Betrayal

I crouched down, picking up the condom. The condom was still intact, so that meant it hadn’t been used. But why was it here?

I turned it over, staring at the brand name. Andrew and I didn’t use condoms. We hadn’t in years, not since I went on long-term contraception after Kelly was born.

My first instinct was to connect it to Kelly. Maybe she had hidden it here when she didn’t know what to do with it. Teenagers always passed things around as jokes all the time, right? But I immediately shut that down. It literally fell from Andrew’s shirt, and this was our closet. So, it was impossible for it to be Kelly.

“Mom! I’ll be late!” Kelly’s loud voice came.

“In a minute, honey.” I took the condom and put it back in Andrew’s shirt.

Kelly was already inside by now. She took the coat from my arm.

“You’re finally learning how to match colors, Mom.”

Before I could think of an answer, she had already turned and left. My eyes moved to the wardrobe again, then to the bed. Staring at my phone, I wanted to call him and ask him about it. But deep down, I didn’t want to be that person. This morning, I had called him on FaceTime, something I never did. Wouldn’t he think I was beginning to doubt him?

He had loved me all these years, yet I couldn’t trust him and still questioned his character.

I stood there for a while, trying to make sense of everything; the livestream, the woman at the bar, his jacket, the watch, and now this. No! The universe couldn’t be playing a trick on me. Either this was a big misunderstanding or there was a reasonable explanation for this.

…………………………

By noon, I was done with laundry and preparing breakfast when my phone rang. I wiped my hands clean, then took my phone from the counter. Andrew’s name appeared on the screen. I answered immediately.

“Hey, babe. How’re you doing?” His usual sweet voice came from the other end.

I forced myself to smile even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m okay. How’s work?”

He sighed. “Client cancelled. Something came up. Looks like I’ll be here for a few days more.”

I kept quiet. My fingers tightened around my phone. I was trying desperately to keep my cool.

“Hello? Babe? Are you there?”

I sighed heavily. “Andrew?”

“Yes? You don’t sound well. Is everything okay?” he asked softly.

Somehow, I felt guilty for trying to bring this up, but I couldn’t just be quiet. “Andrew, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. What’s wrong?” he asked almost immediately.

“I found something in the closet this morning,” I said, trying to keep my tone free of any hint of accusation.

There was silence on the other end.

I continued anyway. “I found a condom. And I know we don’t use condoms, so I was thinking where it came from.”

“Oh, that?” Andrew chuckled softly. “Sallie, don’t you remember?”

I frowned. “Remember what?”

“The box I bought right before our anniversary trip last year,” he continued gently. “At the time, we were planning that weekend getaway. I had grabbed a pack just in case your prescription ran out. But then everything went sideways. You got your period the morning we left, and we spent the whole trip handling family drama anyway.”

Now that he mentioned it, I suddenly remembered. I recalled the frustration of the timing of my period for that trip, and how we had joked about it on the drive home. He must have taken them out and forgotten it in his pocket. He barely wore that shirt anyway. I breathed a sigh of relief almost immediately.

Then Andrew’s voice came again, but this time it sounded hurt. “Wait, Sallie. You really thought I was sleeping with someone because of that?”

I instantly felt guilty. “No, it’s just… Kelly left a livestream running on her tablet this morning. Then I saw a man and thought it was you. He was wearing your exact type of jacket and your watch. He was even holding a woman, and then I saw the condom, so… I just thought—” I trailed off, realizing I had said too much.

Andrew let out a sigh from the other end. “Babe, I’m in Chicago for a business meeting, and you know that. You literally saw me on FaceTime this morning. Did you actually see the guy’s face?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but decided against it. He was right. I hadn’t seen the man’s face.

“No,” I admitted, my voice dropping into a whisper.

“Thousands of guys wear that jacket, Sallie. And that watch? It’s a popular watch,” he said. I could sense a hint of frustration in his tone. “I know I travel a lot for work, but after fifteen years… do you think I’d risk everything we’ve built for some random woman?”

I bit my lower lip hard. I was wrong for ever doubting him. Andrew was a good husband, a good father, and a good man.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, staring at the floor. “I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

Andrew was quiet for a while, but then he finally spoke. “It’s okay,” he murmured, his voice softening. “You’ve been home alone too much lately with my travel schedule. You’re bound to overthink things. Go get some rest, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, and in that moment, I meant it with everything I had.

Later that evening, I was fixing dinner while Kelly did her homework quietly at the kitchen counter.

“Mom,” Kelly suddenly called.

“Yes,” I answered, still frying the chicken.

“If angle A is equal to angle B, then why do I have to write out three steps just to prove they’re the same size?” she complained, tossing her head back.

I smiled. “Because geometry doesn’t care if it looks obvious, Kelly. You have to show the work.”

She was about to argue when a voice cut through.

“Surprise!”

We both got startled. Andrew was standing at the door, his suitcase beside him. He looked exhausted, his hair a little messy from travel, but he was grinning.

“Dad!” Kelly yelled, instantly running to him and throwing her arms around his neck.

I turned off the gas and walked towards them, smiling. “No hugs for me?”

Andrew pulled me in with his other arm. Kelly finally gave way, and I was able to hug him properly.

“Thought you weren’t supposed to be back for a few days.”

“I caught an earlier flight after our call. I missed you too much to stay back anyway.”

Kelly suddenly cleared her throat, and we both laughed. I took his coat off. It was freezing cold.

“Go take a warm shower. Kelly, help your dad with his bags.”

Kelly nodded, and she and Andrew headed upstairs together. I took the coat to the laundry room. As I searched the pocket, I found his work phone.

I turned it on and it was low, so I took it to charge. Just as I plugged it in and was about to turn, a message popped up.

Did she find out?