Hillary believed she had discovered love again three years after the untimely death of her husband. However, everything unravels when her 6-year-old daughter reveals a terrifying secret about her new stepdad.
My life collapsed when my husband, Charles, died in a bizarre workplace accident. I struggled for three years to keep my life together for my daughter Maggie, who is six years old. She was everything to me. is everything to me.
She has been the main motivator for me to get out of bed ever since. But eventually, the aching emptiness was too great for even her charming grins to fill.
Then Jacob appeared.
His kind grin gave you a sense of security and assurance that everything will be alright. Above all, he loved Maggie and was kind and gentle.
In ways I hadn’t noticed before my husband’s passing, I watched my child blossom around him. I slowly allowed myself to believe once more. Perhaps there was happiness in life after Charles, and perhaps that happiness also involved someone else.
“Hillary,” I thought he would say. “After years of being each other’s” “great” love, it’s time to go on to something else. Go be joyful. Do it for Maggie. Do it for you.
So I did. After I opened out to Jacob, a relationship quickly developed.
Jacob and I got married on a little farm with a duck pond two months ago. I believed I had located our family’s missing component. A piece that would allow Maggie and I to move on with our lives, at the very least.
However, life doesn’t always present unexpected challenges. It goes directly for your heart instead.
I’ll tell you everything.
As I put Maggie to bed one night, she clung to her favorite rabbit and gazed at me with her large brown eyes.
Hesitantly, she said, “Mommy?”
“Yes, my love?” I inquired. “What’s going on?”
She reduced her voice to a whisper.
“New-I have a secret from you that Dad requested me to keep. Is that acceptable?”
The comments struck me deeply. I felt my stomach turn violently.
“Baby girl, you know you can call Jacob ‘Dad,’ right?” I inquired, attempting to take it slow before my young daughter revealed whatever truth she was about to reveal.
A pouty “I like New-Dad better,” she declared. “So, is everything alright?” “The secret?”
“No, sweetheart,” I answered quietly, attempting to maintain a calm tone. “You can tell me anything at any time.” “What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip and fidgeted.
“New-Dad told me not to tell you, but I woke up early from my nap yesterday and went to find him while you were at work. We could play on the PlayStation, he assured me. I was unable to locate him.”
I felt a chilly feeling creep over me.
“What do you mean?” I softly brushed her hair back and asked. Did you wake up without Dad? Did he abandon you?
She gave a headshake.
“I called for him, but he didn’t answer,” she added, giving me a tense look. “Then I saw him emerge from the basement with a lovely woman wearing a red dress. I was told not to tell you by him.”
My heart pounded.
“What were they doing down there?”
She gave a headshake.
“Mama, I have no idea. All I know is that he instructed me to keep it from you. However, you mentioned that secrets are terrible, so…” She stared at me as if she had done something wrong, and her voice trailed off.
I said, “You did the right thing, sweetheart,” trying to hide my mounting discomfort. “What did she look like?”
She resembled a princess with her beautiful blond hair. A crimson dress, too. She also had a pleasant scent.
The basement?
It was merely an incomplete, dusty room with discarded tools and cartons. Ever since Jacob moved in, Jacob and I have hardly been inside.
He took a woman down there, but why?
Later that evening, I approached Jacob while he was on the couch, browsing through his phone.
I crossed my arms and remarked, “Maggie told me there was a woman here yesterday,” “You took her to the basement, she said. Would you mind explaining?”
Something flashed across his face.
Feeling guilty?
Fear?
However, he soon recovered.
He laughed and said, “Oh, that?” She works as an interior decorator. I intended to fix up the basement as a surprise for you. For years, it’s been a mess.
“An interior designer?” With a hint of suspicion in my voice, I repeated.
“Yes! I wanted to make it a comfortable place for us as a family. You know, I thought it would make a good gift. I was hoping for a popcorn machine, a mini fridge, and a projector.”
After showing me to the basement, he turned on the light. I was shocked to see how the gloomy room had been updated with nice lighting, new furniture, and painted walls.
It was… lovely. Jacob smiled, obviously feeling good about himself.
“What do you think?”
I made an effort to grin. However, something wasn’t quite right. What was the reason behind his secrecy? Additionally, Maggie’s depiction of the woman bothered me for some reason.
I checked Jacob’s social media that night when he was asleep. My intuition told me there was more to this narrative, but I wasn’t sure what I was searching for.
Then I noticed it.
A picture from before we met, two years ago. It showed Jacob grinning broadly and putting his arm around a long-haired, blond woman in a red dress.
