At my boss’s barbecue, her husband’s intense stares gave me goosebumps. Then he approached and whispered, “Meet me behind the house in 10 minutes.” I was stunned to discover he thought we were having an affair. But then he showed me the proof: months of messages—from “me”!
The smell of grilled meat and sweet barbecue sauce filled the air as I walked through Jill’s front door.
A woman standing in front of an open gate | Source: Midjourney
It was my first barbecue with my coworkers since I started three months ago, and I had to admit, my boss knew how to throw a party.
The late summer sun cast long shadows across his perfectly manicured lawn, where my colleagues, still strangers, lounged in camping chairs, paper plates balanced on their knees.
“Liz! You came!” Jill beckoned from her spot by the grill, spatula in hand.
A woman near a grill waves | Source: Midjourney
She wore a bright yellow apron that read “Grill Queen” in glittery letters. It perfectly matched her personality: bold, warm, and a little flamboyant. In the short time I’d been with the company, she’d already proven herself to be the best boss I’d ever had.
I slipped into the crowd, accepting a beer from Tom in accounting (one of the few names I’d managed to remember), and dodging Karen in human resources’ attempts to draw me into a conversation about her latest MLM project.
The food looked amazing: burgers sizzled on the grill, potato salad shimmered with fresh dill, and what looked like Sandra’s famous seven-layer dip I’d heard so much about.
Hamburgers on a grill | Source: Pexels
“This is the perfect time,” Jill says when I join her. “The second batch is almost ready. How are you settling in?”
“Everyone has been very welcoming,” I replied, grabbing a paper plate. “By the way, the quarterly reports are almost done.”
Jill laughed. “No talk about work! It’s a party!” She flipped a burger with practiced ease. “Oh, my husband Mark just got home.”
I followed his gaze to where a tall man was walking through the gate.
A man walking through a portal | Source: Midjourney
Someone had mentioned that he worked as a financial advisor and was usually late to these kinds of things, tied up in client meetings.
He looked exactly like you’d expect a financial advisor to look: crisp button-down shirt, neat haircut, responsible-looking watch.
A photographer from the marketing team was taking pictures of the party for the company newsletter. Mark walked over to Jill and gave her a warm hug as the camera clicked.
It was a moment of joy—until his eyes met mine over Jill’s shoulder.
A man staring at someone with wide eyes | Source: Midjourney
He froze. The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by something else. Gratitude? No, it was more than that.
The atmosphere has changed. It was subtle at first, like a cloud passing over the sun.
His eyes kept following me through the crowd. They weren’t just glances, but long, burning stares that made my hair stand on end.
A man staring at someone | Source: Midjourney
I felt like he knew me somehow, which was impossible. I had never met this man before today.
Every time I looked up, he was there, staring at me. It made no sense. I’d only been working here three months ago, and we’d never crossed paths before.
“Do you want another beer?” asks Sandra.
“My God, yes,” I said, probably too quickly.
A woman smiling nervously | Source: Midjourney
I was about to follow her to the cooler when a hand grabbed my elbow.
“Hi, Liz.”
I froze. Mark was standing there, close enough that I could smell his cologne. How did he know my name? I was the newest hire, and we’d never been introduced.
He leaned over. “Meet me behind the house in 10 minutes.”
A man whispers to a woman | Source: Midjourney
I should have said no. I should have looked for Jill. Instead, I nodded, curiosity overcoming common sense.
Then he left, leaving me there with my empty plate and my heart racing. What the hell was that?
Nine minutes later, I walked around the house, thinking it was probably just a work thing. Maybe Jill had pushed him to do it, maybe it was a promotion, or…
Mark was already there, pacing in the shadows of the house.
A man standing next to a house | Source: Midjourney
When he saw me, his face showed relief tinged with despair.
“Thank God,” he said. “Look, we have to find a cover story. I didn’t realize you worked for my wife, but she doesn’t have to know about us.”
I blinked. “Know what?”
“That we’re…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “That we’re having an affair!”
“What ?”
An incredulous woman addressing someone | Source: Midjourney
“It’s not funny, Liz.” Her eyebrows furrow. “The fact that you know Jill complicates things. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle being around you on those occasions… but we can make it work.”
He moved closer to me and I quickly backed away, putting my hand between us. “Woah! I don’t know who you think I am, but I’ve never met you before.”
“Don’t be silly, Liz. Not now.” He took out his phone. “Look!”
He pushed the phone towards me.
A man holding a phone | Source: Pexels
There were hundreds of messages… from me!
Not me, exactly, but someone who was using my photo and name for their dating app profile. I picked up the phone.
“It’s not possible,” I whispered. “I’ve never… we ‘ve never…”
“Liz, please. I know you’re scared, but…”
“No. It wasn’t me. I didn’t write that. You were scammed.”
A shocked woman holding a phone | Source: Midjourney
He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I looked at his phone.
Then something clicked. Almost a year ago, I had created a profile on this dating app, but it was just a joke… I had never used it. But obviously, someone else had. I knew exactly who this person was!
“Oh, my God!” I took out my phone. “This can’t be happening.”
A woman holding a phone in a backyard | Source: Midjourney
I dialed the number. As soon as she answered, I said, “You need to come here right away. I’ll send you the address.”
My fingers trembled as I texted the location and told her to meet me behind the house. I still couldn’t believe this was happening, that she would betray me like this, but it was also the only thing that made sense.
Twenty minutes later, I watched her walk around the corner of the house. She froze when she saw Mark. The look on her face was all the confirmation I needed.
A woman looks guilty | Source: Midjourney
“Mom,” I said. “Have you been texting him from my account for the past nine months? The account I created for mother-daughter double dates last year?”
The silence that followed was deafening.
“All those times you visited, and I saw you smiling at your phone, constantly texting… you were chatting with him, under my profile, weren’t you?”
A woman speaking angrily to someone | Source: Midjourney
“I… it was just to pass the time!” my mother said. “We never met in person! It wasn’t real!”
“Wasn’t it real?” Mark asks. “We talked every day. You told me…”
“He’s married! And you stole my identity. How could you?”
“Mark?”
We all turned to see Jill standing there, and her face was anything but happy.
A woman who looks angry and hurt | Source: Midjourney
“Get out,” she said to Mark, annoyed.
“Jill, I can explain…”
“Everything in this house belongs to me. You can pack a bag and leave.”
“But I thought… that we were…”
“You thought you were having an affair with my employee, who turns out to be my employee’s mother posing as her daughter,” Jill said. “Pack your bags. Now.”
Angry woman pointing her finger | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, I typed my resignation letter. Two paragraphs, professional and brief. I couldn’t face the whispers and stares that would inevitably follow.
The moment I pressed send, my phone lit up with another message from my mother—her fifteenth since last night. I deleted it without reading it.
There are some things you can’t fix with an apology. Some betrayals run too deep.
My mother had stolen my identity to flirt with men on a dating app. Mark had fallen in love with a fictional character. And somewhere in between, real lives had been shattered.
A heartbroken woman in a living room | Source: Midjourney
I closed my laptop and looked at my phone one last time before turning it off. 16 messages now. Each one probably full of explanations and excuses that wouldn’t change anything.
I’d only had the job for three months, but I’d managed to destroy my boss’s marriage before the probationary period even ended. Sometimes the only thing you can do is leave and try not to look back.
Here’s another story : When her husband started coming home smelling baked goods, Kate was puzzled. She asked her mother to follow him, not expecting the heartbreaking truth.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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