Lana, who loves reading gossip columns online, finds her life turned upside down when her twelve-year-old son discovers a folder on her husband’s laptop—revealing incriminating photos that scream out an affair. And who is the other woman? Lana has to take everything she has learned from her online reading and decide what to do with her marriage.
I love reading gossip columns. I’ve loved being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and read through the absolute nonsense that people go through. Nonsense in the sense that most of the stories seem exceptionally unbelievable.
A cup of coffee and a laptop on a bed | Source: Pexels
And I was always convinced that my life was better. I was a mom to 12-year-old Seth and a wife to my doting husband, Jimmy. Everything was perfect until it wasn’t.
A couple with their son in the middle | Source: Pexels
I remember the day unfolding as any other—Seth and I were at home for the afternoon. He was making his way through homework and assignments for school, and I was in the kitchen, going through recipe books and deciding what to make for dinner that evening.
“Mom,” Seth called from the dining room where he was working. “Can you make me a sandwich or something?”
An open recipe book | Source: Pexels
“Of course, honey,” I said.
“And can I use Dad’s laptop for my assignment?” he called.
“Yes, he said that you can!” I replied.
Just as I was about to begin making Seth’s food, my phone rang, and my sister’s number displayed across the screen.
“Lana!” she said excitedly, as I answered the phone.
A woman on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Hey, Sis,” I replied, putting her on speaker so I could move freely.
“I was just checking to see if you wanted to do something this weekend. Get our nails done maybe? Or an entire spa day.”
I loved my sister, Maya. And we were incredibly close. Even when Seth was born, she had moved into my home to help me readjust to the new role of mother, while taking care of me the entire time.
Two women posing on rocks | Source: Pexels
“Yes, of course,” I said. “We can decide when you get here on the day.”
I continued to make Seth’s sandwich when he came in, his face drained of color. He looked at my phone and grimaced while my sister started talking about the latest events at her book club meeting.
A sandwich on a plate | Source: Unsplash
“I’m telling you, Lana,” she said, oblivious that I was no longer listening to her. “There’s something going on between Toby and Susan. She mentioned it when we got to a steamy passage in the book. And she kept hinting about something, but when I asked her straight out, she denied it.”
I watched Seth come in, holding Jimmy’s laptop under his arm.
A boy using a laptop | Source: Pexels
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Cut the call,” he said. “Please.”
“Hey, Maya,” I said. “I’m getting another call. I’ll call you later, okay?”
I cut the call and turned back to my son.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
A woman holding a phone | Source: Pexels
“Mom,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. He put the laptop down on the counter and opened it.
“I found something on Dad’s computer. It’s bad. But you need to see it.”
The urgency in his eyes pushed my heart into my throat. My son wasn’t dramatic. He was a typical kid who enjoyed playing video games and eating junk food. He did his homework on time and was on top of anything school-related.
A person holding a game controller | Source: Pexels
And more than that—Seth was a mama’s boy through and through.
So, to see him so worked up over something on Jimmy’s computer made me really nervous.
As I reached out to take the laptop from him, my grip faltered. The laptop nearly crashed to the ground, but I was able to secure it just in time.
I exhaled, relieved at the minor save, and opened the folder he had found. But what I saw next was far from minor.
An open laptop with images displayed | Source: Pexels
The folder was a virtual diary, and displayed on the screen were a series of punches to my gut—each one knocking the air from my lungs.
My husband and sister, together in scenes that whispered secrets and screamed betrayal. They were laughing over shared meals, sitting too close on our own living room couch.
A couple sitting in front of a fire | Source: Pexels
There was a photo of Jimmy kissing Maya’s hand. Another one where she had her feet on his lap. Photos of them holding hands and posing together at restaurants.
Each image was timestamped within the last few months.
A couple holding hands at a restaurant | Source: Pexels
I felt a cold wave of shock through my body as I scrolled through them, each click a resounding echo in the silent room.
“Eat,” I told Seth, reaching out and sliding the sandwich to him.
I knew that he had seen everything. It explained the shock on his face and the anxiety radiating off his body. Seth was traumatized by what he had just seen—so was I.
A close-up of an upset boy | Source: Pexels
“But, Mom,” he said, his voice cracking. “What are they doing? Did you know?”
I struggled to form words, each one heavier than the last.
“I don’t know, honey,” I managed, my voice steady despite the way my hands shook. “But we’re going to find out.”
“What are we going to do?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.
