Sandra laughed heartily and loudly as Janet recounted her foster son’s laundry mishap. But she quieted down at the disapproving glances from other patrons in the upmarket Mexican restaurant where she was dining with her best friend.

“The things we do for children,” Janet smiled. “You and Mark should consider fostering. It’s fulfilling.”

Sandra sighed, poking at the lime wedge accompanying her serving of Carnitas. She harbored doubts about bonding with a foster child, and her heart ached from the knowledge that she and Mark couldn’t have their own children.

“Isn’t that Mark over there?” Janet suddenly said, distracting her.

Sandra slid down toward the end of the horseshoe-shaped booth so she could peer past the lush, potted plants that towered above their table.

“He might be here on business. I know he sometimes brings clients here for lunch.”

“There, Sandra, just past the huge chiminea,” Janet said helpfully.

Sandra grinned when she spotted her husband weaving through the tables positioned around the chiminea in the central part of the dining room. She was about to wave at him to get his attention when he slid into the booth behind them.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting, sweetheart,” Mark said as he smiled tenderly at a beautiful young woman before he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Sandra’s heart raced. Janet moved beside her, offering a low-voiced comment. “I’m not sure that’s a business meeting, sweetie.”

Tears welled up in Sandra’s eyes. Despite twenty years of marriage, her husband was having an… affair?

“But maybe I’m wrong,” Janet continued in a falsely cheerful whisper. “I mean, I’ve often had to flirt a little with prospective clients to get them to loosen up. Maybe Mark’s doing the same thing.”

“No, I think we both know what’s going on over there, Janet,” Sandra hissed. She snapped up her fork and rose. “I’m going to go over there, tell him what a jerk he is, and stick this fork right in his—”

“Woah!” Janet put her hands on Sandra’s elbows and pulled her back down into the booth. “You can’t just rush over there and assault him, Sandy. Yes, this looks incredibly shady, but there might still be a reasonable explanation.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Sandra said, calming down.

Eventually, she and Janet hid behind a small palm tree’s stems so they’d have a clear view of Mark and his… female companion. They watched as Mark and the woman whispered and sat closer, his arm around her.

Mark glanced around the restaurant sheepishly before raising his menu like a shield, completely hiding both his and the woman’s faces. Sandra’s imagination ran wild with awful images of them kissing behind the menu.

When the waiter arrived, Mark lowered the menu to order drinks and playfully stole a bite of the woman’s appetizer.

“There could be an innocent explanation,” Janet whispered. “Maybe it’s Amy, his boss’s daughter?”

“Maybe. But if he’s cheating…” Sandra’s heart sank at the thought.

“We’ll get evidence first,” Janet said firmly. “And if he is, I’ve got great divorce lawyers.”

As they pondered their next steps, a waitress approached, inquiring if something was bothering them. Sandra pointed towards Mark’s table, asking the waitress about the couple.

“They’ve been here often,” the waitress replied.

“Are they always that cozy with each other?” Sandra asked.

“I’m sorry, but is there a reason you’re so curious about that table?”

“No, it’s just that I’m sure I’ve seen that man buying clothing for a totally different woman,” Janet cut in. “My friend and I were just debating whether we should post a picture of him on our socials in case he’s cheating.”

The waitress briskly shook her head. “Sorry ladies, but management would have a fit if this restaurant was associated with something so scandalous. If I see either of you snapping photos of anything other than the food, I’ll have to alert my manager.”

“Well, we certainly wouldn’t want to get into any trouble.” Janet smiled brightly and gestured to the remains of their dinner. “Could you please bring us the bill and box this up to go? We have to leave.”

***

The next day, Sandra, following a plan devised with Janet, brought Mark’s lunch to work, aiming to spot Amy. Upon entering Mark’s office, she froze, seeing the same woman from the restaurant beside him.

“Sandy!” Mark exclaimed, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought lunch,” Sandra replied, approaching the woman. “Hello, I’m guessing we haven’t met before. I’m Sandra, Mark’s wife.”

“You’re Sandra?” The woman’s face lit up, and she enthusiastically shook Sandra’s hand. “Mark’s told me so much about you. I’m Eliza, Mark’s—”

“Secretary!” Mark rushed up to join them. “Eliza is my secretary. We were just working on the presentation for this evening’s launch event.”

“You look familiar… do I know you from somewhere, Eliza?” Sandra asked.

Eliza averted her gaze and shook her head. “No, Mrs. Baker, I don’t think so. I’ve only been working here for a month.”

Sandra looked at Mark suspiciously. “I’m sure you never mentioned that your previous secretary had left!”

“Nina was promoted to work with Mr. Davies after his secretary retired. Eliza here is Nina’s replacement. She’s really great at admin and has a real knack for the creative side of things, too.”

“You should be singing her praises to Davies, not me,” Sandra said, turning to look at Eliza. “These are exquisite,” she added, referring to Eliza’s earrings.

“They were a gift from my fa-father,” explained the young girl.

“Wow, did you bring this all the way down here just for me?” Mark interjected, admiring the lunch as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “Thanks for this, honey. But Eliza and I already ate.”

“I hope you avoided all the high sodium and sugary foods,” Sandra said, her eyes fixed on the takeout containers in the dustbin. “Anyway, some hungry interns will appreciate the homemade food.”

“I’ll take it to the break room and let them know it’s there,” Eliza said and scurried away with the lunch box.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Mark?” Sandra asked when Eliza was gone.

