“Daddy lives in another house, too,” the boy said, and I realised his “business trips” had been a lie.
“Ive told you a thousand times, Im not wearing that dress!” Emily stomped her foot angrily, arms crossed tight over her chest. “It itches, and the collar is horrible!”
“But darling, we bought it specially for Grans birthday,” Anna replied, keeping her voice steady even as frustration coiled inside her. “Shell be upset if you turn up in jeans.”
“Let her be upset! Im ten years oldIll wear what I want!”
Anna closed her eyes and counted to five. Emilys tantrum was the last thing she needed today. Work had been chaos, then the mad dash through the shops, baking the cake for her mother-in-law. And James, as always, was “away on business” when she needed him most.
“Em, listen” she began, but six-year-old Liam burst into the room, clutching a toy car.
“Mum, look what I drew!” He thrust a crumpled sheet at her. “Its our family!”
Anna glanced at the scribbled figuresherself with a wide smile, Emily with her ponytails, little Liam, and James, drawn twice, on either side of the page.
“Thats lovely, sweetheart,” she said absently. “Why is Daddy there twice?”
“Its not twice,” Liam said, as if explaining the obvious. “Its Daddy in our house and Daddy in the other house where he lives when hes not here.”
A cold shiver ran down Annas spine. She studied the drawing againtwo figures of James, one beside them, the other beside a crude sketch of a house on the opposite side.
“What other house, Liam?” she asked carefully.
“The one with flowers in the window and the cat,” he said with a shrug. “He took me there when you were at work. Its a secret, thoughDaddy said not to tell.”
Emily, forgetting the dress argument, stared wide-eyed before blurting, “Liam, stop making things up! Daddy goes on business trips, not to other houses!”
“Im not! We watched cartoons and had pizza. And Auntie Laura made us hot chocolate.”
“Auntie who?” Anna felt the room tilt slightly.
“Daddys friend. She lives there.” Liam had already lost interest, rolling his car across the floor. “Can I watch cartoons now?”
Anna nodded, unable to speak. Emily looked between her brother and mother, panic creeping into her expression.
“Mum, hes just confused,” she said uncertainly. “Daddy wouldnt”
“Go to your room, Em,” Anna cut in softly. “Forget the dress. Wear whatever you like.”
When Emily left, Anna sank onto the sofa, thoughts spinning, heart pounding. Jamesher James, who always had “urgent meetings” every fortnight? Who brought back souvenirs from “business trips,” spinning tales about different cities?
She remembered the first flicker of suspicion six months ago. The late nights. The sudden increase in trips. Then the café receipt shed found in his pocketdated for when he was supposedly in Manchester. Hed brushed it off: “Got back early, didnt want to wake you.”
Shed believed him. Or forced herself to.
Anna stood and opened the filing cabinet where they kept household paperwork. Bills, mostly handled by Jamesphone, internet, utilities. Her fingers stilled on an unfamiliar invoice. A contract for a flat in Camden. Under the name *James Carter*. Her husbands name.
Her hands trembled. Proof. Stupid to hope Liam had imagined it. Children didnt lie about things like thisthey had no reason to.
Her phone buzzed. A message from James: *Miss you all. Counting the days until Im home. Love you.*
Anna stared at the screen. Should she reply? Call him out now? Or wait, watch him lie to her face when he returned?
She typed a short *Were fine* and set the phone aside.
The next two days passed in a haze. She moved through work, school runs, mealsbut her mind kept circling back to Jamess double life. Liam didnt mention the “other house” again, though Emily watched her with uneasy glances, as if waiting for an explosion.
She sent the children to their grandmothers birthday dinner alone, claiming a migraine. Couldnt bear to sit at that table, smiling as if nothing had happened. Did his mother know? Was she the only one in the dark?
On the third evening, the lock turned. Anna sat at the kitchen table, cold tea untouched in front of her. The children were asleep.
“Home!” James called cheerfully, stepping into the kitchen with a bouquet and suitcase. “God, I missed you.”
He leaned in for a kiss, but Anna pulled back. His smile faltered.
“Whats wrong? You seem off.”
“Liam drew something interesting,” she said, holding his gaze. “Our family. With you in two houses.”
James stilled for a fraction of a second before laughing lightly. “Kids imagine all sorts, you know that.”
“Dont, James,” she said tiredly. “I found the lease for the flat in Camden. Liam told me about Auntie Laura and the cat. Thats a lot of detail for a fantasy, dont you think?”
James set the flowers down slowly and sat opposite her. His face shifteddenial, calculation, then resignation.
“Anna, I can explain.”
“Explain what?” Her voice stayed low, but fury simmered beneath. “That you have another family? That your business trips were just visits to your mistress? That you took our son there?”
