This Easter weekend, my wife did something unprecedented: she told me to take a vacation and booked me a seven-day trip to Northern Europe.

I thought she'd finally learned to appreciate me. Then I overheard her talking to our son.

"Mommy, if you married Uncle Elwin, what about Daddy?"

Freddie Abbott's voice was small, confused.

"It's just a pretend marriage."

Melissa Summers laughed softly. "Be a good boy, Freddie. Remember, it's a secret. Don't tell Daddy, and I'll buy you that toy car you've been wanting."

My head went blank. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, and I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity before turning and heading downstairs to smoke a cigarette.

If she wanted to pick up where she'd left off with Elwin Fox, to mend whatever regret still lingered between them, then I had every right to chase the dreams I'd abandoned.

This trip to Northern Europe would be a one-way ticket.

——

I finished my cigarette and headed back upstairs, only to run into Melissa in the hallway.

She was wearing a red dress. I looked her over, puzzled. "I thought you hated red."

"That was then, this is now. Red's in this season. Besides, I'm going with my girlfriend to try on wedding dresses. I should look festive." The excuses tumbled out of her one after another.

But it hit me all at once. Elwin Fox's favorite color was red. And ever since he'd come back to the States, Melissa's closet had been filling up with red dresses and red handbags.

It had all been right in front of me this whole time.

"Wedding dress shopping? Let me drive you."

I kept my voice even.

"No, no!" She shook her head so fast it was almost comical. "You're a grown man. Why would you tag along for girls' stuff?"

"I'll bring back gifts for you and Freddie when I get home."

She threw her arms around me before I could say another word, then pulled away and hurried off without looking back.

A sharp ache twisted through my chest. I almost called out to her, the word rising to my lips, but in the end I just shook my head.

Everyone thought Melissa and I were the perfect couple, the kind people envied. A power pair in life and in business.

She hadn't looked down on my humble background. She'd married me without hesitation.

I'd worked nearly every day for a decade, pulling Summers Group back from the brink of bankruptcy more times than I could count. People called me a workaholic, a machine. In ten years of building something together, we'd not only had a beautiful son but restored Summers Group to its former glory.

And yet, only now did I realize that Melissa had been carrying Elwin Fox in her heart all along.

I walked through the front door.

"Daddy."

Freddie came running and threw his arms around my leg, holding on tight. "No matter what happens, you'll never leave me and Mommy, right?"

He seemed to sense something. His small face was tight with fear.

The ache in my chest sharpened. I crouched down and smoothed my hand over his hair. "If one day Mommy and Daddy had to be apart," I said quietly, "who would you want to go with?"

Freddie went still. Then his eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry."

I pulled him into my arms. "Let Daddy go make dinner."

Freddie was only eight years old.

Two adults' problems shouldn't be a child's burden.

We could've hired someone to cook, but Freddie and Melissa both loved my cooking. I knew every one of their preferences, every ingredient they avoided. Tonight I made Freddie's favorites: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, meatballs, and egg pancakes.

When Freddie saw the spread on the table, he burst into tears. He looked up at me.

"Daddy."

"You already know about Mommy and Uncle Elwin getting married, don't you?"

"Mommy told me it's just pretend. Daddy, please don't be mad, okay? Mommy loves you."

I let out a quiet sigh and gathered him into my arms.

I knew.

His little head couldn't hold all the tangled complications of the adult world. He simply believed what his mother had told him and hoped, with everything he had, that his parents would stay together.

Unfortunately, the adult world was never that simple.

After dinner, I spotted a new post on Melissa's best friend's Instagram stories and raised an eyebrow.

The wedding dress photos didn't show a face, but the small red birthmark on the woman's neck was unmistakable.

Melissa had the same one.

In another photo, her fingers were laced with a man's, and her ring finger bore the faint indentation of a band.

The watch on the man's wrist was one I recognized.

It belonged to Elwin.

The caption read: "The moon I once missed has come back to light my way again."

Those words were familiar.

I rushed into the study and moved Melissa's laptop aside. Beneath it sat a notebook. The moment I flipped it open, that exact sentence stared back at me from the first page.

Every piece of evidence pointed to the same conclusion: this account didn't belong to some best friend. It was Melissa's own.

"The trip to Northern Europe."

"A fictional friend's wedding and a fake text thread."

"Melissa, the lengths you've gone to lie to me, the schemes you've cooked up for Elwin Fox..."

I muttered the words under my breath, then picked up my phone and typed out a message.

[Save me a spot on the partnership.]

[And have your lawyer draft me a divorce agreement.]

A few months back, my childhood best friend had invited me to join a startup in Northern Europe. Thirty percent equity, no capital required. The other two partners had agreed without hesitation because they valued what I brought to the table.

But I had a wife and a son. Stability was all I wanted, so I kept turning him down.

Not anymore.

Close to midnight, Melissa stumbled through the door, reeking of alcohol. Her hands were empty. No gifts. Her hair clung to her cheeks in damp strands, and the black stockings beneath her red dress were torn in several places.

She looked like a mess.

"Honey, you're still up? Were you waiting for me?" She flashed a coy smile. "You bad man, always wanting to keep me up."

