There he was: unshaven, in jeans and sneakers, cradling stuffed animals and bags of groceries. When I called to test him, he lied with practiced ease, saying he was stuck in a board meeting. That lie was my last straw. The next day, I followed the Mustang through winding roads and unfamiliar streets, and what I found left me breathless.

He parked in front of a modest little house. A woman answered his knock—young, tired-looking, holding a toddler on her hip. Then he kissed her. My knees gave out. That child? His. That woman? His fiancée of five years. I had been his wife for ten. Henry hadn’t just cheated—he’d lived a full second life behind my back, with a home, a family, a future that never included me.

I stormed in, heart racing, and everything unraveled. Brenda—his other woman—was as blindsided as I was. She thought he worked night shifts. I thought he was loyal. He was neither. I filed for divorce that week. Three months later, Brenda and I talk. Our kids know the truth. Henry now plays father to all his children, and I’ve finally reclaimed what he tried to take: my peace. I no longer wait for some fairytale ending. I’m writing my own, with love that’s honest—starting with myself.