Alice’s son has always been a happy child, but lately he’s been shrinking whenever her new husband, Sam, enters the room. At first, she didn’t think much of it. But then her son said something about Sam that made her shiver.
Being a single mother was never part of my plans.
When I married my first husband, Daniel, I dreamed of building a life with him and raising our child in a loving home.
But fate had other ideas.
A woman standing in her house | Source: Midjourney
Jeremy was just a few weeks old when I woke up one morning and found Daniel was gone.
At first I thought he had gone for a walk or gone out for coffee. But then I noticed his closet was empty and his suitcase was gone.
His toothbrush was also missing.
I panicked and immediately called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail.
Then I called his best friend, Chris.
A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels
“Hey, Chris, have you heard from Daniel? He’s not home.”
Silence. Then a sigh.
“Alice, I… I think you should sit down before I tell you what’s going on.”
That’s when I learned the truth.
Daniel hadn’t just left me. He’d run off to another country with another woman.
A woman he had been seeing behind my back for months.
I spent weeks in a daze after learning where my husband was. I was unable to eat, sleep or function properly.
And the worst part was that I blamed myself for everything. Wasn’t I enough? Did I do something wrong? Why did he leave us like this?
A woman looking out her bedroom window | Source: Midjourney
But when I finally found the courage to face the truth, I realized it had nothing to do with me. It was him who was selfish. It was him who betrayed our family.
And I refused to let his betrayal define me.
I quickly threw myself into work, determined to give Jeremy the best life possible. My mother took care of Jeremy while I juggled my job.
Slowly the pain faded and I began to find happiness in the little moments. I found myself laughing at Jeremy’s laughter and loving the way he called me “mommy.”
Over time, I realized that we were doing very well.
Then I met Sam.
A man standing outside | Source: Midjourney
It was a busy afternoon at my favorite coffee shop. Jeremy was at daycare and I had just finished a long morning of work.
I reached into my bag to pay, but realized my card didn’t work.
“Oh, come on,” I mumbled, trying again.
Still nothing.
The cashier gave me a polite but tired look, and I felt the heat of embarrassment creep up my neck. As I was about to put my coffee down, a deep voice spoke up behind me.
“Let me sort this out.”
A woman holding a cup of coffee | Source: Pexels
I turned around to see a tall man with warm brown eyes. He took out his card and tapped it against the machine.
“Oh no, you don’t have to…”
“Really, it’s good,” he said with a charming smile. “It’s just a coffee.”
I hesitated before sighing. “Okay. But give me your number so I can reimburse you.”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
That’s how it all started. A simple act of kindness. A number exchanged. A text here and there.
A man using his phone | Source: Pexels
Over time, I learned that Sam was an insurance broker. He was two years older than me and didn’t mind me being the mother of a little boy.
I still remember the day I told him about Jeremy.
“Alice, that’s wonderful!” he said happily. “I love children.”
For the first time in years, I felt hope blossom inside me. Maybe love wasn’t out of the question after all.
We dated for a year before we got married, and Sam was everything I could have asked for. He was attentive and patient and never made me feel like I was “in the way.”
A couple holding hands | Source: Pexels
The best part was that Jeremy bonded with him instantly, chuckling at his silly jokes and reaching out to shake his hand every time we walked together.
That’s when I let my guard down for the first time in a long time. That’s when I thought we were finally a family.
But then… my life took an unexpected turn. I never thought I would have such an experience.
A woman looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
It all started the day my mother took me aside. She had a worried look on her face.
“Alice,” she began in a hushed tone. “Can’t you see he’s always complaining in front of Sam?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You just have to watch him. Every time Sam is around, Jeremy looks different.”
At first I thought my mother was being overprotective. She had always been wary of men after what Daniel had done to me.
But later that evening, I started to pay attention.
A boy sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
Jeremy was always so happy when we were together. He laughed, played, and chatted endlessly about his day at daycare. But as soon as Sam entered the room, something changed.
His shoulders would stiffen, his voice would quieten, and sometimes he would start crying for no apparent reason.
This made me realize that I needed to talk to Sam about it.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” I said to him later that evening.
He looked up from his phone. “Sure.”
“Have you noticed how Jeremy acts around you?”
“What do you mean?”
A man sitting in his room | Source: Midjourney
I hesitated. “He… he gets quiet. Sometimes he even cries.”
“Alice, I love this child,” he said. “I treat him as if he were my own. Why would he want to…”
“I know,” I interrupted, unsure if I had offended him. “I just… don’t know.”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Maybe he’s adjusting. This is a big change for him, isn’t it? A new father figure. It’s a lot for a five-year-old.”
I nodded, wanting to believe him. He sounded so sincere. But deep down, something didn’t add up.
A woman looking away while talking to her husband | Source: Midjourney
A few days later, I picked Jeremy up from daycare, and on the way home, we stopped for ice cream. He sat on the bench next to me, licking his cone.
“Hey, boy,” I said kindly. “Can I ask you something?”
He nodded as he savored his ice cream.
“Why do you get upset around Sam?”
His smile faded and he turned the other way.
A boy sitting on a bench | Source: Midjourney
“You can tell me anything, honey,” I said, turning him back to me. “I won’t be mad.”
“I heard Dad talking on the phone…” He looked at me. “And he said I was trouble.”
I couldn’t understand.
“Are you sure, honey?”
Jeremy shook his head.
