My parents arrived next. Kevin poured the cider and my mom pulled me aside.
“You sure you’re up for this, Leigh?” she asked. “You look so tired, love.”
“I am tired, Mom,” I admitted.
“But I wanted tonight to feel like… something normal. Just for a little while.”
“You’re a good mom, Leigh,” she said, resting her hand on my arm.
“And you’re doing more than most could, especially with an ill husband to care for.”
Something in her voice trembled, and I wondered, just for a moment, if she’d already started to guess.
We ate in a slow rhythm, passing dishes between bites of casual conversation. The talk drifted from cold season remedies to how outrageously expensive diapers had become.
Kelsey laughed too loudly at my stepdad’s stories, the kind of laugh that tries too hard to belong. Derek barely spoke.
He sipped his wine with his eyes down, nodding when someone addressed him directly.
My mother, across the table, kept shifting her gaze between the two of them. Her smile had faded.
“Is Derek okay?” she asked at one point. “He’s so quiet tonight.”
“He’s still recovering, Mom,” I said politely.
“It’s been a long few days.”
She nodded but didn’t look convinced.
When the dessert plates were finally cleared and the twins still hadn’t stirred upstairs, I rose from my seat, glass in hand.
“I want to say something,” I said, holding the stem of my glass a little tighter than I meant to.
Derek turned slightly, his posture stiffening.
“To family,” my mother chimed in quickly, trying to inject warmth into the room.
“Yes, to family,” I said. “And to the truth.”
The air shifted, subtle but undeniable.
“These past few days have taught me a lot,” I began. “Like how fast a virus can disrupt a home.
Especially when your babies aren’t old enough to be vaccinated. Especially when it’s brought in by someone you trust.”
“Is this about Derek being sick?” my stepdad asked. “We’re glad you’re okay, buddy.”
“My husband came back from his work trip with chickenpox,” I said, turning to Derek.
Then to Kelsey.
“And my stepsister came back from her girls’ trip with the exact same thing.”
Kelsey set her fork down slowly.
Her expression faltered.
I stepped closer to the table, letting my voice stay calm.
“So, someone please help me understand how two people on two different trips caught the same illness at the same time, unless those trips weren’t so separate after all.”
“Leigh, not here,” Derek said, exhaling hard. “Can we not do this in front of everyone?”
I took out my phone and placed it gently on the table. I unlocked the screen and slid the phone toward my parents.
My mother blinked as she took it.
Then her mouth opened slightly, stunned silent by the images on display. I’d sent them to myself that night, when I’d sat in the laundry room by myself.
My stepdad picked the phone up next. His jaw clenched.
“Put that away!” Derek said, looking over Kevin’s shoulder.
“That’s private!”
“You cheated,” I said, my voice unwavering. “You risked our children and lied while I took care of you.”
Kelsey stood, tears already forming.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen, Leigh,” she said.
“I can’t believe this,” my mother said. “I think you need to leave, Kelsey.”
“Mom, please…” Kelsey began.
“No, my girl.
You have some soul searching to do. And this isn’t the place for it,” Mom said.
Kelsey fled the room and Derek moved to follow her.
“Yes, you should go,” I said. “But let me know where to send the divorce papers.”
“If you ever come near Leigh or those babies again, you’ll have me to answer to, Derek.
Do you understand?” my stepdad boomed.
Derek froze. He looked around the room, as if waiting for someone to defend him.
No one did.
And just like that, he left.
The silence he left behind felt like the first breath of fresh air I’d had in weeks.
The next morning, I deep cleaned the house and finally brought the twins into the living room. Even they seemed more settled after Derek had left.
But since the night before, Derek had been blowing up my phone.
He texted, begging to come back. He blamed work stress, the stress of two newborn babies, and having to provide while I was still on maternity leave.
He asked for another chance.
I just sent one text back:
“You risked our children’s lives, Derek. Everything you’ve done is unforgivable.
Do not contact me unless it’s through a lawyer.”
And that’s what I want you to understand.
Sometimes, the thing that almost shatters you, the lie, the affair, the virus, is the thing that finally sets you free.
Derek was the one who brought a virus into our home, and it turns out that I’m the one who has to heal from it.
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