Chapter 8 - The Empty Nest
The taxi ride back to O'Hare’s departure terminal for a return flight to Ohio felt like a quiet exorcism.
Mason sat in the back seat, resting his head against my shoulder, clutching the torn, crumpled drawing of his dad’s airplane. He hadn't cried once, but the silent, heavy grief in his little body broke my heart in ways I couldn't put into words.
“Are we going back to our house?” Mason asked softly as the taxi merged onto the highway toward the airport.
“Yes, buddy,” I answered, wrapping my arm tightly around him. “We’re going home.”
“Is Dad going to be there?”
“No,” I said firmly, kissing the top of his head. “Dad has a lot of things he needs to figure out on his own now. It’s going to be just you and me. And we’re going to be okay. I promise.”
Mason nodded slowly, finally letting go of the torn drawing and letting it flutter to the floor of the cab. He didn't pick it up.
When we finally walked through our front door late Saturday night, the house felt entirely different. It wasn't just quiet; it felt cleansed. Every corner that had once held the shadow of Tyler’s deceit now felt open, breathable, and entirely ours.
I tucked Mason into bed, reading him his favorite storybook until his heavy eyelids finally drifted shut and his breathing settled into a deep, peaceful rhythm.
Downstairs in the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of chamomile tea, sitting at the glass dining table where Tyler had so often sat scrolling through his flight schedules while planning his double life.
My phone buzzed on the tabletop.
It was an unknown number.
I stared at it for a long moment before swiping the screen open and tapping the message icon.
“You handled that like a queen, Sarah. But your husband wasn't the only one keeping secrets from you. Check the second drawer of his office desk.”
The text vanished instantly, scrubbing itself from the messaging app before I could even screenshot the sender ID.
May you like
My tea sat untouched. My heart, which had just begun to settle into a rhythm of peace, gave a sharp, violent lurch.
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