A Woman Let Her 11-Year-Old Son Walk Home from School Alone for the First Time – Twenty Minutes Later, Her Neighbor Called Her Crying, ‘Come Outside. You Need to See What Your Son Did’ – Page 7

“Were you having an affair with him?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Then why are you running?”

“I’m not running!”

Then explain Nathan’s watch.

“Then tell me the truth.”

Her expression hardened.

“Your husband wasn’t worth the trouble he caused.”

She disappeared inside.

Whatever Ivy was hiding, she was willing to leave town rather than tell me.

Tell me the truth.

***

That afternoon, I received a text from an unfamiliar number.

Unknown: My mother told me what happened. We should talk.

Me: Who is this?

Unknown: Vanessa. Nathan’s wife.

I read it three times.

She was willing to leave town rather than tell me.

Then I called.

“His what?”

A woman sighed. “His wife. Well, technically we’re separated.”

“Who are you?”

“Ivy’s daughter.”

Vanessa. Nathan’s wife.

I sat down.

I’d spent five years wondering if Nathan had left me for another woman. Now I know the answer.

But I was about to discover that his affair was the least shocking part of the story.