I hired an actor to pretend to be my boyfriend at the pool party where my ex-husband appeared with the woman he had left me for. He laughed when he saw us together\u2014until my fake date handed him a small box and told him to open it in front of everyone.<\/p>\n
Vaughn and I had been together for twenty years.<\/p>\n
For most of that time, I believed we had a good marriage.<\/p>\n
Not a perfect one. We argued about bills, forgotten appointments, and whose turn it was to wake up when one of the children cried. But I thought those were ordinary problems shared by ordinary couples.<\/p>\n
We had four children and a house with a pool that Vaughn had once said we would grow old beside.<\/p>\n
I believed him when he proposed after college.<\/p>\n
I believed him when he held my hand during each delivery.<\/p>\n
I even believed him when he started coming home late and said his new position required more of his time.<\/p>\n
Then, six months after our youngest daughter was born, I saw a message appear on his phone.<\/p>\n
I was standing in our bedroom with baby Maeve against my shoulder. Vaughn had left his phone on the dresser while he showered.<\/p>\n
The message said, \u201cI hate sleeping without you. How much longer do I have to wait?\u201d<\/p>\n
It came from Talia, his assistant.<\/p>\n
I did not search through the phone.<\/p>\n
I did not need to.<\/p>\n
When Vaughn stepped out of the bathroom, I was still holding it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Talia waiting for?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
His face changed for only a second.<\/p>\n
Then he sighed as if I had interrupted him over something small.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me the phone, Corinne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maeve shifted against my chest. I remember pressing my lips to her soft hair because I needed something real to hold on to.<\/p>\n
Vaughn wrapped a towel around his waist and looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m with Talia now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means we\u2019ve been seeing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had been pregnant for most of that year.<\/p>\n
While I was waking up sick, struggling to put on my shoes, and sleeping with a pillow beneath my swollen stomach, my husband had been going to another woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were sleeping with her while I was carrying your daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t make this uglier than it already is.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
As though I had made it ugly.<\/p>\n
As though my questions were worse than his betrayal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Vaughn rubbed a hand over his face.<\/p>\n
Then he said the words that followed me for months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to spend the rest of my life with a woman I\u2019m no longer attracted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at myself.<\/p>\n
My shirt was stained with milk. My hair had not been washed in two days. My body still carried the weight and marks of having his child.<\/p>\n
Maeve began to cry.<\/p>\n
Vaughn picked up his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll stay at a hotel tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked past me without touching the baby.<\/p>\n
The divorce came quickly.<\/p>\n
Vaughn wanted a clean ending so he could begin his new life without inconvenience. He moved into an apartment downtown, bought new clothes, and posted photographs with Talia before the papers were even final.<\/p>\n
Talia was ten years younger than him.<\/p>\n
She was tall, polished, and always looked as though someone had just finished doing her hair.<\/p>\n
I tried not to compare myself to her.<\/p>\n
I failed every day.<\/p>\n
Our children stayed with me most of the time. Vaughn promised to remain involved, but the promises slowly became excuses.<\/p>\n
He missed Kellan\u2019s soccer matches.<\/p>\n
He forgot Sabine\u2019s school performance.<\/p>\n
He canceled weekends because Talia had made plans.<\/p>\n
When the children called, he often replied hours later, if he replied at all.<\/p>\n
Still, our fifteen-year-old son wanted him at his birthday party.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want everyone here,\u201d Kellan told me one morning. \u201cMy school friends, the neighbors, Grandma Elise, Dad\u2026 everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood at the kitchen counter holding a handwritten list. There was a hopeful look on his face that I had not seen much since the divorce.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big pool party?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019ll make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile widened, but only for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad can come, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
My oldest daughter, Sabine, looked up from the table.<\/p>\n
She was seventeen and understood more than Kellan realized.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he can,\u201d I said. \u201cHe\u2019s still your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kellan nodded and hurried outside to measure where he wanted the speakers.<\/p>\n
Sabine waited until he was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll bring her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you going to be okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll manage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward the sink so she would not see my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Kellan\u2019s day. Nothing else matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sent Vaughn the invitation that afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cKellan wants you at his pool party on Saturday. He\u2019s hoping the whole family can be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
His reply came twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come. Talia is coming with me. She\u2019s part of my family now, so don\u2019t make things uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
I read the message several times.<\/p>\n
He had barely spoken to two of his children that week, yet Talia was suddenly part of his family.<\/p>\n
My hands began to shake.<\/p>\n
I pictured them walking through the gate together. Vaughn would look rested and pleased with himself. Talia would arrive in a perfect dress and smile at the neighbors who had once attended our anniversary dinners.<\/p>\n
And I would stand beside the food table looking exactly like what Vaughn said I was.<\/p>\n
The wife he had discarded.<\/p>\n
The woman he no longer found attractive.<\/p>\n
I knew I should not have cared.<\/p>\n
But pain does not disappear just because you understand it is unfair.<\/p>\n