She turned and disappeared into the bathroom without another word.

Before tonight, she would have hugged me first.

The thought settled in my chest like a stone.

Then I heard muffled sobbing and hurried to Freddie's room.

"What's wrong? Bad dream?"

Freddie shook his head. His small finger pointed at the phone screen.

I looked down. Minnie Fox had posted on Instagram stories.

She was sitting at a pink piano, clutching a tablet, beaming from ear to ear. The caption read: [Thank you to the best mommy in the whole world for my limited-edition custom piano!]

"Daddy."

"I saw that piano on Mommy's computer. And the tablet too."

One sentence, thick with hurt, and it nearly broke me.

I finally understood why Freddie was crying.

Melissa always said, "Boys need to be raised tough, or they'll grow up spoiled." So she was strict with Freddie. He'd ask for a toy, and the answer was almost always no. Even this phone was a hand-me-down of mine. I'd sneak him out for fun when I could, and every time Melissa found out, she'd be furious with me.

That was why she'd bribed him with a toy car earlier. To keep him quiet.

And tonight, before she left, she'd promised to bring gifts back for both of us. She came home empty-handed.

Lying to me was one thing.

But how could she lavish another man's daughter with everything her heart desired while being so cold and dishonest with her own son?

"It's okay, buddy."

"Daddy will get it for you."

I soothed Freddie until his eyes finally closed, then walked back to the living room and sank into the couch.

When Melissa came out, I kept my voice level, though every word burned on the way up.

"Didn't you say you were bringing Freddie a gift?"

"Oh, I forgot! Totally slipped my mind."

She let out an awkward laugh and threw herself into my arms. "I'll get him something next time. He's a boy. Boys need to be raised tough, remember?"

She traced her fingers along my chest as she spoke.

There was a time when that kind of teasing would have undone me completely. Now I felt nothing.

"I noticed Minnie gets whatever she wants. Her family just buys it. Today she was sitting on top of a pink piano, hugging a tablet, grinning ear to ear."

I let the sarcasm drip.

Melissa froze for a second, then exploded. She shot to her feet, brow furrowed. "Why do you always have to compare?"

"It's just a gift. What's with the passive-aggressive attitude? Are you picking a fight on purpose?"

"Is it Freddie who wants presents, or is it you?"

I said nothing. I just lifted my gaze and held hers.

The air between us went rigid.

Melissa seemed to lose her nerve. She looked away, and her tone softened considerably.

"Honey, let's not fight. The day after tomorrow is Freddie's birthday. I'll have a big surprise ready for him, I promise."

"Just keep yourself in a good mood these next couple of days and get ready for the seven-day trip to Northern Europe."

I nodded, then excused myself to the study under the pretense of work.

The next day.

At the company-wide meeting, Elwin spoke up out of nowhere. "While Dylan's on vacation these next few days, someone ought to cover his responsibilities, right?"

"I'd like to volunteer."

The corner of his mouth curved upward, his eyes locked on mine, laced with provocation.

Everyone in the room went still, then turned in unison toward Melissa, waiting for her answer.

It was only a seven-day leave. At most, Melissa or a deputy could have handled things.

No one expected Elwin to openly grab for power like that.

It was absurd.

"Do as Elwin says."

Melissa drew a deep breath and turned to me. "Dylan, just enjoy your vacation. Leave the work to Elwin. He's perfectly capable."

Dead silence.

This time every pair of eyes in the room shifted to me.

"Dylan."

"You don't actually think I'm trying to steal your position, do you?"

Elwin's smile widened, his tone even more taunting.

Everyone in that room could smell the gunpowder.

Ten years at Summers Group, and everyone knew I was decisive, ruthless when I needed to be. Not someone to be tested.

Even Melissa looked tense.

But I just smiled. "Sure. I agree."

No one expected me to give up authority that easily. Only Melissa visibly relaxed, a small smile breaking across her face.

Before she could say a word, I stood and walked out.

Melissa chased after me, catching my hand from behind.

"Honey!"

"Just listen to me—"

I turned and cut her off. "Listen to what? That this whole meeting was designed to push me out?"

Forget me. Anyone with eyes could see that Melissa was using me to pave the way for Elwin.

And it had started with the Northern Europe trip.

Her scheming ran deeper than I'd realized.

I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before.

"Honey, let me explain."

Melissa opened her arms and pulled me into a tight embrace, her voice earnest. "Elwin is talented. He can shine here, bring fresh energy to the company."

"I had no other choice. This was the only solution I could think of."

"When you come back, I'll make you vice chairman. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."

Vice chairman?

What a joke.

Since the day Summers Group was founded, there had never been a vice chairman position.

Just like the birthday surprise she kept promising Freddie. Empty words. Nothing but pie in the sky.

"For ten years."

"I've been understanding. I've been accommodating every difficulty you've faced."

I hesitated for a few seconds before letting that slip out, quiet as a sigh.

"That's right! You're the best, honey!"

Melissa actually thought I wasn't angry anymore. She tossed out the compliment, then turned on her heel and walked back into the conference room.

I was packing up my things in the office when Elwin strolled in.