When We Were Opening Christmas Gifts, My 5-Year-Old Shouted, “Yes! The Other Mom Kept Her Promise!”

Our evenings out helped.

For a while, things felt lighter.

Then one afternoon, Mike told me we needed to let her go.

“I think she has a crush on me,” he said casually, like it was no big deal.

I remember looking up from the counter. “What do you mean?”

“She makes comments when we’re alone,” he explained. “About my suit. My cologne. Stuff like that. Nothing extreme. Just uncomfortable.”

I asked a few questions, but I didn’t push. He came to me. He was honest. Or so I thought.

We let her go.

At the time, I felt reassured. It felt like proof that we were still on the same team. I ignored the small voice in my head that whispered there was more to the story.

I told myself I was being silly.

I relaxed.

Christmas morning arrived a few months later, and I believed that chapter was behind us.

The living room was filled with wrapping paper and half-empty mugs. Simon bounced from one present to the next, buzzing with excitement. All the gifts under the tree were ones Mike and I had picked together.

Or so I believed.

Mike handed Simon a medium-sized box and smiled. “This one’s from Santa.”

I smiled too. We always saved one special gift for last.

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