**Betrayal**
Peter raised his hand in farewell. “Right then, Rosemary, Im off! Dont worry, Ill transfer the money to Mum.”
The door slammed behind him, and Rosemary sank onto the stool, suddenly overcome with tears.
“Mum, whats wrong?” Her son appeared in the kitchen doorway. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she said, ashamed of her weakness. “Just feeling a bit down, thats all. Missing the boys.” James and Christine were away visiting their grandmother.
“No,” Daniel said firmly. “People dont cry like that over a bad mood. And you talk to the boys every day. Im not a kid anymore, Mum. I can tell when somethings up.”
Rosemary looked at her sixteen-year-old son, already taller than her, and before she could stop herself, she voiced the fear she hadnt even admitted to herself:
“I think your dads about to leave us.” At his stunned silence, she added, “Hes been lying to me. For months now”
Daniel didnt know how to react. Hed expected her to say shed had a row at work or with a friend. But this? His *dad*? How could that even happen? Anger surged in him, and his mother noticed.
“Daniel, dont. These things they happen between adults. Youll understand one day. Your dads a good manyou cant control the heart.”
Even as she spoke, Rosemary didnt believe her own words. She wanted to scream, throw things, but instead, she was telling her son to forgive his father! Daniel clenched his fists.
“Let him go then! Well manage without him. Whys he even still here?”
“Daniel, you say youre grown up, but youre acting like a child. People make mistakes, dont they? Your dad will realise this is just a passing fancy. His familys what really matters”
“Mum,” Daniel suddenly sounded much older. “How could he do this? Ill never respect him the same way again.”
“Itll work out, love,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Just dont tell your brothers, alright?”
“You neither,” Daniel wiped his eyes. “We dont want their faith in their big brother shaken either.”
Rosemary checked the clock. “Arent you late for training?”
Daniel jolted up. “Bloody hell, I am!”
Alone, Rosemarys composure crumbled. Talking to Daniel had kept her calm, but now, the hurt hit full force.
“How could he betray everything we had?”
When shed first met Peter, he was carefree, always surrounded by women he called “little birds.” When Rosemary told him she wouldnt be just another bird, hed said, “Why another? Youll be the only one. Forever.”
And shed believed him, the fool. Seventeen years, three childrenthrough thick and thinand hed still strayed.
It started six months ago. Maybe earlierhad she missed the signs? No, surely not. Six months ago, theyd been invited to a weddingPeters favourite nephew. Rosemary couldnt go, but shed insisted Peter attend. Hed protested half-heartedly, but family duty won out. Later, scrolling through wedding photos online, shed noticed a woman clinging to Peter. Something twisted in her gut, and shed mentioned it, but hed brushed it off.
“Who? Oh, probably the brides mate. No idea why shes always nearby. Honestly, Rosemary, are you jealous? Shes not even my type!”
Shed believed himthe woman *wasnt* his usual type. But then came the odd calls, the silence on the phone.
“Some woman keeps calling and breathing down the line,” Rosemary had complained. “Probably one of Daniels little admirers.”
The calls stopped, but she hadnt connected it to their conversation. Not until Petera jeans-and-jumper mansuddenly started wearing suits, cologne, working late. “A crucial project,” hed said. “Once its done, well have it allholidays, that fur coat you wanted, maybe even a quad bike for Daniel!”
Then he started vanishing on weekends. “Work emergency,” hed say with that guilty look. Rosemary had wanted to hunt down that woman from the photos, drag her by the hairbut she hadnt even asked her name.
Six months of this had left her a wreck. Around others, she held it together, but alone, she fell apart. Tonight, after speaking with Daniel, she resolved:
“I need to talk to him. Before Daniel grows to hate his father.”
But Peter beat her to it. He called, asking to meet at a restaurant. “We need to talk. Without the kids.”
Rosemary smiled bitterly. He knew shed never make a scene in public.
At first, she considered going in her gardening clotheslet him be embarrassed. But at the last minute, she changed.
“Ill look my best. Let him see what hes losing.”
The taxi driver eyed her in the mirror. As she paid, he said, “A beauty like you shouldnt be sad. Itll all work out.”
The unexpected kindness lifted her spirits slightly.
Peter was waiting with a roseodd, if he planned to leave. Was it a farewell gift? She almost laughed at the morbid thought.
Dinner was small talk, but inside, she was coiled tight. Finally, she snapped.
“Peter, you said we needed to talk.”
He nodded. “Right. Long story short” He hesitated. “How would you feel if we skipped the holiday, forgot the fur coat and quad bike?”
Her tension spiked, but he continued.
“We got a bonus todaydouble pay. Daniels sixteen now, nearly independent. Thought we could put it towards a flat for him. An investment, really. A proper gift by eighteen. What do you think?”
Rosemary blinked. “A *flat*?”
“Honestly, love, youve been so distracted lately. Whats going on?”
Peter was furious. He kept it in at the restaurant, but outside, he let loose.
“Have you lost your mind? An affair? After everything Ive explainedthe project, the late nights! Ive been bragging about how understanding my wife is, and this is how you repay me?”
They walked home in silence, Rosemary smiling through his rant. Every complaint was music to her ears. At the doorstep, Peter finally calmed.
“Didnt I say you were the only one? Have I *ever* lied to you?”
Daniels day had been wrecked. His mums confession left him reeling. He was late to training, got chewed out by the coach, messed up drills. Later, he roamed the streets, itching for a fightany outlet for his anger. But no one took the bait. Returning home, he spotted his parents kissing by the door. His mums coat was unmistakable. Rage boiled over. He clenched his fists and stepped forward
“Ah, son,” Peter said, slightly sheepish. “We were just”
Sometimes, its good when things end well, isnt it?
*Lesson learned: Fear twists the mind worse than truth ever could.*
