His eyes lit up for the first time in weeks. “Can we build sandcastles?”
“You bet! And maybe we’ll see some dolphins.”
I felt a glimmer of hope.
Maybe this trip was what we both needed to start healing. We checked into a beachfront hotel, our days filled with sun and surf. I watched Luke splash in the waves, his laughter a soothing melody to my weary soul.
I almost forgot the pain and lost myself in the simple joy of being a dad. On our third day, I was lost in thought when Luke came running. “Daddy!
Daddy!” he shouted. I smiled, thinking he wanted more ice cream. “Dad, look, Mom’s back!” he said, pointing at someone.
I froze, following his gaze. A woman stood by the beach, her back to us. Same height as Stacey with the same chestnut hair.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. “Luke, buddy, that’s not—”
The woman turned slowly. And my stomach dropped the moment our eyes met.
“Daddy, why does Mommy look different?” Luke’s innocent voice cut through my shock. I couldn’t speak. My eyes were fixed on the horror about thirty yards away, laughing.
It was Stacey. Her eyes widened as she grabbed the arm of a man next to her. They hurried away, disappearing into the crowd of beach-goers.
“Mommy!” Luke cried, but I scooped him up. “We need to go, buddy.”
“But Dad, it’s Mom! Didn’t you see her?
Why didn’t she come say hi?”
I carried him back to our room, my mind reeling. It couldn’t be. I’d buried her.
Hadn’t I? But I knew what I saw. That was Stacey.
My wife. Luke’s mother. The woman I thought was dead.
That night, after Luke fell asleep, I paced the balcony. My hands shook as I dialed Stacey’s mother. “Hello?” she answered.
“I need to know exactly what happened to Stacey.”
Silence, then, “We’ve been through this, Abraham.”
“No, tell me again.”
“The accident was early morning. It was too late by the time we reached the hospital.”
“And the body? Why couldn’t I see her?”
“It was too damaged.
We thought it best—”
“You thought wrong,” I snapped, hanging up. I stood there, staring out at the dark ocean. Something wasn’t right.
I could feel it in my gut. And I was going to get to the bottom of it. The next morning, I took Luke to the kids’ club in the resort along with his nanny.
“I’ve got a surprise for you later, champ!” I promised, hating myself for the lie. I spent hours combing the beach, the shops, and the restaurants. No sign of Stacey or her companion.
With each passing hour, my frustration grew. Was I going crazy? Had I imagined the whole thing?
As the sun began to set, I slumped onto a bench, defeated. Suddenly, a familiar voice made me jump. “I knew you’d look for me.”
I turned to find Stacey standing there, alone this time.
She looked just like I remembered, but somehow different. Harder. Colder.
“How?” It was all I could manage. “It’s complicated, Abraham.”
“Then explain it,” I snarled, my hands shaking with anger and shock as I secretly captured her conversation on my phone. “I never meant for you to find out like this.
I’m pregnant.”
“What?”
“It’s not yours,” she whispered, not meeting my eyes. The story slowly spilled out. An affair.
A pregnancy. An elaborate plan to escape. “My parents helped me,” Stacey admitted.
“We knew you’d be away. The timing was perfect.”
“Perfect?” Do you have any idea what you’ve done to Luke? To me?”
Tears streamed down her face.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t face you. This way, everyone could move on.”
“Move on?
I thought you were DEAD! Do you know what it’s like to tell your five-year-old son his mother is never coming home?”
“Abraham, please try to understand—”
“Understand what? That you’re a liar?
A cheater? That you let me grieve while you ran off with your lover?”
“Keep your voice down,” she hissed, glancing around nervously. I stood, towering over her.
“No. You don’t get to call the shots anymore. You lost that right when you decided to play dead.”
As Stacey opened her mouth to respond, a small voice cut through, stopping me cold.
“Mommy?”
We both turned. Luke stood there, his eyes wide, clutching his nanny’s hand. My heart sank.
How much had he heard? Stacey’s face went white. “Luke, honey—”
I scooped him up, backing away.
“Don’t you dare speak to him.”
The nanny looked confused, her eyes darting between Stacey and me. “Sir, I’m so sorry. He ran off when he saw you.”
“It’s okay, Sarah.
We’re leaving.”
Luke squirmed in my arms. “Daddy, I want to go to Mommy… please. Mommy, don’t leave me.
Mommy… Mommy!”
I carried him away, ignoring his tearful pleas. In our room, I packed frantically while Luke peppered me with questions. “Why are you crying, Daddy?
Why can’t we go to Mommy?”
I knelt before him, taking his small hands in mine. How could I explain this? How do you tell a child that his mother chose to abandon him?
“Luke, I need you to be brave. Your mother did a very bad thing. She lied to us.”
His lower lip trembled.
“She doesn’t love us anymore?”
The innocent question shattered what was left of my heart. I pulled him close, unable to hold back my tears. “I love you enough for both of us, buddy.
Always. No matter what happens, you’ll always have me, okay?”
His tiny head nestled against my chest, a small nod followed by a deep sleep. His tears soaked through my shirt, leaving a damp, salty reminder of our shared grief.
The next few weeks were a blur. Lawyers, custody arrangements, and explaining to Luke in terms a 5-year-old could understand. Stacey’s parents tried to reach out, but I shut them down.
They were as much to blame as she was. One month later, I sat in my lawyer’s office and signed the final papers. “Full custody and generous alimony,” she said.
“Given the circumstances, Mrs. Stacey didn’t contest anything.”
I nodded, numb. “And the gag order?”
“In place.
She can’t discuss the deception publicly without severe penalties.”
As I stood to leave, my lawyer touched my arm. “Abraham, off the record, I’ve never seen a case like this. How are you holding up?”
I thought of Luke, waiting at home with my parents, the only ones he could trust now.
“One day at a time!” I said. In the eyes of the law, I was no longer a widower. But in my heart, the woman I married was gone forever, leaving behind only a ghost of broken promises and shattered trust.
Two months later, I stood on our new balcony, watching Luke play in the backyard. We’d moved to a different city, a fresh start for both of us. It hadn’t been easy.
Luke still had nightmares and still asked about his mom. But slowly, we were healing. One day, my phone buzzed with a text from Stacey.
“Please, let me explain. I miss Luke so much. I’m feeling so lost.
My boyfriend broke up with me. “
I deleted it without responding. Some bridges, once burned, can never be rebuilt.
She’d made her choice, and now she had to live with it. As the sun set on another day, I hugged my son tight. “I love you, buddy,” I whispered.
He grinned up at me, his eyes shining with trust and love. “I love you too, Daddy!”
And in that moment, I knew we were going to be okay. It wouldn’t be easy, and there would be tough days ahead.
But we had each other, and that’s what mattered most. The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Source: amomama
