Behind the Veil

It was in our bedroom that I first found out about Nathaniel Foster's affair. My anger got the better of me, and I demanded a divorce right away.

Nathaniel broke down into tears and claimed it was a drunken mistake. He went down on his knees, begging for my forgiveness. He cried, "I'll jump off this building if we get a divorce!"

I relented, and things went on like this for five years. He was the sweetest, gentlest husband ever since that day. It was as if he was trying to pretend that night never happened, like I'd never noticed his infidelity. Everyone told me Nathaniel could throw his life away for me.

Then, his mother's 60th birthday came. She blurted, "Where's your son, Nathaniel? I'd like to see him."

That stunned me, but then I thought she'd gotten the date wrong. So, I smiled. "Melanie, the delivery date's in two months."

Melanie shot me a calm look. She muttered under her breath, "Ah, so you still don't know about the boy."

Something squeezed my heart, and my eyes darted to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel put his silverware down. "I have a five-year-old son." He spoke as if he'd just listed out his grocery list for next Tuesday.

The Affair Child

A chicken drumstick fell out of my hands. My mind was buzzing, while the world around me melted away into indistinct blurs. "What?" The word escaped my mouth, shaking.

"Helen got pregnant that night five years ago," answered Nathaniel. He didn't hide the truth. In fact, he seemed relieved that he was finally confessing the truth. "It's been hard, keeping this a secret for five years."

That threw me off, and I looked to Melanie for reassurance. "Is this a prank, Melanie? Are you in on this? It's a joke, isn't it? A prank?"

Melanie took another sip out of her cup but said nothing back to me. My heart sank.

Nathaniel continued, "It's not a joke. When we found out, the doctor told us that an abortion would hurt Helen. A life was at stake here. I couldn't make her go through it."

The mention of the child softened Nathaniel's expression. I put my hand on my swollen belly. I was in my third trimester, eight months along. The delivery date was due soon.

"You should thank God I didn't ask you to terminate your baby, or we'd never have our own child."

The truth was hard to accept, but Nathaniel and his mother's calm indifference told me this wasn't a lie. That answered why he had to go on a six-month work trip.

He video-called me every day while he was out, using that as a cover so he could take care of his mistress and their love child. For five years, he would go on a work trip one week every month to spend time with his other family.

I stupidly believed he was being a good and hardworking husband. Now, the truth pulled a bitter smile across