My stomach rumble.
Had Maggie seen this woman before?
I showed Maggie the photo the following morning.
“Is this her?” With a tense voice, I asked.
Her gaze expanded.
“Yes, mother. That’s her.”
The room spun around in my mind. Jacob was lying. The woman was someone he knew. But before I confronted him once more, I needed evidence.
After Jacob departed for work, I set up the concealed cameras in the living room and basement and took out the ones I had put in the porch and garage following my husband’s passing. Since Jacob was vague about details, I figured he wouldn’t notice them.
I later informed Jacob that I had to travel for a few days on a last-minute work trip.
His words, “Not a problem, love,” “I’ll watch Maggie.”
“No, I was considering bringing her to my mom. Maggie has been requesting a sleepover for some time, and I believe she needs a break from our daily schedule. Are you comfortable with that?”
“Absolutely,” responded he. “All of us can just take a vacation. Hillary, you too. You must take a rest between tasks, don’t you?
I took Maggie to my mother later that day and explained the situation to her.
As she pushed a platter of cookies in my direction, she remarked, “Darling, I hope you get the answers you need.” “You’ve been through too much with Maggie. Worrying about a man who is meant to be your peacemaker is the last thing you need.”
I gave a nod.
Of course, she was correct. Charles’s passing had dimmed the light in our lives, but Jacob’s presence had been serene and restored it. However, I had been plagued by a persistent sensation of dread and anxiety ever since Maggie’s revelation.
I set up camp in a nearby hotel room that night. I ate a container of ice cream while binge-watching the camera feed on the bed. However, nothing occurred as the hours passed. Jacob ate chocolate-covered pretzels, drank milk from the carton, and basically relaxed in front of the television.
My paranoia felt overwhelming and absurd the following morning as I ate breakfast beside the window. Nothing unusual happened during the course of the day. Jacob sat around the home doing nothing. I thought I was simply being irrational before I went to bed.
Up until a buzzing notification:
A motion was detected.
I launched the app and navigated to the area where motion had been detected, my heart racing. Jacob was standing in the basement, kissing the red-clad woman. They both giggled as I observed her murmur something in his ear.
He was unfaithful.
in my house.
Exhilarated, I hurried back to the home and parked in the driveway as Jacob was escorting her to her vehicle. His face twisted into a frown at the sight of me.
“Oh, dear! Are you currently at home?” He stumbled. “In the middle of the night?” “This is the designer I told you about.”
“Really?” I crossed my arms and gave a mocking gasp. “She does late-night calls?”
“She does… she’s busy.”
Yes, and Jacob, I just saw you make out with her in my basement. Is that a requirement of the job?
Jacob’s mouth opened and closed as he froze. The woman turned to face him, rolling her eyes.
Her words, “Finally, she knows,” were abrupt. “You’ve finally mastered the program, Hillary. Jeez. Why didn’t you see anything earlier? You can now return to me, Jacob.”
“What?” I let out a gasp.
“My dear, we have been together for ten years. He said that the only reason he was with you was because you had a nice home and a reliable source of income. Actually, it was a bonus to be a depressed widow.”
She slapped me with her words. I waited for Jacob to refute it as I looked at him.
He didn’t. He remained silent.
“Get out,” I said strongly. “You two. Leave right now.”
She questioned him, “You’re not going to say anything?”
The woman slammed the car door and bounded off. I gestured to the street when Jacob attempted to apologize.
“Out.” “Now,” I growled. “Don’t you ever come back.”
I stuffed all of Jacob’s belongings into bin bags the following day. I had considered leaving them outside his mother’s house, but I changed my mind.
I dropped them off at a building site. I assumed the employees could assist themselves. Then, eager to meet my little girl, I drove to my mother’s house.
My mother looked at me and asked, “What happened?”
When I said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow,” “Today is about Maggie.”
I took Maggie out for ice cream after loading her into the car. I leaned over as she started eating her sundae.
“Sweetheart, I appreciate your honesty. I’m really pleased with you.”
Her face lit up with a smile.
The words “no more secrets, Mommy” were said.
“That’s right,” I responded, embracing her. However, I must inform you that Jacob will not be present when we arrive home. We will no longer have him with us.
After a long period of silence, she finally said.
“Mom? In any case, I didn’t really like New-Dad.”
Both Jacob and the life I believed we were creating were gone. But I knew I didn’t need him as I turned to face Maggie. I had my house, I had her, and I had the willpower to continue.
Losing the wrong person can occasionally free up space for the life you deserve.
