Margaret’s marriage is in jeopardy—she’s shocked to discover her husband has two cell phones. Desperate to save her marriage and provide a stable family for her daughters, she fights for it, unaware of what’s truly best for her children and herself.
The alarm pierced the pre-dawn silence, and Margaret silenced it quickly. After freshening up, she went to the kitchen. The coffee machine’s soft hiss filled the quiet morning. Preparing lunches efficiently—peanut butter and jam sandwich for Lisa, sliced apples and peeled oranges for Rosa, and a chicken sandwich for Tom—felt empty now. She and Tom weren’t as close as before. “Mom?” Lisa’s voice interrupted Margaret’s thoughts. “Good morning, sweetie. Your lunch is on the counter.” “Is Dad up yet?” Rosa bounded in, full of energy. “He’ll be down soon,” Margaret replied with a forced smile.
Tom appeared a few minutes later, nodding briskly to Margaret, but there were no affectionate gestures or conversations about their day. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked. “Yes,” Tom replied quickly. “Got an urgent meeting today. Gotta eat fast and leave. Girls, take the bus, okay?” “Is it with Mr. Dickens?” Margaret asked. “Sort of,” he said, avoiding her gaze. He thanked her for breakfast and prepared to leave, then realized his phone was missing. “Let me help you look for it,” Margaret offered, but Tom insisted she focus on her tasks. Ignoring him, Margaret went to his office and heard a phone vibrating in a drawer. “Tom, I think it’s here!” she called, but he had already found it and left abruptly.
Confused, Margaret opened the locked drawer with a hairpin and found a phone that looked just like Tom’s. Her heart raced as she discovered messages from Pearl, Mr. Dickens’s daughter, indicating secret meetings. She went to the address mentioned in the messages and saw Tom and Pearl together, kissing. Devastated, Margaret hid and cried, feeling the weight of her wedding ring. She knew she had to act for her daughters’ sake.
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