After a long trip, I got home to find a strange child in the living room. The boy told me he lived there, and as I followed his innocent directions to the bedroom, I found out something about my husband that broke my heart.
My kids ran past me and into the house, saying “Surprise!” as I opened the front door. It was loud inside the house. But something didn’t feel right. Shoes that didn’t belong to us were by the door. Some pairs were very small and looked like they belonged to kids, but not my kids. I went cold.
“Mom, why are shoes from other people here?” Emma asked with a raised brow.
I tried to smile. “Most likely some guests.” “Let’s check with Dad.”
After taking a deep breath to calm down, I walked toward the living room. My steps were careful and slow. When I looked around the corner, I saw him: a young boy, maybe four years old, watching cartoons on TV in our living room.
The boy looked at me without being scared. He smiled and said, “Hi.”
“Hello,” I said, but my voice was shaking. “What are you?”
He said, “My name is Jason.” “This is where I live.”
My heart beat faster. “You…liv…here?” I told myself over and over, more than I told him. I asked Jason, “Where are your parents?”
He pointed in the direction of the hall. “Bedroom-wise.”
I just stood there, frozen in place. How is this possible? I had only been away for three weeks. I needed to know. I had to see my husband Ian.
My eyes were now fixed on Jason, so I whispered to Emma and Max, “Stay here, kids.” “I’ll be back soon.”
There was more weight on each step toward the bedroom. As I reached for the doorknob, my hands were shaking. I stopped, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.
When I looked inside, what I saw made my stomach turn. Ian was having sex with someone else. As if they had seen a ghost, they sprang apart, their eyes wide with shock. The woman, a brunette with soft features, pulled the sheets up to her chest.
Hi, Julia! Ian stuttered as he got to his feet. Ask yourself, “Why are you here?”
I did not reply. I was unable. I quickly looked at both of them and then back to Ian. I didn’t want to scream, cry, or do anything else but stand there in shock.
“What is her name?” I was finally able to choke out.
The woman said, “My name is Sophie,” and her voice was shaking. “I… I thought—”
I put out my hand to stop her. I yelled, “Save it!” I spoke louder to Ian as I turned around. “Who is she, Ian?” Who is that kid?”
Ian looked like he was going to pass out. “Let me explain, Julia.” Just please—”
“Explain!” I stopped him. “Explain what?” That you’ve been telling me lies? That there is another family living in my house?”
Sophie looked really scared. “Ian told me you were split up!” That you weren’t in the picture!”
I glared at Ian. “Not in the picture? That’s very nice. I’ve been taking care of my sick mother at my parents’ house for three weeks while you… you —”
Ian begged Julia to help him. “Let me talk.”
I spoke loudly and said, “No.” “Don’t lie anymore.”
My mind was all over the place as I stormed out of the room. The three of them were still talking to Jason in the living room. I couldn’t stand to look at them right now. I had to get air. I had to think about it.
When I went outside, the cool air hit my face like a splash of water. As I took out my phone and looked through my contacts, my hands started to shake. I couldn’t think of anyone to call who could help me figure this out.
Going outside for a breath of fresh air and to think about who to call | Source: Pexels
Going outside for a breath of fresh air and to think about who to call | Source: Pexels
I had to get myself together and deal with this mess head-on. It hurt like a knife when someone betrayed you. But anger was building up under the pain, ready to explode.
I could hear Ian’s words inside, trying to explain and defend his actions to the other woman. But there was no reason to do this. Because you lied to me and our kids and broke up our family.
When I took a few deep breaths, I tried to calm down. For Emma and Max, I had to be strong. I could not let Ian’s deception hurt me.
I walked back into the house with more purpose than before. Emma and Max looked up at me with wide-open eyes in shock. Little Jason was still sitting on the couch, unaware of the trouble he had let slip.
“Mom?” It was a low voice that Emma asked. “What’s going on?”
I knelt down next to them and tried to smile. “Sweetheart, let’s talk about it later.” Let’s go get dinner right now, okay?”
They nodded because they could tell I needed a short break. Even though my mind was still spinning, I led them to the kitchen. With each step, my resolve grew stronger.
It wasn’t over yet. Not even close.
Sophie joined me in the kitchen after Ian finally left, pulling his suitcase behind him. She was just as shocked and sad as I was. Sophie did the right thing by telling him to leave the house. The weight of the evening was heavy on us as we sat there in quiet.
Sophie’s voice broke as she said, “I can’t believe this.” “He told me you were dead.” That you passed away four years ago. I never didn’t believe him.
When I shook my head, the pain of betrayal came back. “I don’t get how he could have two lives at once.” It’s not like I knew him at all.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. Julie, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know. “If only I knew—”
I spoke more softly and said, “It’s not your fault.” “He lied to both of us.”
Together, we drank a bottle of wine, which made our pain less sharp. We talked and cried together, and it was strangely comforting to be with each other. We were both broken by the betrayal, but in that breaking, a weak bond started to form.
Over the course of the night, Sophie said something that made me more determined. “I found a dating site a while ago.” Ian was on it, but he went by a different name. I was afraid to talk to him about it.
“A dating profile?” I asked as I stood up straighter.
Sophie said “yes.” “Yes.” “I had no idea what to do.”
I got a lot of energy and an idea started to form. “He needs to pay for what he did.” Let’s make a fake account. A picture of Brian, Ian’s boss, and Lisa, his wife, will be used. We’ll get Ian to talk about something embarrassing and get him to tell us all of his dirty secrets.
Sophia looked at me with hope and uncertainty in her eyes. “Then what?”
“After that, we send everything to Brian.” He should take care of Ian.
We worked on our plan over the next few days. When we made the profile, we chose pictures of Lisa that would make Ian want to connect with her. His first bite came right away.
***
Ian swallowed the bait whole. He thought he was talking to Brian’s wife, so he started talking badly about Brian and telling him all kinds of private and embarrassing things. When he decided to meet at a hotel, that was the last straw.
We sent Brian pictures of everything along with a note telling him who we were and why we were doing this. The answer came quickly.
Ian was called into a meeting with Brian and fired right then and there for being so dishonest and untrustworthy. When he went back to pack his things, he looked like he had lost.
“You did this,” he said in a mean voice.
I looked him in the eye and spoke softly. “Ian, you hurt yourself.” Leave my house now.
Sophie and I found comfort in each other after Ian left our lives. We helped each other deal with our feelings and focused on getting our lives back on track.
As the days went by, our friendship grew stronger, and the pain we both felt became a source of strength. We were no longer fooled by Ian’s lies; we were now survivors who were stronger together.
This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.
thecelebritist.com is the source.