My husband, Arthur, and I had what I thought was a perfect, drama-free marriage of six years. But that all changed during the funeral of my father-in-law, James. The reception was held at a high-end restaurant, and the room was filled with Arthur’s business associates. I stepped away for ten minutes to go to the restroom, leaving our four-year-old son, Ben, with Arthur.
When I returned, Ben was missing. I finally found him giggling under one of the long white tablecloths. As I pulled him out and sat him on my lap, he leaned in and whispered something that made my blood run cold: “Mommy, that lady had spiders under her dress.” When I asked him what he meant, he explained that he saw Daddy touching a lady’s leg under the table. He said Daddy told him there were “spiders” there and he was just helping her. Ben pointed directly at Rachel, James’s longtime assistant.
I didn’t confront Arthur immediately. Instead, I waited and began digging. I found hotel receipts and secret emails that proved Arthur and Rachel had been having an affair for over a year—all while Arthur was supposed to be working late to take over his father’s company.
I filed for divorce. Arthur’s lawyer tried to claim it was all an “innocent misunderstanding” by a child, but I had the evidence. I won full custody of Ben and a significant settlement. It turns out my father-in-law had left a secret trust for Ben that Arthur couldn’t touch, securing our future. Ben’s view from under the table that day was the painful truth I needed to finally see my husband for who he really was.