That night, after the children went to bed, I opened my laptop.<\/p>\n
I searched for actors available for private events.<\/p>\n
Even now, I am embarrassed to admit it.<\/p>\n
I did not want romance. I did not want revenge.<\/p>\n
I only wanted Vaughn to look at me once and believe I had not spent every night crying after he left.<\/p>\n
An agency called the next morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an actor available,\u201d the woman said. \u201cHis name is Emmett. He has experience with private events and will follow whatever background you create.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just has to stand beside me,\u201d I said. \u201cMaybe hold my hand once or twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat won\u2019t be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmett and I met at a coffee shop the day before the party.<\/p>\n
I arrived early and nearly left twice.<\/p>\n
When he walked through the door, I knew the plan would never work.<\/p>\n
He was tall, with dark hair, kind eyes, and the relaxed confidence of someone who never had to wonder whether people noticed him.<\/p>\n
He approached my table.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorinne?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Emmett.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat across from me and smiled.<\/p>\n
I stared down at my coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t even started yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand. Vaughn will know I hired you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause no one will believe a man who looks like you is dating me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmett\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your ex tell you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t have to say those exact words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
I hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then I told him.<\/p>\n
I told him about Talia, the year-long affair, the baby in my arms, and the way Vaughn had looked at my body when he said he was no longer attracted to me.<\/p>\n
Emmett listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n
When I finished, he leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou raised four children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took care of a home while your husband built his career.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are organizing a birthday party for your son while still trying to protect all of your children from what their father did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave a small shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make me beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes you strong. Your face takes care of the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away before he could see how much those words affected me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re being paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m being paid tomorrow. Right now, I\u2019m drinking my own coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed despite myself.<\/p>\n
Emmett asked about the children. He wanted to know how long we had supposedly been dating, where we had met, and how affectionate I was comfortable being in public.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing dramatic,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to upset Kellan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we won\u2019t make the day about your ex.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached across the table and tapped the edge of my untouched cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll enjoy your son\u2019s birthday. I\u2019ll stay close enough that you don\u2019t feel alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next afternoon, the yard filled with music, food, and children jumping into the pool.<\/p>\n
Emmett arrived carrying flowers for me and a new basketball for Kellan.
\nThat small detail made the act feel more real than I expected.<\/p>\n
He did not hang on me or behave like a man trying to prove something. He helped move chairs, spoke politely to my mother, and laughed when Maeve smeared frosting on his sleeve.<\/p>\n
The children liked him immediately.<\/p>\n
Even Sabine, who knew exactly why he was there, seemed surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hired a decent one,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hired an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe remind him of that. He keeps looking at you when you aren\u2019t watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, Kellan came over carrying a small gift box wrapped in blue paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmmett, can I ask you something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dad gets here, will you give him this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmett looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s from us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKellan\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was something in his expression that made me stop.<\/p>\n
Emmett took the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll make sure he gets it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, the side gate opened.<\/p>\n
Vaughn entered with one hand resting on Talia\u2019s back.<\/p>\n
She wore a white dress and high-heeled sandals that were not made for grass. Vaughn carried no gift.<\/p>\n
He saw me first.<\/p>\n
Then his eyes moved to Emmett.<\/p>\n
For a moment, he looked confused.<\/p>\n
Emmett stepped closer and placed a gentle hand against my back.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaughn,\u201d I said. \u201cThis is Emmett.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughn looked him over.<\/p>\n
Then he laughed.<\/p>\n
It was loud enough for the nearest guests to turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt Emmett\u2019s hand become still.<\/p>\n
Talia gave a small smile behind her glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly is funny?\u201d Emmett asked.<\/p>\n
Vaughn pointed at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My face burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaughn, this is Kellan\u2019s party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just saying, be serious. A man like you wouldn\u2019t choose her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you looked in a mirror recently, Corinne?\u201d<\/p>\n
The yard seemed to shrink around me.<\/p>\n
I heard the pool water moving. I heard someone set down a plate.<\/p>\n
But I could not speak.<\/p>\n
Then Emmett removed his hand from my back.<\/p>\n
For one terrible second, I thought he was embarrassed too.<\/p>\n
