So, my husband Michael and I decided to be together for the birth of our first kid. We had everything planned, including the music and the small bonnet he had put on our baby. But, guess what? When the time arrived, he didn’t show. The staff kept reassuring me that he was probably just delayed. But I sensed there was something wrong. When our daughter Emily was born, I was ecstatic; yet, where was Michael?

After two days in the hospital, I went home with Emily, hoping to persuade myself that there was a plausible explanation. Could it work? Is there an a:cc:ident? But nothing could have prepared me for what I discovered. The home was completely silent. I dashed upstairs to the nursery, hoping he was planning a surprise for me. But the room was almost empty. Only the crib was left, with a letter inside.

I snatched it up, my hands quivering, and read the words scrawled in Michael’s unmistakable handwriting: “I love you and our baby. But I had to go permanently. “Ask your mother why she did this to me.”I was shocked. “Mom!” I yelled, then grabbed the paper hard as I stormed into the living room, where Sarah was sitting on the couch, Emily asleep in her arms.

“What is this?” I demanded, throwing the note at her. “What have you done? “Where’s my husband?” She gazed at me with melancholy eyes. “I didn’t want you to find out this way,” she explained quietly. “What? Find out what?” I almost screamed at her. “What are you talking about?” “Tell me now!” She took a long breath and said, “I learned something about Michael, honey. And it was simply too large to keep to myself. “He needed to know that I knew.”

“Know what? “Why are you speaking in riddles?” I asked, closing my eyes and feeling exhausted. “He’s been having an a:ff:air, darling,” she informed me. “With somebody from his office. Imagine the nerve. The words struck me like a physical blow, forcing me to sit down fast. “No, Mom,” I caught myself saying. “That cannot be true at all. Michael would not do that to us. He loves me! And he’s been so happy about our kid and expanding our little family!”

“I wish this wasn’t true, dear. “Do you think I enjoyed being right?” she inquired quietly. I overheard him conversing on the phone. They discussed meeting at a motel. I challenged him about it, and he confessed. He’s been seeing his boss, a woman who is far wealthier than we could have imagined. She’s been giving him offers he couldn’t refuse.” “You mean the promotion?” Wasn’t it just hard work? And the car wasn’t merely because he made a big deal with the company?” I gave a gasp.

My chest felt tight, as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, tears flowing down my cheeks as my lower pelvic pained. “Why didn’t you give me the opportunity to speak to him? Is there a chance to solve it? “Oh, honey,” my mother replied, soothingly. “I gave him a chance.” I told him he needed to tell you everything or leave for good. I knew if he told you everything, it would show that he was still a nice man with redeemable traits. But see this? He chose to leave you and Emily.”

I did not want to believe my mother. I wanted to trust Michael and that there was more to the story. How else could my mother have sat there during my birth, holding my hand despite knowing the truth? It didn’t make sense to me. So, one thing made sense to me. My mother had never taken to Michael like I had hoped. She tolerated him and appreciated that he took care of me. But there was nothing more than that. They had no other relationships besides me.

What if my mother simply wanted him out? Unknowingly, I expressed all of these sentiments out. “Really? Elena! “You think I’d intentionally hurt my daughter and jeopardize her relationship with her father?” my mother sobbed. “He damaged you by deciding to have an affair. “I can tell you everything you need to know, but you must believe me.”

I could not accept the facts. My husband, the guy I had trusted with my life, had betrayed me, and my mother had pushed him to leave before I could even hear him out. “You shouldn’t have taken that choice away from me,” I told you. “You should have let me decide what to do!” My mother grabbed my thigh tightly. “I’m very sorry, Elena,” she said. “I thought I was doing the correct thing. I didn’t want you to suffer any more than you already had; this pregnancy was taxing on your body and soul, my dear.”

Despite her apparent sincerity, I couldn’t help but feel irritated with her. All I could think about was how all I knew and believed in had been taken away in an instant. My husband was gone, most likely with his lover; my mother had betrayed my confidence, and I was left alone with a newborn and a broken heart Emily cried. “She’s hungry,” my mother explained. “Maybe one day, when Emily goes through something where she needs her mother to protect her more than give her a choice, you’ll understand why I did what I did.”

I nodded. “I’m sure you’re right, Mom,” I replied, pulling my shirt off to feed my daughter. “But I need some space for a bit. I have to adjust to being a single mom right now.” “But you’re not alone, Elena!” my mother shouted. “Michael may have decided to leave you, but I am still here. I’m right there, loving and supporting you. “And your little girl.” “I know that,” I answered. “But this is the choice I’m making.”

“I’ll make you some food and then leave,” my mother explained. “Please let me do it. Allow me to plan meals for a week. Okay?” “Fine,” I said, appreciative for the assistance despite my desire to avoid looking at her. In the following days, I reflected about Michael’s behavior more closely. Of course, he was having a:ff:air. There were many late evenings and dinners with “colleagues over business.” Michael and his employer were clearly becoming closer during those intimate hours.

I tried calling Michael several times, but it always went to voicemail. Until one day, he responded by accident. His voice was thick with slumber, so I knew he had no intention of answering the phone. “Michael?” I questioned. “Elena?” He gave a gasp. “Is it true?” I asked. “Yes. “All of it,” he stated. “I am not coming back. I was thrilled to begin my life with you and our kid, but I’ve grown to like Gretchen and our lives together.

I need to give this a chance. And the least I can do is transfer the property to your name solely. Gretchen’s lawyers will handle it soon.”I could not believe my ears. Michael never contacted me again, and I did not respond either. He left my life as swiftly as he had entered it. But at the very least, my kid did not meet him and have any of those experiences. She was safely separated from Michael.