“It wasnt like that,” he began, dragging a hand through his hair. “I never meant for you to find out like this.”
“How *did* you mean for me to find out?”
He hesitated. “It started as an affair. Nothing serious. But Laura got pregnant, and”
“*What?*” The floor seemed to drop away. “You have a child with her?”
“Sophies four,” he admitted quietly.
Four years. While Anna had raised their children, cooked his meals, waited for him to come home from “work,” hed been raising another child.
“Why stay with us?” she asked, surprised at how steady her voice was. “Why not leave?”
“I couldnt choose,” he said helplessly. “I love our kids. I love you. But I love them too. Its like two separate worlds.”
“No.” Anna shook her head. “I dont understand how you could lie for years. Look me in the eye and say you missed me when youd just come from *them*.”
“I *did* miss you,” he insisted, reaching for her hand. She jerked away. “Anna, I know how this sounds. But I love you all. I didnt want to lose anyone.”
“And now?” She laughed bitterly. “Now that I know?”
He said nothing. The kitchen clock ticked loudly in the silence.
“I dont know,” he finally whispered. “Whatever I choose, someone gets hurt.”
“You *made* your choice,” Anna stood. “When you decided to live two lives. When you lied. When you took our son to meet her.”
“I didnt mean for him to see Laura,” James said quickly. “It was an accidentI had to pick up paperwork, thought shed be out”
“And thats supposed to make it better?” Anna exhaled sharply. “I wont scream. I wont throw things. The kids are asleep. But I want you to leave. Pack a bag and go. Live your *real* life properly, without hiding.”
“Anna, please”
“No. *You* listen.” Her voice cracked, but she held back the tears. “I didnt deserve this. Our children didnt deserve a father who schedules his time with them like meetings. I want a divorce.”
James flinched as if struck. “You cant just throw away fifteen years!”
“*You* threw them away,” she said quietly. “When you decided one family wasnt enough.”
He looked down, his silence admitting everything. Not remorsejust defeat.
“Can I at least say goodbye to the kids?”
“Theyre asleep.” She shook her head. “Come tomorrow. Talk to them then. But no more lies. They deserve the truth, even if its simplified.”
“What will you tell them?” Fear flickered in his eyes.
“The truth,” she said simply. “That Daddy has another family. Another little girl. That hell visit, but he wont live here anymore.”
“Theyll hate me.”
“Maybe,” Anna said. “But itll be *their* choice. Not something you forced with lies.”
She watched as he packed a bag, numb, until he stood at the door, hesitating.
“Why Liam?” she asked suddenly. “Why take him and not Emily?”
“Hes younger,” James muttered, avoiding her eyes. “Thought he wouldnt remember. Emily wouldve figured it out.”
“She *did* figure it out,” Anna said softly. “She just didnt want to believe it.”
When the door clicked shut, Anna slid to the floor, finally letting the tears come. The pain was sharp, but beneath it, relief. No more pretending. No more waiting for calls that never came.
Morning came with Liam clambering into her bed.
“Mum, wheres Daddy?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her neck. “He was sposed to come home last night.”
“Daddy had to go away, sweetheart,” Anna said, holding him close. “Hell visit soon to talk to you.”
“Was he cross about my drawing?” Liams eyes welled up. “I didnt mean to tell the secret”
“No, love,” she stroked his hair. “You did the right thing. Always tell me the truth, okay?”
Emily appeared in the doorway, taking in the empty room. “Hes really gone?”
“Hell visit,” Anna said gently. “But he wont live with us anymore. He has another family.”
“I knew,” Emily muttered, lip trembling. “I saw a photo on his phone. A woman with a little girl. He said it was his cousin.”
The words stungso Emily had known too, stayed silent to keep the peace.
“Come here,” Anna patted the bed. “No school today. Well stay in, watch films, and Ill make pancakes.”
“But what about?”
“One day wont hurt.” Anna managed a small smile. “I think weve earned it.”
The children curled up on either side of her, and as she held them, something inside her hardened. It would be hardfinancially, emotionallybut shed manage. For them. For herself.
Life didnt end with betrayal. It just began again, differently.
“Mum?” Emily whispered. “Will we be okay without Dad?”
“Of course,” Anna kissed her forehead. “Were a proper family. No secrets.”
Liam, blissfully unaware, chattered about a dream where hed flown on a dragon. Life went onchanged, but still theirs. And for the first time in years, Anna breathed freely, the weight of suspicion gone.
The road ahead would be rough. But here, in this quiet morning with her children close, she knew shed made the right choice. Whatever came next, it would be built on truthnot lies.
