Chapter 2

When I woke up the next day, I realized I had slept for an entire day.

It was already evening outside, and my phone was blowing up with over a dozen missed calls, mostly from my kids.

There were also three texts from Megan, saying she'd come by to grab some clothes and hoped we could talk things out calmly.

I didn't reply. I just got up and went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.

There was still a note from Megan stuck to the fridge. "Don't forget to take your meds. Love you."

I ripped it off, balled it up, and tossed it in the trash.

The doorbell rang.

I hesitated for a second, but ended up opening it anyway.

Megan was at the door, holding a small bag, her face hard to read.

"Can I come in?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual.

I stepped aside and let her in, just keeping my mouth shut.

She glanced around at the house that had been her home for so many years, but now it just felt strange, almost like she didn't belong here anymore.

"Are you okay?" Megan asked softly, her tone careful.

"What do you think?" I replied, my voice chillingly calm.

Megan drew in a long breath. "I know this is cruel to you, but I can't keep it a secret anymore. Samuel and I... we're genuinely in love."

"Genuinely in love, huh?" I gave a cold, bitter laugh. "So why didn't you tell me before? What did you two get up to when Eileen was still alive?"

She looked away for a moment. "We never stepped over the line, I promise. Not until... not until Eileen found out her time was running out. She was the one who brought it up to me first."

"So Eileen knew? She actually supported you two?" The whole thing felt almost comical. "How long have you two been plotting this behind my back?"

Megan lowered her head and said nothing. That silence told me everything.

I headed to the study, grabbed my tablet, and handed it to her. The screen was filled with her messaging app backup.

We'd shared a family cloud account for years. She must have forgotten to turn off the syncing feature.

"Nine years ago on New Year's, you were in a private karaoke room with Samuel, but told me you were out with colleagues," I said, swiping over to a photo. "Three years back, while I was out on business in Uclon, you two were hugging in our living room. Just how many lies have you spun, Megan?"

Her face went pale, her lips trembling. "When… when did you find out?"

"Right after you dropped that bombshell yesterday, I came home and tore through every single record I could find," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Forty years together, and just how many years have you been betraying me? Ten? Twenty? Or even longer?"

Megan dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I swear I never meant for this to happen. But Samuel and I... It's like fate brought us together, we just couldn't fight it..."

Just then, Lucas and Abby came bursting in, and the moment they saw what was happening, they froze.

"Mom!" Abby rushed over, her voice trembling. "How could you do this to Dad?"

Lucas's face darkened with anger. "I can't believe it. You actually cheated on Dad, and with Eileen's husband? How could you be so shameless?"

Megan remained on her knees, sobbing. "You guys just don't understand... Love isn't what you imagine..."

"Enough!" I cut her off. "We need to lay it all out. These photos... They're just the tip of it, right?"

She didn't respond, only kept wiping her tears away.

Lucas suddenly snatched her phone. "Mom, your password's still my birthday, right?"

He unlocked it easily and started scrolling. His expression darkened with every swipe.

"Dad, look at this," he said, handing me the phone. It was a chat between Megan and Samuel. The latest message was from just yesterday. Samuel asked, "How's Bruce holding up? Did he accept it?"

I felt sick to my stomach and flung the phone onto the couch. "So you had this whole thing mapped out from the start, didn't you?"

Megan finally looked up, her eyes full of desperate hope. "Bruce, we've been together for forty years. Haven't I always treated you well? It's just... I've finally found true love. Can you... Can you give us your blessing?"

Abby was shaking with fury. "Mom! Do you even realize what you're saying? You betrayed Dad, you betrayed this whole family, and you seriously expect us to give you our blessing?"

"I want an explanation, Megan," I said, locking eyes with her. "Just how long has this been going on?"