“Yes. He said, ‘Little Jeremy is a problem.’ I didn’t hear the rest because I ran to my room.” He hesitated before asking in a small voice, “Mom, is he going to leave like my first dad?”
Tears welled up in her big brown eyes. I couldn’t stand it.
A woman talking to her son | Source: Midjourney
I pulled him into my arms, stroking his hair. “Oh, honey, no. I’ll never let anyone leave you, okay?”
That night I confronted Sam.
As soon as Jeremy fell asleep, I stood in front of him. “Did you call Jeremy a problem?”
Sam looked up from the couch. “What?”
“Jeremy heard you on the phone. He said you called him a problem.”
For a split second, something flickered in his expression. Something dark.
A close-up of a man’s face | Source: Midjourney
But then his face quickly cleared.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Alice, come on. He must have misunderstood. I was talking about a guy at work. His name is Jeremy. You know, we were dealing with a bunch of paperwork, and I probably said something out of frustration.”
I studied his face, looking for any sign of lying. “So you weren’t talking about my son?”
“Of course not. I would never say something like that about him. I love that child.”
I let out a shaky breath and nodded. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe Jeremy had really misheard.
Close-up of a woman’s eyes | Source: Midjourney
“I’ll talk to him in the morning,” Sam promises. “I’ll clear everything up.”
And that’s what he did.
The next morning, he sat Jeremy down and reassured him that it was all a misunderstanding. My little boy nodded as Sam explained everything to him. I was relieved to see Jeremy smile.
But when I told my mother about it, she frowned. “Have you ever been to his office? Do you know anyone he works with?”
“I know where he works,” I told him. “I have the address.”
“That’s not what I asked,” she said. “Do you know anyone he actually works with? Have you met any of his colleagues?”
People working in an office | Source: Pexels
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. The truth was, I hadn’t. I’d never been to his office, and I’d never met any of his colleagues.
“Alice, there’s something wrong,” Mom said. “You need to check it out.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “Mom, you’re paranoid.”
“Really?” she retorted. “Or are you ignoring the signs?”
The next morning, as I was making Jeremy lunch, my phone rang. It was my mother. Her voice was urgent.
Older woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Alice, I checked,” she said. “The address he gave you? There’s no record of him working there. No one’s ever heard of him.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
“How do you know that?” I asked in a trembling voice.
“Do you remember Mrs. Parker? She works there,” my mother replied. “She confirmed it, Alice. Sam doesn’t work there.”
At that point, I was sure Sam was hiding something from me. And I had to find out what it was.
That night I told Sam I had to visit my mother because she wasn’t feeling well. I told him I would stay there for a few days with Jeremy.
As I expected, he didn’t mind. He told me we could stay there as long as my mother needed.
A man talking to his wife | Source: Midjourney
Once at my mother’s house, I closed the door behind me and sank into the couch. I needed to know the truth.
Hiring a private investigator wasn’t something I had ever imagined doing, but desperation pushed me to act.
I needed facts. I needed real, undeniable proof of Sam’s identity.
Three days later, I got my answer.
“It’s worse than you think,” the investigator said, handing me a file.
My hands shook as I opened it. Inside were phone records, financial statements, and a detailed report on Sam’s past.
His whole life was a lie.
A woman holding documents | Source: Pexels
The office address he gave me? It was fake. There was no insurance company and no coworker named Jeremy.
The investigator had tapped Sam’s phone and found out everything. It turned out that Sam had spoken to his mother that night, not a colleague.
The investigator told me that they were scammers and that it was their game.
“He planned to trap you with your job,” the investigator continued. “Your job gives you access to financial accounts, right? He set it up so that if anything goes wrong, you’ll be the one to pay. Once you’re arrested, he has access to your assets, including your savings and your home.”
A man talking to a woman | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed the file as I began to realize how much of a problem Jeremy was to Sam and his mother. If I went to prison, Sam would either have to take care of him or place him in state custody.
He didn’t just scam me. He planned to erase me from the equation altogether.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “What do I do now?”
“Go to the police, Alice,” the investigator said firmly. “As soon as possible.”
I didn’t hesitate.
A police car in front of a building | Source: Pexels
Armed with the investigator’s findings, I went straight to the authorities. The evidence was overwhelming.
I discovered that Sam and his mother had a long history of con artists, moving from state to state under different identities.
But this time he had gone further by marrying me. And I guess it was because I had something precious.
Once I told the police everything I knew about Sam, they assured me they wouldn’t let him get away with it. All they needed was a few days to make sure they had enough evidence to arrest him.
I wasn’t there when they took him away, but I heard he didn’t go quietly. He screamed, denied everything and claimed it was a set-up.
But the evidence spoke for itself.
A man in handcuffs | Source: Pexels
I’ll never forget the look on his face as the police took him into the courtroom. It was like he was trying to tell me he would come back.
But instead of being afraid, I straightened my back and smiled as I looked into his eyes.
After the trial, I took Jeremy out for ice cream because he was the one who saved me from losing everything. If he hadn’t told me about Sam’s conversation with his mother, I wouldn’t be here writing this story for all of you.
I will always be grateful to fate for giving me a boy as intelligent as Jeremy.
A little boy | Source: Midjourney
Read also: I remarried after my wife died – One day my daughter said to me: “Dad, the new mom is different when you are not around”
This work is inspired by real events and persons, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims as to the accuracy of events or portrayal of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
Để lại một phản hồi