Later, when the kids were in bed, Jason said he was leaving early for New York.
“First flight out. I’ll see you Thursday.” He was already pulling a clean shirt from his drawer.
“Right,” I replied, distracted.
Jason paused mid-movement, as if waiting for something else. When I said nothing, he shrugged it off and went into the shower.
That’s when I noticed his phone buzzing with messages.
I shouldn’t have, but I picked it up. My hands were already moving before my brain could stop them, swiping to the password screen. Jason always used someone’s birthday. I tried his mom’s first. Nothing. My fingers hovered for a moment, and then I tried his brother’s.
Bingo.
The screen unlocked, and there it was: Shannon’s name was sitting at the top of his messages. I stared at it, heart pounding, my pulse rushing so loudly I could barely hear the water running. I knew I shouldn’t look, but I couldn’t stop myself. I tapped the message thread open.
She’d booked a reservation at a French restaurant for the two of them the next night to “prepare for their client meeting on Tuesday.” As if that wasn’t suspicious enough, she’d added French text beneath it, followed by a wink emoji.
I felt sick.Le bitch.
For a second I just stood there, staring at the words on the screen like they might change if I looked long enough. Seeing her name appear made everything I suspected undeniable.
The shower stopped, and panic surged through me. I quickly swiped out of the messages and set the phone back down, my hands trembling so badly I nearly dropped it. I stood there for a moment trying to calm my breathing. Then I fled downstairs,trying to force myself to look normal, to think normally, to consider everything that was going on.
When I couldn’t think straight anymore, I called Meredith.
“We need to talk tomorrow,” I said. My voice came out strained and shaky.
“Okay,” she replied, sounding instantly alert. “Are you okay?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “Tomorrow, I’ll tell you more.” With that we hung up.
I could barely sleep that night.
What a mess both Jason and I had made, of ourselves, each other, our family.
Jason left before the sun was up, his suitcase wheeling across the hardwood like thunder in the still house. I lay in bed, listening to the sound of the front door clicking shut and the car pulling out of the driveway.
As soon as I was sure he was gone, I called Meredith.
“I need you to spy on Jason,” I said the moment she picked up.
“What?”
I need to know if he’s having an affair. And, by the way, I’m pretty sure I am.”
There was a long pause, and then Meredith finally said, “Oh, damn, girl. You’re Brady Bunch-ing it with a hot dad.”
“I’m not, and I shouldn’t be,” I said quickly. “Things are terrible with his daughter. I can’t be a Veronica.”
“Good point. Everyone hates the stepmom. We’ve been programmed since Cinderella,” Meredith said.
She didn’t sound judgmental, but her usual wit felt sharper today, like it might cut me if I wasn’t careful.
“I think Jason is definitely seeing Shannon,” The words caught in my throat. Just saying it aloud made it feel more real, like the second I admitted it, there was no taking it back. “Shebooked a dinner for them, and she sent him a wink emoji. A damn wink emoji.”
“Wow, classy,” Meredith said dryly. “Where’s this restaurant?”
“She didn’t say, but I’m sure you can figure it out.”
