“Yes.”
“Were you planning to tell me?”
He looked away.
“Eventually.”
I leaned back.
“Eventually?”
“I was trying to find the right moment.”
“Before or after she gave birth?”
He didn’t answer.
I took the bank statements from beside me and pushed them across the table.
His face changed.
“What is this?”
“You tell me.”
He looked through the pages.
I watched him recognize the transactions.
“Hotels. Restaurants. Jewelry. Transfers. More than eleven thousand dollars, Tucker.”
He remained silent.
“How much of our savings did you spend on your relationship with Emily?”
“I was going to replace the money.”
“With what?”
“My bonus.”
“You haven’t received a bonus.”
“I know.”
I stared at him.
He had gambled with our savings while hoping a promotion would eventually cover what he’d spent.
Then Tucker said something that made the entire situation worse.
“Mom kept telling me I needed to choose the right time to tell you.”
I went still.
“Your mother?” TrackPregnancy
He closed his eyes.
“Lauren…”
“Your mother knows about Emily?”
He nodded.
“Since Christmas.”
Christmas.
I remembered Christmas perfectly.
His mother, Diane, had hugged me beside her beautifully decorated tree.
She had asked when Tucker and I were planning to have children.
She’d smiled while I awkwardly explained that we weren’t ready yet.
All that time, she’d known another woman was pregnant with her son’s baby.
I picked up my phone.
Tucker looked alarmed.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling your mother.”
“Lauren, please don’t.”
But I had already pressed her number.
Diane answered in her usual cheerful voice.
“Lauren, sweetheart! Is everything okay?”
I didn’t bother with small talk.
“Did you know about Emily?”
Silence.
“Diane?”
“Tucker should really be the one discussing this with you.”
My chest tightened.
“So you knew.”
She sighed.
“I knew he’d become involved with someone.”
“Did you know she was pregnant?”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
“You knew all of this, and at Christmas you still asked me when I was planning to give you grandchildren?”
“Lauren, I didn’t want to interfere in your marriage.”
“But you were comfortable watching me believe a lie?”
“I hoped Tucker would work things out.”
“By doing what? Keeping two women in the dark?”
She sounded offended.
“Please don’t let your anger destroy the entire family.”
I couldn’t believe her.
“Your son made his choices. You helped him hide them.”
I ended the call.
Tucker looked miserable.
“She was only trying to help.”
I stared at him.
“No, Tucker. She was helping you keep your secret.”
That evening, I asked him to leave.
He packed a small bag and went to stay with Diane.
The blue folder remained on our dining table.
The following morning, I received a message from someone I hadn’t expected to hear from.
Emily.
She had found me through social media.
*Lauren, I know I have no right to ask you for anything. But I’d like to apologize in person. I genuinely didn’t know he was married.*
I stared at the message for several minutes.
Then I agreed to meet her.
We chose a quiet café with outdoor seating.
Emily was already there when I arrived.
Up close, she looked younger than I’d imagined.
Maybe twenty-seven.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Before I even sat down, she spoke.
“I’m so sorry.”
I pulled out the chair opposite her.
“You didn’t know?”
She shook her head.
“No. He told me his marriage ended two years ago.”
I studied her expression.
She looked devastated.
