Family matters are not always easy. The obstacles two people face, their ability to work together on issues that suddenly arise, and resolving the challenges that test their love and trust for one another is what makes a relationship work.

Sometimes, however, when two people don’t communicate openly, doubts regarding their affection and fidelity start to emerge, and those doubts can affect a relationship beyond repair.

At first, the woman was glad this was happening because she could spend more time with her and their son, Oliver, but as those early returns became more and more frequent, the woman started having doubts.The husband, James, seemed to be getting home while the family’s nanny was still in the house. This “coincidence” raised suspicions. The woman started wondering if those early arrivals had anything to do with the nanny, Tessa, and not James’ wish to be spending more time around his son.

The more she thought about this, the more her heart raced. She started noticing other signs too. James would often get out of the house, speaking on his phone with someone until late in the night.The woman’s heart crashed. “What is going on,” she kept asking herself. Was it possible that James had an affair with the nanny, she wondered. But just the thought of him being unfaithful broke her world into a thousand pieces.One evening, just as dinner was over, Oliver came closer to the woman and showed her his palm. The words, “Dad Lies,” were written on it.

As Oliver couldn’t speak duet to a rare condition, he was able to communicate in non-verbal ways. And now it turned out that Oliver, who was a highly observant child, noticed something she was obviously missing. The woman decided not to confront her husband right away. She decided to wait and figure her husband’s secret.

One day, she returned home from work earlier and was stunned to see James there. He and Tessa was chatting in the kitchen, and the woman’s presence seemed to make them feel uneasy. Days gone by and the woman decided to talk to her son about his dad’s secret. When she asked him about it, he just pointed to his briefcase, from which James never separated.

Hesitant about her next step, she decided to open the briefcase, but she was not ready for what that briefcase hid. A bunch of papers from a hospital and the doctor’s office were neatly placed inside. As she went through them, the woman saw the words, “Stage 3,” “Aggressive treatment required,” and “Survival rate.” “Rachel?” James’s voice came from behind her. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

Turning to him, tears flowing down her cheeks, she asked, “When were you going to tell me you were dying?” James stated that he wanted to combat the cancer without involving her or Oliver because he wanted to protect them. “And what about Tessa?” the woman inquired. “Tessa figured out my secret and agreed not to tell you. She has been aiding and covering for me ever since.”But now that the truth was out, the wife could support her husband and help him fight the sickness.

The following weeks were filled with doctor’s appointments, and Tessa was there for the family every step of the way, offering assistance and support.Oliver began painting more than ever before, and it was clear to him that the tension between his mother and father had been resolved. “I thought we’d never see him express himself,” James recalled. “But now he’s teaching us how to communicate better.”

As they watched their youngster doodle, he pointed his small palms at them. The words “family” and “forever” were scrawled on them, and the mom believed her son’s words more than ever. This incident strengthened their friendship even more.