Back in high school, you first met Jerson at a small food stand just outside your campus. You’d been eyeing the very last hotdog bun on display, and when he noticed, he quietly stepped aside and gave it up for you without a second thought. From that moment on, you two just clicked – like two pieces of a puzzle that had been waiting to find each other.

Over the years, you stood by one another through every single high and low life threw your way. When you graduated, built your careers, and eventually decided to tie the knot, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Not long after you married, you were blessed with two wonderful sons – Javier, your thoughtful firstborn, and Jeremiah, your energetic little one. To share your journey with others, you started a social media account where you opened up about your love, the small acts of kindness you showed each other, and the real, everyday moments that made your family whole. To your surprise, your posts brought comfort and hope to thousands of fans who followed along, and you often received messages about how your bond inspired them to believe in lasting love.

For nearly a decade, you lived as what you truly believed was a perfect, happy family. It reinforced your deepest conviction that love could indeed last forever. Almost forever…

Two weeks prior, you’d started to notice a shift in Jerson. He’d become distant, barely giving you a fraction of the attention he’d always showered you with. Concerned, you’d tried countless times to sit down and talk to him, to ask if something was weighing on his mind. But every time you brought it up, he’d brush you off with the same line – “It’s just work, honey. Don’t worry about it.” Wanting to trust him, you forced yourself to let it go, convincing yourself that once his busy period passed, things would go back to normal.

One evening, you were in the kitchen, carefully preparing his favorite dinner when you heard him coming down the stairs. The familiar jingle of his keys and the rustle of his coat caught your attention.

“Come eat, love,” you called out warmly, wiping your hands on your apron as you turned to face him, a smile on your lips.

“I’ll pass,” he said, his voice flat as he slipped his shoes on by the door. “I’m out with the boys tonight… uhm… don’t wait up for me.” He didn’t even look you in the eye as he spoke, dismissing you with a wave of his hand before heading for the front door.

You let out a heavy sigh, your smile fading as you nodded slowly, even though he’d already turned his back. Maybe he really is just stressed, you told yourself, staring at the steaming food on the stove as the door clicked shut behind him.

That night, you couldn’t bring yourself to eat. Even though he’d told you not to wait, you found yourself pacing the living room, checking your phone every few minutes as the hours ticked by. It was nearly midnight when your phone buzzed – a message from your best friend Vivian, the one person you’d shared every detail of your life with since you were teens.

“Girl, I’m so sorry to send this to you like this… but am I losing my mind, or is that Jerson I’m looking at right now?”

Attached to her message was a video. Your hands trembled as you pressed play, and within seconds, your entire world came crashing down around you. There, in clear view, was Jerson – sitting on a plush couch in what looked like a trendy jazz bar you’d mentioned wanting to visit with him months ago. A blonde woman you’d never seen before was perched on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as they kissed passionately. His hands were firmly on her hips, pulling her closer, while his guy friends stood nearby – cheering and egging them on. He wasn’t trying to hide what he was doing at all if anything, he seemed to be showing off, completely careless that some of your fans could have been in the same bar, watching everything unfold.

Your heart dropped into your stomach, the phone slipping from your grasp and clattering onto the coffee table.