I Discovered My Son’s Secret Plans — What I Did Next Changed Everything

Maggie loves Lara, her daughter-in-law. She therefore won’t keep quiet when she hears her son, Dan, organizing a night out with his mistress.

She goes right to his treachery with Lara at her side. However, simply exposing him is insufficient. Maggie is going to give her son a lesson instead, one that will cost him everything.

I have two sons. James, my oldest? A devoted spouse, a fantastic father, diligent, truthful, and compassionate.

My other son? Dan.

Dan has consistently been… challenging. Selfish. lazy. He was the kind of child who always sought the simplest solution and got by on charm. Dan shifted from one “passion” to another while James established a life.

When he said, “It’s just the way I am, Mom,” “Life is full of opportunities, and I want to try them out!”

The most recent? A fitness blogger from the area who offers online classes on “proper nutrition and sports.” He loved the attention, but he hardly had any followers.

The likes, the comments, the tiny taste of celebrity.

We had come to terms with the fact that Dan would never be married. We were therefore taken aback when he married Lara six months ago.

What about Lara?

She was a dream, I see. She was polite, considerate, and sweet—exactly the kind of woman I hoped Dan could be. A fantastic spouse and an even more amazing daughter-in-law. A lovely spirit. And for a second I really thought she could transform him.

However, Dan is Dan.

And I discovered just how much of a fool I had been a few of nights ago.

Dan was in my guest bedroom in the late afternoon. Since he and Lara lived in a studio apartment, his digital setup was out of space. He kept making noise while recording, and I was accustomed to him arriving and disappearing.

Dan’s voice, muffled but still discernible, came from the hallway just as I was putting on the kettle.

“Yes, babe,” he said with a laugh. “I also miss you. However, she will be working until late tomorrow, so we may visit the restaurant before checking into the hotel. “Yes?”

There was a brief period of silence.

“Yes, Jen, the upscale eatery on Paradise… The time will be texted to you.

I clutched the teabag container in my hands. I felt sick to my stomach.

This man was being unfaithful.

On Lara.

The lovely female who prepared his lunches at home. who found his poor jokes funny. who had faith in him while the others had lost all hope.

As I switched off the stove, my hands trembled. And I made my choice right then and there.

I refused to allow Lara to be another lady taken by surprise by Dan’s self-centeredness. I would have told her everything. We also intended to discipline Dan.

I went to pick Lara up from work the following afternoon. She wiped her hands on her apron and smiled warmly as she greeted me. She was employed at one of the city’s busiest bakeries.

“Maggie! How unexpected! Why are you here? She smiled as she asked.

I inhaled deeply.

“Lara, sweetheart, we need to talk.”

I told her everything when we were sitting in my car. All of the words I had heard. All I had suspected.

Her face turned white.

Her voice broke, “He… he said that?”

“Lara, I respect and love you too much to keep it a secret. I reached for her hand and murmured, “You’re the daughter I never had.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she gripped her apron firmly with one hand. She didn’t break, though.

She took a deep breath and muttered,

“I’d like to witness it firsthand. Which restaurant do you know?

I gave a nod.

“Then, my love, let’s go. He was on the phone when I heard which restaurant.

Dan had booked a table at a nice restaurant for dinner. The bill might make you cry, but it’s one of those dimly lit restaurants where the food is given in little portions.

Lara and I found the ideal location near the window and snuck inside.

And there he was.

Sitting across from a blond woman wearing a tight red dress is my kid, smiling foolishly. Jen.

She laughed at something he said as she leaned in and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

I observed Lara digging her fingernails into her hand. My hand touched her knee.

“Lara, take a breath. It hasn’t ended yet.

She mumbled, “Unbelievable,”

We avoided going up against them. Not quite yet. We merely observed. saw him pour her a glass of wine. observed him murmuring in her ear. observed him pretending that he was not married to the most amazing woman he would ever meet.

Someone who deserved a million times more.

Then they walked out of the restaurant hand in hand.

And we went along with it.

We waited in the car as they got closer to the hotel two roads away. I didn’t want to hurt Lara’s feelings, even though I knew we were acting morally. Dan was already doing that, though.

I took my phone out.

“I assume he shared something about it on social media. Dan is that dumb. “He can’t help but post clues about his ‘private life.'”

“Let’s check his story,” Said Lara.

And there it was.

A blurry black-and-white image of a hotel corridor with the dumb caption:

Privacy is crucial.

All the solutions were visible when Lara zoomed in.

Her words were, “Room 312,”

Bingo.

Dan had provided for all of our needs.

Just as we reached the third floor, Dan and Jen vanished into the room.

She let out a deep breath and said, “Are you sure you want to do this, Mom?”

When she called me Mom, I adored it. My heart melted over that. And I came to the conclusion that I genuinely loved this girl.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Lara,” I said. “He cannot get away with this.”

We rushed in after that.

Jen was straddling Dan’s lap as he lay on the bed with his shirt already partially unbuttoned.

