“I can’t just drop this on Colleen out of nowhere, Vanessa,” Brian whispered, his voice tense as he glanced back toward the main building. “We’re taking steps. Bringing her and Kiara here every week was part of the transition.”
Vanessa folded her arms, her face tight with frustration. “A transition? Brian, it’s been two months! You told me when you brought your family to this parish, you were going to introduce us properly. You said you were going to tell her the truth about where you’ve been spending your Tuesday nights.”
My stomach lurched. Every Tuesday for the last six months, Brian had claimed he was working late to cover extra project shifts at the office.
“She thinks we’re just rebuilding our marriage,” Brian argued, grabbing Vanessa’s hand. “If I tell her now, she’ll block everything. She’ll keep Kiara away from me.”
“And what about our child?” Vanessa snapped back, her voice rising. “She deserves to know her sister!”
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. My hand flew to my mouth to muffle a gasp as the pieces crashed together in my mind.
What was the full truth behind Brian’s secret life? Continue reading Part 3 below to unearth the truth.
PART 3: The Secret Contract
I stepped back from the window, my legs trembling so violently I could barely walk back out to the parking lot. I took Kiara home, kept my composure through dinner, and waited until our daughter was fast asleep before confronting Brian in the kitchen.
When I threw Vanessa’s name at him, the color drained entirely from his face.
“Colleen… let me explain,” he stammered, backing against the counter.
“Explain what?” I demanded, my voice shaking with rage. “Explain why you brought your wife and daughter to the exact same church where your mistress and your four-year-old love child sit three rows behind us?!”
Brian buried his face in his hands. He confessed that his affair with Vanessa had started five years ago. When Vanessa had a baby girl, Brian managed to hide the second family by funding them through a separate corporate account.
“Why bring us to her church, Brian?!” I screamed. “Why force us into that torture every Sunday?”
“Because Vanessa threatened to expose everything if I didn’t integrate our lives,” Brian admitted, tears welling in his eyes. “She joined that congregation to force my hand. I thought if you got used to the community first, you’d be more open to… a joint parenting arrangement.”
How did Colleen react? Continue reading Part 4 below for the confrontation.
