After His Affair, I Fight for Custody
Chapter 1
The superhero decorations gleamed under the afternoon light streaming through our living room windows. I'd spent weeks planning every detail of Atlas's fifth birthday party—from the custom cake with his favorite character to the hand-painted banner hanging across our fireplace. Everything had to be perfect. My son deserved nothing less.
I checked my watch again. 3:15 PM. Cameron was forty-five minutes late.
"Mommy, is Daddy coming?" Atlas tugged at my dress, his eyes wide with anticipation behind his miniature superhero mask.
I bent down to his level, adjusting the cape I'd sewn myself. "Of course he is, sweetheart. He's just running a little late from work."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. Cameron had promised he'd be home by 2:00 to help set up. I'd called him three times already, each call going straight to voicemail.
My mother-in-law caught my eye from across the room, her expression a mixture of sympathy and resignation. She knew. Of course she knew. I'd been the one caring for her during her hospital stay last month while Cameron claimed to be working late. Now I wondered what—or who—had really been occupying his time.
The doorbell rang, and Atlas sprinted to answer it, hoping it was his father. Instead, it was Cameron's sister Rory, bearing an enormous wrapped gift.
"Sorry I'm late," she said, not quite meeting my eyes. "Traffic was awful."
The same excuse Cameron would undoubtedly use when he finally showed up.
An hour later, when the party was in full swing with children running through our backyard and parents chatting over punch, Cameron finally arrived. His hair was slightly disheveled, his tie loosened—the picture of a hardworking husband rushed off his feet.
"Traffic was a nightmare," he said, kissing my cheek quickly before kneeling to scoop up Atlas. "Happy birthday, little man! Sorry Daddy's late."
Atlas forgave him instantly, throwing his arms around Cameron's neck. I wished I could do the same, but something felt off. Cameron's cologne was different—stronger, fresher, as if recently applied. And there was a faint smudge of something on his collar. Lipstick? I looked away, pushing down the knot forming in my stomach.
"It's cake time," I announced, forcing a smile.
Everyone gathered around our dining table as I carefully lit the five candles on Atlas's superhero cake. Cameron stood beside me, his arm around my waist in a display of perfect family unity. I could feel Rory watching us from across the table, her expression unreadable.
"Make a wish, buddy!" Cameron encouraged as Atlas leaned forward, his little face scrunched in concentration.
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Atlas, in his excitement, leaned too far forward. His cape brushed against one of the candles, and as he tried to pull back, his small arm knocked over another. Hot wax splashed across his skin, and his scream pierced the festive atmosphere.
"Atlas!" I cried, immediately grabbing him and rushing to the kitchen sink. Behind me, guests gasped and murmured as I ran cold water over his reddening skin.
"It hurts, Mommy!" he sobbed, his little body shaking against mine.
"I know, baby, I know," I soothed, examining the burn. It wasn't severe, but it would blister. "Cameron, get the first aid kit from the bathroom!"
Cameron stood frozen for a moment before his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. His face changed—a flash of panic, of something urgent and private that had nothing to do with his injured son.
"I have to take this," he said, already moving toward the door. "Work emergency. I'm sorry."
"Cameron!" I called after him, incredulous. "Your son is hurt!"
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised, but his eyes were already elsewhere, his mind clearly consumed by whatever—or whoever—was on the other end of that call.
And then he was gone, leaving me alone with our crying child, a house full of shocked guests, and the ruins of a birthday party I'd spent weeks planning.
"Let me help," my mother-in-law said quietly, appearing at my side with a clean towel.
I nodded numbly, still processing what had just happened. As I cradled Atlas against me, something fell from Cameron's jacket pocket—a folded paper that had been dislodged in his hurry to leave.
Hotel receipts. Four of them, dated over the past two months. Each one made out to Cameron Oliver and T. Wright.
T. Wright. Who the hell was T. Wright?
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