When he realized what was happening, his face turned completely white.

“What the… Mom?!” he screamed, frantically trying to shove Jen away.

Lara wasn’t in tears. She wasn’t shouting. She just grabbed Dan’s phone off the table, along with his watch and wallet, and held it up.

“Smile for the camera, Daniel,” she added.

She suddenly went live on social media.

Dan’s supporters poured in. Those who truly believed in his “perfect athlete and family man” character made up his small but devoted audience, and they were watching and listening.

“Hey, everyone!” Despite her shaking hands, Lara spoke steadily into the camera. “I take it that everyone considers this individual to be an example? An ideal husband? A faithful companion?”

The camera shifted to Dan.

Jen covered her face and screamed. Dan sprang for his phone.

He said, “Turn it off, dammit!”

I moved ahead of him.

“Oh, honey, don’t you dare.”

Lara’s eyes were fixed on the camera.

“Get to know the real Dan. A liar. A liar. A phony. He does this while urging you to become “better, stronger, healthier!” while his wife supports him at work. The man you follow is this one. The man you trust is this one.

I grabbed my phone and joined the live stream. I hoped the comment section would blow up.

Hold on! Is he married?

Is this the person from whom I purchased a diet plan?

Immediately unfollowing! What a farce!

Is he being unfaithful? And he is being exposed by his wife? Funny!

Dan yelled. His expression was filled with panic and anger as he grabbed at his hair.

However, it was too late. He had been seen by everyone. The really him.

The consequences were severe.

Lara filed for divorce. Dan lost everything. He was promptly dropped by sponsors. Overnight, followers disappeared. What about Dan’s classes?

Requests for refunds poured in.

My oldest, James, cleaned his hands of him.

“Not at all. Dan, I’m not going to save you this time. And why would you harm Lara in that way? I feel ill because of you. I do not wish for my children to know you.

And me?

What a mother had to do, I did.

I let him go.

Because you have failed as a mother if you raise a son who doesn’t appreciate his wife.

That night, I may have lost a son, but I also got a daughter.

And I would always pick Lara.

Lara sat at the kitchen table and traced the rim of her mug with her fingers. Her chest felt heavy, and the tea’s warmth did little to relieve it. It was obvious.

She muttered, “I still can’t believe you stood by me like this,” in an emotionally charged voice. “You were not required to. You had the option to simply disregard it. You pretended not to hear any of it.

The lump in my throat was swallowed.

“Sweetheart, how could I?” I spoke quietly. “I cherish you. Even though we are not blood relatives, you are my daughter.

Lara’s eyes were glassy when she gazed up.

“But it must have been painful. to witness your own son in such a state of exposure.”

My hands tightened around my mug.

I said, “It broke me, Lara,”

She stared at the scone before her and asked, “Because of what he did to me?”

“Because of what he turned into,” I said. “Because I brought up a man capable of degrading a woman like you. Moreover, I was unable to stop it.

Lara laughed a little too softly. “And instead, you helped me destroy him.”

I grinned. “Damn right I did.”

She squeezed my hand as she reached across the table.

“I lost my husband,” she said, “but I gained a mother.”

My eyes hurt with tears.

“And I’ll always choose you, sweetheart.”

After Dan moved out of his flat and into Jen’s house a week later, Lara was left to fend for herself. However, he had returned home for a last family gathering this evening.

Dan appeared to be the pouting kid he had always been as he stood with his arms crossed in my living room. James was sitting next to me, and I was afraid he could shatter his teeth from the tightness in his jaw.

“So, what now?” Dan laughed. “You guys are just going to cut me out completely?”

James gave a quick exhale.

“You did that yourself, Dan.”

Dan gave an eye roll. “Oh, hurry up. Lara is doing well. She received her retribution. What more would you like?

I looked at him, feeling sick to my stomach.

“Fine?” I spoke in a low, perilous voice. “You made her feel ashamed. You ruined your own marriage. What did you ruin everything for? A cheap thrill?

Dan laughed. “It wasn’t like that…”

“Shut up, Dan.” James’s piercing tone ripped through his justifications. “For once in your life, shut up and take responsibility.”

Dan even dared to chuckle.

“Oh, please. I’ve always been disliked by you. This is merely a pretext to exclude me.

With shaking hands, I got to my feet.

“Do you think this is easy for me?” I muttered. “Do you think I wanted to be ashamed of my own son?”

Dan paused his grin.

“Dan, you have always had my love. even if you didn’t succeed. even after you let us down.” I took a deep breath. However, this? After this, I can no longer support you.”

James was standing next to me.

“Neither can I.”

Dan glanced between us, his eyes blazing with dread.

His voice cracked as he questioned, “You’re choosing her over me?”

I gave a nod.

“Dan. I’m going with what’s right instead of you.”

I turned aside after saying that. James came next. What about Dan? At last he was alone.

Some betrayals are worthy of being revealed. Certain men are deserving of losing everything. And occasionally? The family you were born into is not your true family. You get to pick one.

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