Paige loved her career, even though it required her to stay away from home, where her son Mason and her husband Victor lived. Despite going through many challenges, including painful miscarriages, Paige and Victor managed to keep their marriage strong.
To Paige, Victor was a pillar of support, always there to offer comfort during the difficult times after each miscarriage.
“It’s okay, Paige,” Victor would reassure her. “We’ll have our baby when the time is right. If not, there are other options.”
When they finally welcomed baby Mason into the world, their joy knew no bounds. The successful pregnancy made Mason the center of their world.
“Mason is a lucky kid,” Victor often said. “He is incredibly loved.”
As a chief executive of a brand, Paige traveled frequently for work. This meant leaving her husband and son alone more often than she would have liked. However, she never worried because Victor was a wonderful father to Mason.
“I don’t want a babysitter or a nanny taking care of our son,” Victor insisted.
“If you can handle the days, then the evening shifts are all mine,” Paige would respond.
When Mason turned four and was about to start preschool, Paige arranged with her boss to cut down on her travel so she could be more present in her son’s life.
However, she was away for three days due to meetings, and all she could think about was returning home to hug her son. After landing at the airport, she rushed straight home.
The house was silent when she got inside, but she heard her husband’s voice coming from upstairs.
“Buddy, you’ve got to promise me one thing, okay?”
“Okay,” Mason replied, “What is it?”
“You’ve got to promise me that you won’t tell Mom what you saw.”
“But I don’t like secrets,” Mason protested. “Why can’t I tell Mommy?”
“It’s not a secret, Mason,” Victor explained. “But if we tell Mommy, it’s going to make her sad. Do you want Mommy to be sad, buddy?”
“No, I don’t,” Mason sighed.
In shock, Paige slowly went downstairs and called out, “Mason! Victor! Mom’s home!”
“We’re in here,” Victor shouted back from upstairs. As Paige went upstairs again, she saw Mason playing with his toys and Victor sitting on Mason’s bed.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing, honey,” Victor replied with a wink. “Just a boys’ chat. Welcome home.”
Victor then stood up, kissed Paige, and said, “Got to get back to work.”
Paige tried to stay calm despite her unease at what she had overheard. She kept thinking about what her husband didn’t want Mason to tell her, fearing that it would make her “sad.”
While she was away on her business trip, Paige asked Victor to send pictures of Mason. In one of the pictures, she noticed a pair of blue shoes in the background that didn’t belong to anyone in their house.
She felt uneasy but tried to rationalize it, thinking, “Maybe a nanny with expensive shoes.”
When she returned home, she found Mason sleeping alone. She gently woke him up and kissed him. “Hi, baby,” she greeted him.
She then heard noises coming from their bedroom. “Dad’s not downstairs?” she asked.
“Mommy, don’t go in there. You’ll be sad,” Mason cautioned as he tried to stop her.
Ignoring her son’s warning, Paige barged into the bedroom and found her husband with another woman in their bed.
“Paige!” Victor was shocked. “It’s not what you think!”
“Do I look that stupid?” Paige retorted as the woman fled to the bathroom.
“I have nothing else to say to you,” Paige said firmly.
“What did you expect, Paige?” Victor replied. “You’re never here. You’re always away. And when you’re home, you spend all your time on Mason or working. What about me?”
“I need human contact too,” he continued. “And I don’t know what you get up to while you’re flying all over the country. I bet you’ve got stories too.”
“No, Victor,” Paige responded calmly. “I’m not you. My vows meant something to me.”
