I was amazed when my son started drawing a smiling stranger. “He comes to see Mom when you’re at work,” Oliver said innocently. I soon saw a mysterious man enter our house, which sparked a frightening quest for the truth.
I found the drawing while tidying the dining table. Most of Oliver’s drawings were what you’d expect from a six-year-old: dinosaurs with rainbow scales, our house with a chimney that looked more like a volcano, and our family. But this one got me thinking.
A man frowns at a drawing | Source: Midjourney
Among the colored pencil scribbles was a tall figure with unnaturally long arms and enormous hands, wearing what looked like a suit. The figure had a huge grin.
“Oliver,” I said. “Is that me in the picture? Who is it?”
My son looked up.
An excited boy with a bright smile | Source: Midjourney
The plastic blocks clinked together as he dropped them onto the wooden floor. “It’s Mr. Smiles, Dad! He’s Mom’s new friend. He comes to see her when you’re at work.”
Laura and I had been married for nine years. We’d had our ups and downs like any couple, we’d gone through job changes and family losses, and we’d celebrated promotions and birthdays. But never, not once, did I think she…
No, I shook the thought away. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Laura wasn’t that kind of person. We’d built too much together.
A worried man holding a piece of paper | Source: Midjourney
“When is he coming?” I asked.
Oliver stacked another block, his tongue sticking out in concentration.
“Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes in the evening. He always makes Mom and me laugh.” Then he suddenly became serious. “But, Dad, it’s a secret! Don’t tell anyone! “
An emotional man standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
That night, I barely slept as I watched Laura’s peaceful face in the darkness. The steady rhythm of her breathing, once comforting, now seemed like a mockery. Every time she moved in her sleep, I wondered what she was dreaming about.
The next day, I left work early, parked down the street from our house, and waited. The autumn air grew crisp as the afternoon wore on, and dead leaves slid across my windshield. A little after 3:00 p.m., a sleek black car pulled into our driveway.
A black car parked in a driveway | Source: Pexels
A tall, burly man got out and walked to the front door. Even from this distance, I could see his wide smile as Laura welcomed him inside. The door closed behind them.
“Maybe this is all in my head,” I whispered to myself, watching my breath fog the window. “But if I’m wrong, I need to find out for sure.”
A man sitting in a car | Source: Pexels
Over the next few weeks, I started buying Laura flowers and gifts, trying to rekindle the flame, but I also started documenting everything.
The evidence piled up: receipts for dinners I hadn’t attended, phone calls she’d leave the room to take, and, of course, more photos of “Mr. Smile” drawn by Oliver. Each new piece of evidence felt like another brick in the wall building between us.
Laura noticed the change.
A woman staring at her husband during dinner | Source: Midjourney
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked one day. “You seem distracted lately.”
The worry in her voice only confused me further. How could she act so normal if she was hiding something so huge?
“I… do you have someone else?” I asked him.
“Anyone else?” Laura looked at me wide-eyed, then shook her head.
A woman looking at her husband with wide eyes | Source: Midjourney
“Of course not, darling!” She let out a small laugh. “How could you think that?”
Maybe I should have confronted her then, but all my evidence was circumstantial.
One Friday night, I told Laura I’d be working late. I set up a hidden camera on the living room shelf and watched the footage from my car parked around the corner.
A library in a living room | Source: Pexels
My phone screen cast a blue glow on my face as I waited, my coffee going cold in its cup holder.
At the appointed time, Mr. Smiles arrived and Laura greeted him with the same warm smile that had previously been reserved for me.
But something strange happened. He didn’t settle down on the couch or share dinner. My sister came in, and Oliver came bounding down the stairs. More people arrived: neighbors and friends!
A man looking at his phone in confusion | Source: Midjourney
Did they all know? And worse, they were holding a secret meeting! I watched as Mr. Smiles, now wearing a party hat, juggled three oranges for Oliver and made him laugh.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
I burst through the front door, freezing everyone mid-conversation, the cheerful music abruptly cutting off.
A group of people in a living room looking at someone in surprise | Source: Midjourney
“All right, you win,” I said, my voice trembling. “Everyone here knew, didn’t they? Even Oliver? Even my sister?”
“No! Please stop!” Laura’s face had gone pale.
I turned to Mr. Smiles, who had stopped juggling and was staring at me with wide eyes.
“You disrespected me as a man, and you have no business being here! This is my home! This is my…”
My voice trailed off when I spotted something shiny on the ground.
A man speaking angrily to someone | Source: Midjourney
A banner, not yet hung, with gold letters that read “Happy Tenth Birthday!” The metallic foil caught the light from the lamps in our living room, casting sparkles across the ceiling.
The room fell completely silent. Laura’s hands covered her mouth, tears welled in her eyes, and she was smearing her carefully applied makeup. Mr. Smile cleared his throat and stepped forward, his famous smile nowhere to be seen.
“Sir, I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said softly. “I’m a wedding planner and party host. Your wife hired me months ago to organize this event—your wedding anniversary!”
A man talking in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“Did you think I was cheating on you?” Laura asks.
I felt the floor give way beneath my feet. The room suddenly seemed too bright, too cluttered, the decorations garish and mocking.
“I… I didn’t know what else to think,” I replied. “I saw him coming here, and Oliver said a man kept visiting him while I was at work, that this man made you laugh…”
An emotional man looking confused and shocked | Source: Midjourney
“I’m sorry,” I managed to say. “I was wrong. I let my insecurities get the best of me.”
Laura wiped her eyes. “How could you think that? After everything we’ve been through?”
An emotional woman speaking to her husband | Source: Midjourney
The guests began to quietly leave.
My sister squeezed my shoulder as she left. “Fix it.” Oliver looked confused and scared, so Laura’s mother carried him upstairs to his room, their footsteps echoing in the tense silence.
When we were finally alone, Laura sat on the sofa, her shoulders slumped.
An upset woman sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
“I spent months planning this,” she said quietly. “I wanted it to be perfect. Remember our first anniversary? When you surprised me with that picnic in the park? I wanted to do something that special.”
I sat down next to her, careful to leave space between us. “I ruined everything.”
“Yes, you ruined everything.” She turned to look at me. “Trust isn’t just about believing in someone when everything is perfect. It’s about believing in them when things don’t make sense.”
“I know,” I whispered, feeling the weight of my mistake. “Can you forgive me?”
A couple having a serious conversation | Source: Midjourney
Laura remained silent for a long time.
“I love you,” she said finally. “But this isn’t something I can just forget. You have to understand how much this hurts.”
I nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”
“It won’t happen overnight,” she warned.
A stern-looking woman addressing someone | Source: Midjourney
“I know. But I’m not going anywhere.”
She let out a laugh. “Happy birthday, you idiot.”
Upstairs, we heard Oliver laughing at something, probably one of his grandmother’s stories. The sound filled our living room, reminding us of all we had to lose, and all we had to save.
A couple in a living room looking up | Source: Midjourney
Read also: “Who are you?” I asked the stranger in my bed, and he replied, “Your husband” – Story of the day
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 all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
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