Chapter 1: 'Daddy has a girlfriend'
'Daddy has a girlfriend'
Sunday morning.
My daughter said it as calmly as if she were talking about the weather forecast on TV.
My ex-husband was sleeping in the bedroom.
My son was running his toy trains in the hallway.
It was a morning just like any other.
The only difference was that
the moment I heard those words from my daughter,
my body stopped moving.
My legs went numb,
my breathing became shallow.
Only the sound of my own heartbeat seemed unnaturally loud.
'...Why do you think that?'
When I finally managed to ask,
my daughter said with a straight face.
'He's texting a woman saying he likes her, loves her, and wants to see her.
I can see Daddy's phone,
so I'll show you right now.'
I watched my daughter's back as she headed toward the bedroom,
unable to move.
It wasn't because I was surprised.
'I knew it.'
That was what I ended up thinking.
I had previously
heard an unbelievable story
from one of my ex-husband's subordinates.
That he was badmouthing me at work.
That he was having affairs with multiple women.
And that,
he had calmly fabricated bizarre lies
that dragged me into them.
But back then,
I still believed in my husband.
No,
I wanted to believe.
For me, who was working every day,
doing the housework,
raising the children,
and desperately trying to keep our family running,
'My husband is not right'
admitting that reality
was the same as my whole life falling apart.
So I pretended not to see it.
I thought it was just my imagination.
I thought I was just tired.
I tried to convince myself it was just a misunderstanding by my subordinate.
But,
with just one word from my daughter,
all the unease I had been pretending not to notice
fell into place.
And on this day, I would come to know the reality that the person I was married to
"was not a normal human being."
At that time, I still didn't know.
That after this,
I would have to face
a betrayal beyond my imagination.
But at the same time,
I had made up my mind.
I will absolutely not take this lying down.