Instead, he picked up Kellan\u2019s small box from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou judge people by what they look like,\u201d Emmett said calmly. \u201cYour children decided to judge you by what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held the box out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted you to have this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughn\u2019s smile faded slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several guests had gone quiet.<\/p>\n
Vaughn pulled off the paper and lifted the lid.<\/p>\n
The color left his face.<\/p>\n
Inside were old photographs.<\/p>\n
Vaughn carrying Kellan on his shoulders.<\/p>\n
Vaughn teaching Sabine to ride a bicycle.<\/p>\n
Drew asleep against his chest.<\/p>\n
A newborn Maeve wrapped in the blanket he had chosen.<\/p>\n
Beneath the photographs were Father\u2019s Day cards the children had made over the years.<\/p>\n
At the bottom were printed screenshots.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, are you coming to my game?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, you said you\u2019d pick us up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you please call Sabine? She\u2019s upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaeve is sick. Mom said you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most had no reply.<\/p>\n
Vaughn unfolded the final note.<\/p>\n
His expression changed from panic to anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n
Kellan stood near the pool.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said Talia was your family now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thought you should take the memories from your old family with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughn spun toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told him to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what was in the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Talia took the note from his hand and read it.<\/p>\n
Then she looked through the messages.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me Corinne kept the children from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, she didn\u2019t. We stopped calling because you stopped answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughn looked around and realized that everyone was listening.<\/p>\n
Talia slowly removed the bracelet from her wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said they had turned against you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re children, Vaughn.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed the bracelet in the open box.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will not stand beside a man who ignores his children and then blames their mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTalia, don\u2019t be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked through the gate alone.<\/p>\n
Vaughn shouted after her, then turned toward Kellan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou embarrassed me in front of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kellan flinched.<\/p>\n
I stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You did that yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are my children too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen start behaving like their father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughn stared at me.<\/p>\n
For twenty years, I had softened every argument. I had apologized first. I had protected his image, even from the children he disappointed.<\/p>\n
Not that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my house too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt stopped being your home when you decided the people inside it were not worth choosing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked around the yard, searching for someone who would defend him.<\/p>\n
No one did.<\/p>\n
Vaughn left the box on the table and walked out.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, nobody moved.<\/p>\n
Then Kellan came toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled him into my arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have nothing to apologize for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmett remained until the party ended.<\/p>\n
He helped clean the yard, folded chairs, and carried sleeping Maeve upstairs.<\/p>\n
When the last guest left, he stood beside the pool with his hands in his pockets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose my job is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did more than I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t enjoy hearing him speak to you that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were very convincing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part wasn\u2019t acting.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought he was joking.<\/p>\n
He did not smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this probably isn\u2019t the right time,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I\u2019d like to take you to dinner someday. Not as a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question came out before I could stop it.<\/p>\n
Emmett stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you are kind. Because your children clearly trust you. Because you laughed at my terrible jokes before Vaughn arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because he was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the open gate where Vaughn had disappeared.<\/p>\n
For months, I had believed his betrayal proved something about me.<\/p>\n
That I had become too old, too tired, or too ordinary to be loved.<\/p>\n
But Vaughn\u2019s cruelty had never been a mirror.<\/p>\n
It had only shown me who he was.<\/p>\n
I turned back to Emmett.<\/p>\n
\u201cDinner,\u201d I said. \u201cBut no pretending.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile was quiet and warm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo pretending.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time since my marriage ended, I did not feel as though I had won against Vaughn.<\/p>\n
I simply felt free of him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I hired an actor to pretend to be my boyfriend at the pool party where my ex-husband appeared with the woman he had left me for. He laughed when he saw us together\u2014until my fake date handed him a small box and told him to open it in front of everyone. Vaughn and I had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"views":106,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3956,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3955\/revisions\/3956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}