I was taken aback when my son started drawing a smiling stranger. “He visits Mommy when you’re at work,” Oliver said casually. At first, I thought it was just a product of his imagination, but soon I caught sight of a mysterious man entering our home, sparking a disturbing search for the truth.
While tidying up the dining room, I stumbled upon the drawing. Most of Oliver’s pictures were typical for a six-year-old—dinosaurs with rainbow-colored scales, a house with a chimney that resembled a volcano, and stick figures of our family holding hands. But this one made me stop in my tracks.
Among the childlike scribbles was a tall figure with unnaturally long arms and oversized hands, dressed in what looked like a suit. His face was stretched with an eerie grin.
“Oliver,” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm as I held the picture. “Is this me in the drawing? Who is this person?”
Oliver looked up from his LEGOs, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.
The blocks tumbled to the floor as he dropped them. “That’s Mr. Smiles, Daddy! He’s Mommy’s new friend. He visits her when you’re at work.”
My heart skipped a beat. Laura and I had been married for nine years. We’d weathered ups and downs, job changes, family losses, and celebrated countless milestones. But never, not for a second, did I suspect that she’d…
I shook the thought away. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Laura wasn’t the type of person who would betray me. We had built too much together.
“When does he come by?” I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the rising panic.
Oliver placed another block on his tower, his tongue poking out in concentration.
“Sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night. He makes Mommy and me laugh.” He suddenly became serious, scrunching his face. “But, Daddy, it’s a secret! Don’t tell anyone!”
The words “laughter” and “secret” sent a cold shiver through me.
That night, I lay awake, watching Laura’s peaceful face in the dim light. The sound of her breathing, once a source of comfort, now felt like a reminder of something I couldn’t explain. Every time she shifted, I wondered what she was dreaming about—and who she was dreaming about.
The following day, I left work early, parked down the street, and waited. The crisp autumn air filled the car as I watched fallen leaves skitter across the windshield. Just after 3 p.m., a sleek black car pulled into our driveway.
A tall, slender man stepped out and walked briskly to the door. Even from a distance, I could see his wide smile as Laura greeted him. The door closed behind them.
I clenched the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, the leather creaking under my grip.
“Maybe I’m overthinking this,” I muttered, watching my breath fog the window. “But if I’m right, I need to know for sure.”
Over the next few weeks, I tried to reconnect with Laura, buying her flowers and gifts. But I also started documenting everything.
Receipts for dinners I hadn’t attended, phone calls she took in private, and of course, more drawings of “Mr. Smiles” by Oliver. Each new piece of evidence felt like another layer of doubt being built between us.
Laura noticed the change in me.
“Are you okay?” she asked one day, her hand on my forehead. “You seem off lately.”
Her genuine concern only confused me more. How could she act so normal if she were hiding something?
“Do you have someone else?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
“Someone else?” Laura looked at me, her eyes wide, before shaking her head.
“Of course not, honey!” She laughed softly. “How could you think that?”
Maybe I should have confronted her then, but all I had were suspicions. I needed undeniable proof.
One Friday evening, I told Laura I’d be working late. Instead, I set up a hidden camera in the living room and monitored it from my car parked around the corner.
The screen of my phone lit up my face as I waited, my coffee growing cold in the cup holder.
Right on cue, Mr. Smiles showed up, and Laura greeted him with the same warm smile she used to reserve for me.
But then something unexpected happened. Instead of sitting down for a private moment, my sister walked in. Oliver came running downstairs, grinning. More guests arrived—neighbors, friends—everyone knew about this? Worse still, they were having a secret party! I watched in stunned silence as Mr. Smiles, now wearing a party hat, juggled three oranges, making Oliver laugh.
“What is going on?” I muttered, fumbling with the car door.
Fueled by confusion and anger, I stormed to the house. The evening air seemed thick, oppressive, as I marched up the walkway. I burst through the front door, halting the conversation. The music stopped abruptly.
“You won,” I said, my voice shaking. “Everyone here knew, didn’t they? Even Oliver? Even my sister?”
“No, no! Please, stop!” Laura’s face went pale, her hands trembling as she dropped the streamers to the floor.
I turned to Mr. Smiles, who had stopped juggling and was staring at me with wide eyes.
“You’ve disrespected me, and you have no business being here! This is my house!”
But then I saw it—a banner on the floor, not yet hung, with golden letters reading “Happy 10th Anniversary!” The metallic shine caught the light from the lamps, creating a glittering effect on the ceiling.
The room fell silent. Laura covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes, smudging her makeup. Mr. Smiles cleared his throat and stepped forward, his trademark grin gone.
“Sir, I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said softly, maintaining his professional composure. “I’m a wedding planner and party animator. Your wife hired me months ago to organize this event—your wedding anniversary.”
“You thought I was cheating on you?” Laura’s voice trembled with hurt, each word hitting me like a blow.
The room seemed to tilt beneath me. Everything felt too bright, too crowded, the decorations almost mocking me.
“I… I didn’t know what to think,” I stammered, my shirt collar suddenly tight. “I saw him coming here, and Oliver said a man kept visiting while I was at work, that he made you laugh…”
“Oliver said he made me laugh because he does magic tricks when we plan,” Laura interrupted, her voice rising. “I was trying to make this special for you, and you thought I was being unfaithful?”
My throat tightened. “I’m sorry,” I managed to say, the words feeling hollow. “I was wrong. I let my fears get the better of me.”
Laura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, leaving a streak of mascara. “How could you think that? After everything we’ve been through?”
The guests quietly filed out, murmuring polite goodbyes as they left. My sister gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze as she passed, whispering, “Fix this.” Oliver, confused and frightened, was led upstairs by Laura’s mother.
When we were finally alone, Laura sat on the couch, her shoulders slumped. The streamers lay forgotten around her feet.
“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 give you something just as special.”
I sat beside her, careful not to crowd her space. “I ruined everything.”
“Yes, you did,” she replied, her eyes red but fierce. “Trust isn’t just about believing in someone when everything’s perfect. It’s about believing in them when things don’t make sense.”
“I know,” I whispered, the weight of my mistake sinking in. “I lost sight of that. Can you forgive me?”
Laura was quiet for a long moment, her fingers tracing the fabric of her dress.
“I love you,” she said finally. “But this isn’t something I can just forget. You need to understand how much this hurt.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right.”
“It won’t happen overnight,” she said, her voice firm but not unkind.
“I know. But I’m not going anywhere.” I reached for her hand, and after a brief hesitation, she let me take it, her fingers cold against my palm. “Happy anniversary,” I said softly.
She let out a watery laugh, a mix of forgiveness and reproach. “Happy anniversary, you idiot.”
Upstairs, we heard Oliver’s laughter, likely from one of his grandmother’s stories. The sound filled the room, reminding us of all we had to lose—and all we had to save.