“You raised me not to tolerate people treating me badly.”
“I know.”
“And now you’re telling me to go back to a man who’s cheating on me?”
Dad exhaled slowly.
Then he said something even worse.
“I cheated on your mother when she was pregnant with you.”
The room went completely silent.
Part 3 — The Father I Thought I Knew
For several seconds, I honestly thought I had misunderstood him.
“You what?”
Dad didn’t look at me.
“I cheated on your mom.”
My mouth went dry.
“While she was pregnant?”
He nodded.
I stared at him.
My father.
The man who brought my mother coffee every morning.
The man who still reached for her hand when they crossed busy streets.
The man who remembered their anniversary without needing a calendar reminder.
The man I had measured other husbands against.
“You cheated on Mom?”
“Yes.”
“Does she know?”
Another pause.
