years together, you cheat on me, with not one, but two women? This can't be the first and only time, and you tell me this OVER THE PHONE!" I yell at him. "I swear it was a mistake! But there are more important things to talk about!" he snaps at me. "Are you kidding me right now? You stick your d**k in another, excuse me two, other women, and you have the nerve to tell me six months later, after I tell you not to come home, and you want to snap at me? Go f**k yourself!" I scream as I hang up the phone. I sink down to the floor and start crying.

After several miss calls later, I finally answer again, "WHAT?" I yell. "Liz you really need to listen to me! I swear on our children, it's important!" he pleads. "Fine! What is it now!" I yell. "Ok, My conference this week, wasn't a conference, the girl that said she was pregnant, wasn't. I came down here to get a paternity test. After I checked into my hotel room, the FBI came knocking on my door. They told me that I was being conned. I wasn't the first man to fall into this trap and they needed help catching them. They have taken Millions of dollars from Married Men over the last few years." He says and pauses, like he is waiting for me to respond. After I don't, he starts to continue, "After I helped the FBI catch them, it turns out they were working for a much bigger operation, the Italian mob." he says that like this is supposed to shock me. "I don't know what that is supposed to do with me? I told you, I quit! I don't want anything to do with you outside our children! Because she, excuse me they, were con artist, means that I am supposed to forgive you?" I ask him. "NO, he says!" almost in a sob. "I am just trying to keep you safe!" he pleads. "You said yourself, they are in jail, what the hell does this have to do with me?" I ask him. "The Mob knows I helped the FBI, they want us to go to protective custody! They said it's the only way to keep me and you and the kids safe." he says. "Not a chance in hell! I say to him, you go! I'm not leaving my family, I'm not taking the kids away from here, and I sure as hell am not doing it with you!" I say to him. "Please Liz!" he pleads with me. "Not a chance in hell! My lawyer will be in contact, you are no longer welcome here." I tell him

The next morning I hear a knock on my door. A friend, who is a cop, Edward is there, looking like he has been crying. "Liz, he says, I'm so sorry! But last night Andrew was in an accident! He didn't make it..." he sobs. I barely hear what was being said as I stare at him, in a daze. "They said they can't identify the body. They know it was him by dental records, and the fact that it was his car." he says. I drop to my knees crying, as I hear my kids coming down the stairs, asking what is wrong. I sit there thinking to myself as Edward explains parts of what he told me. All I can think about is that the last thing I told him was he was no longer welcome here, I would have my lawyer contact him, what did I do? I ask myself.