Still, doubts lingered. Then one day, I came home early and saw them standing close on Lauren’s porch—David holding her in a way that shattered my trust. He was cheating.

The next day, I took cookies to Lauren’s house, pretending to be friendly. That’s when I saw a little boy, Max, with dark hair and brown eyes—exactly like David. My heart sank. Could Max be David’s son?

Lauren invited us to Max’s birthday party, and I saw this as my chance to confront them. I planned to catch them off guard.

On the day of the party, I arranged for a trash truck to dump garbage on Lauren’s lawn to make my accusation public. When it happened, I confronted David, accusing him of cheating. But then, I saw a cake on the table that said, “Happy Anniversary, Sarah.”

David had been planning a surprise anniversary celebration, and Lauren had been helping him. I had misjudged everything.

Devastated, I fled, staying in a motel for a couple of days. But then Lauren found me at my favorite café and explained everything—David wasn’t cheating; he was helping her escape an abusive ex-husband. Max was her son, not his.

Realizing how wrong I’d been, I met David outside the café. We hugged, and Lauren suggested we all go for ice cream. Max was excited, and for the first time in days, everything felt right again.