“I’m confused. Why is Cassidy in the background?”
I immediately sent her a message.
“Who is Cassidy?”
My phone rang less than a minute later.
“Natalie,” Denise said quietly, “I’m so sorry. I honestly thought you already knew.”
“Knew what?”
There was a long pause.
“Cassidy has been coming to family gatherings for months.”
I gripped the edge of the table.
“What family gatherings?”
“Your mother-in-law’s birthday dinner. The June barbecue. Several Sunday lunches.”
My stomach turned.
Jake had always told me those lunches were just his mother and a few church friends.
Since I usually worked Saturdays, he’d insisted I stay home and relax.
“Why was Cassidy there?”
“Jake introduced her as someone from work,” Denise replied. “Your mother-in-law kept telling everyone you already knew her.”
Paige watched my expression change.
“What happened?” she whispered.
I covered the phone for a second.
“They all thought I knew.”
Denise continued.
“I never questioned it because your mother-in-law sounded so convincing.”
I swallowed hard.
“Was Cassidy on our vacation?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Denise admitted. “But I do know your mother-in-law was.”
I sat upright.
“What?”
“I saw one of her own pictures online a few days ago. She was standing beside your hotel pool. The photo disappeared later, so I assumed you’d all traveled together.”
Everything clicked into place.
The balcony picture.
The photos of me sleeping.
The private moments.
His mother hadn’t simply received our vacation photos.
She’d been there taking many of them herself.
After thanking Denise, I ended the call.
Paige stared at me.
“His mother stayed at the same resort?”
I nodded.
“Apparently.”
Before either of us could say another word, my phone rang again.
This time, it was Jake.
I answered and placed him on speaker.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“With Paige.”
“We need to talk.”
“Then talk.”
“Not over the phone.”
I looked at Paige.
“You can meet us at your mother’s house in an hour.”
Silence.
Finally, he sighed.
“Natalie… it isn’t what you think.”
“One hour.”
I ended the call.
Jake’s car was already in the driveway when we arrived.
His mother opened the front door before we reached it.
“Sweetheart,” she began.
“Don’t call me sweetheart.”
Her smile faded.
Jake stood waiting in the living room.
His mother looked at Paige.
“This is a private family matter.”
Paige folded her arms.
“You made it public when you posted those pictures.”
No one argued.
I placed my phone on the coffee table.
“I want the truth. Who’s Cassidy?”
Jake rubbed his forehead.
“Cassidy was a workmate.”
“And she was at our vacation?” I asked, trying to stop my tears from falling.
He stared at the floor. “She came for 2 days.”
“And your mother?”
“I was there,” his mother answered.
“You booked a room at our hotel?”
She nodded.
“I thought I was helping.”
“Helping who?”
“Jake.”
The room fell silent.
She took a shaky breath.
“Jake and Cassidy became involved months earlier, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t find out.”
Paige looked at Jake with disbelief.
“You’re having an affair?”
He nodded.
“It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?” I asked quietly. “She attended family dinners.”
“I ended it before the trip.”
“Then why was she there?”
His mother answered before he could. “She wanted closure.”
I laughed once.
The sound surprised even me.
“So you invited your son’s girlfriend to the same resort where he was vacationing with his wife?”
“I thought one final conversation would let everyone move on.”
“You let me sleep a few doors away while he met another woman.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I know.”
I looked directly at her.
“The photos of me sleeping…”
“I took them.”
“The balcony picture?”
“Me.”
“Why?”
She lowered her head.
“Because Cassidy threatened to tell you about the affair.”
Everything finally made sense.
The Facebook album.
The carefully chosen happy moments.
Posting them before we’d even landed.
“You weren’t sharing vacation memories,” I said.
“You were trying to convince everyone we had the perfect marriage before the truth came out.”
She didn’t deny it.
Jake finally spoke.
“I never asked her to post those pictures.”
“But you let her.”
He had no answer.
His mother whispered, “I thought if Cassidy saw how happy you looked together, she’d walk away.”
Paige shook her head.