“I really don’t know what you’re getting at, honey,” he replied innocently.

“What time should I be ready for tonight’s launch?” Sandra asked, changing the topic.

“Oh, uh, are you sure you want to come? It’s not going to be very exciting.”

Sandra sighed and forced a smile. “Thank you, honey! I’d much rather curl up in front of the TV and catch up on the latest episodes of my favorite series.”

Mark grinned. There was obvious relief in Mark’s smile now. He kissed Sandra on the cheek, told her he’d probably go straight to the launch after work, and asked her not to wait up for him.

Sandra left the office, knowing Mark was definitely hiding something from her.

Sandra parked her sedan in her minimalist home’s garage and entered her home.

“You’re back!” Janet appeared, descending the stairs. “How did it go?”

“The girl with Mark is his secretary. They looked cozy,” Sandra replied, troubled.

Janet frowned and shared more bad news, showing Sandra a receipt for a custom-made pair of daisy-shaped diamond earrings. “Don’t ask me how I got this.”

“Oh my God.” Sandra put a hand to her mouth. “This is for the earrings Eliza was wearing! She looked me right in the eye and told me those earrings were from her father!” Sandra crumpled the receipt into a ball and threw it down the hallway. “That brazen little witch!”

“We’ll confront him at his presentation tonight,” Sandra suggested.

Janet arched her eyebrows .”Are you sure you want to do this at a work function?”

“It seems fitting since he’s banging his secretary!” Sandra snapped. “How could he do this to me?” Sandra started crying suddenly. “Janet, tell me the truth: Did I do something to chase Mark away? Or should I have put more effort into my appearance? Maybe if I had Botox or gave the girls a lift.” She placed her hands beneath her breasts and pushed them upwards.

“It’s not you, Sandy. It’s him,” Janet said, emphasizing that the betrayal wasn’t Sandra’s fault.

That evening, at the conference center, Sandra and Janet, dressed in gowns, noticed a strict security guard at the front entrance. They needed a covert entry.

Circling the building, they found an emergency exit, but it was locked. Sandra suggested breaking in, but Janet refused, citing legal risks.

“I’ll distract the guard,” Janet finally offered.

The security cameras on the front of the building all pointed outwards, so Sandra hugged the wall as she snuck around to the front. Once she was close to the entrance, she glanced back at Janet and gave her a thumbs-up.

Janet pressed her hands together as though praying, and then she hobbled toward the entrance with her strappy shoes dangling from her fingers.

“Excuse me,” Janet said with an emotional quiver in her voice. “Do you perhaps have some glue? My heels broke, and I’ve hurt my ankle, and…and…”

As Janet distracted the guard with a wail, Sandra kept going. Suddenly, Janet cried, “I just need to borrow it!” and took off in the other direction, clutching the guard’s baton, her dress hitched up. The guard chased after her.

Seizing the moment, Sandra slipped through the door and into the foyer. Inside, Mark’s launch event was underway.

Sandra paused and watched as Mark and Eliza went up to the podium. She was determined to wait it out and confront Mark after the presentation until she saw Eliza softly run her hand over Mark’s shoulder and smile warmly at him.

Furious, Sandra marched across the room, snatched a champagne flute, and hurled it at Mark. “You dirty, cheating rat! How long have you been sleeping with your secretary!?” she accused loudly.

Flustered, Mark covered the mic and begged to explain later. But Sandra revealed everything she’d discovered – the earrings, Mark’s secret meeting with Eliza, everything!

Amidst the chaos, an investor expressed her disgust and pulled out from investing. In retaliation, Mr. Davies fired Mark, hoping to get the investor back. But it was too late. People began leaving the event.

Mark desperately tried to explain himself to Sandra, but she’d had enough and began to walk away.

Suddenly, Mark’s voice halted her. “She’s my daughter! Eliza isn’t my mistress, Sandra. She’s my daughter!”

Shocked, Sandra stopped and turned around. She noticed the resemblance between Mark and Eliza, understanding the truth.

“Please, Sandy,” Mark pleaded, explaining he only recently found out about Eliza. “It happened in college. There was a party at the frat house, and there was this girl… I barely remember anything about it, and I didn’t know about Eliza at all until she showed up at our doorstep six months ago—”

“Six months?” Sandra exclaimed, outraged.

Mark lowered his head in embarrassment. “I was in shock. And I was afraid you’d be hurt to find out I had a child with someone else after we tried so hard to have one of our own.”

Sandra’s anger shifted as she saw Eliza sobbing in a chair. “No, Mark, you were a coward,” Sandra said. “What you’ve put me through is bad enough, but the way you’ve treated your child is inexcusable.”

Ignoring Mark, Sandra approached Eliza.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Baker,” Eliza sniffed and averted her gaze. “I never meant to hurt you or give you a reason to think… to think…I just wanted an opportunity to get to know my father. I never thought it would turn out like this. I begged him to tell you.”

“None of this is your fault, Eliza. You did nothing wrong.” Sandra embraced Eliza, who returned the hug with heartfelt sobs.

“There, there,” Sandra soothed, stroking Eliza’s hair.

“There are no more secrets now, and everything’s going to be okay,” she added, hoping she’d be able to make things right for at least Eliza.

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If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a man who cheats on his wife, not knowing his affair partner is, in fact, his mother-in-law.

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