Mr Bob and Ms Racheal stayed for an hour to help me get things unpacked and settled here. After they left with Ms Racheal promising to call tomorrow, I took the boys outside to talk with them about everything alone. 

I tried to explain it as age appropriately as I could for them, they had big changes coming their way I wanted to prepare them for. They had questions as I knew they would but I feel like I navigated it better then was expecting too. I would have loved to do this with Eric together at some point but that ship sailed with his actions earlier. 

When I wake up the next morning there is a little boy tucked in behind me. I turn over and find Connor there with sleep still all over his face. I'm in the master bed room, Noah and Connor were both in the guest room last night and Chris took the couch. I run my fingers through his rich brown hair and caress the side of his cheek. 

"Good morning baby," I whisper to him and his eyes open just enough to peek at me. 

"Morning" 

"Was it that bad sleeping with Noah?" I chuckle at him. 

"He's ok, I just wanted to be with you," he says, sighing a little. 

"Well that's good because I just want to be with you too," I reply and kiss his forehead.

"I was thinking about grabbing McDonalds for breakfast, do you want to come with me? It could just be us," I ask with a smile, watching for one to appear on his face too. It does and I have my answer. 

"Should we be crazy and wear our pajamas in the car?" 

"Yeah!" He says, more excited now. 

The drive there and back is filled with songs, silly faces and promises of fun things we can do this weekend. I may be able to turn this multi-day Star Trek marathon into a mostly boys event. 

Just as we are pulling into the driveway my phone buzzes. I expect to see Eric's name after yesterday but it's Hope. I haven't talked to her yet but I'm sure she knows I know. 

Chris steps out of the house to help Connor with the bags of food and little orange juices so I motion to the phone and stay in the car to talk. 

Taking a huge breath I settle back in the seat and slide the answer icon across the screen. I hold the phone but wait for her to talk. 

"Hello?" She tentatively asks. 

"I’m here," I can hear her take a deep breath. 

"I know that you recently found out about Eric and I," she begins, "neither of us wanted to hurt you and it wasn't something that was planned or anything." 

"It doesn't matter if you pre planned breaking up my marriage or not you still did, how could you do this to me Hope? How could you do this to Connor and Noah! Vivienne will never know what it's like to live in a home with both her parents like the boys did." 

"I'm sorry! Everything in my life was falling apart and he was so nice and made me feel special when no-one else was! I love the boys, I wasn't trying to hurt them." She's crying now and I'm starting too. 

"But you kept doing it! I know its been months! You both are trying to make it sound like I'm over reacting, like it was just a one time slip but it wasn't. You both chose to hurt me for months. Months!”

"But it's done now!" She cries at me. I haven't forgotten the text that led to my discovery of all this (Since I don't have your angry wife at my door or a bunch of missed calls I'm assuming you still haven't told her). That sentiment doesn't seem to line up with the scene she's giving me now. Backpedaling much? 

I can't shake the feeling that I'm still being gaslighted, it's all out in the open but I'm still being lied to... 

"I don't know where we go from here Hope, I'm leaving Eric. I don't trust either of you anymore. I don't really want to see either of you more than I have to."

"Well that's going to be hard with you staying at my moms, maybe I can come over later and the three of us can try and talk over coffee or something?" She tries. 

Well if she thinks I'm at her moms that means she and Eric have been speaking still. 

"No Hope I don't want to hangout right now," I don't even bother correcting her on my whereabouts, I'd rather her not know exactly where I am. "I have to go." 

"Larkin, come on we can still talk this out. I'm so sorry again, I never wanted to break up your marriage too..." 

I hang up before I hear the rest. There's nothing she can say that will make me feel better, but the people waiting inside, and the breakfast lets be real, sure will, so after wiping my face and fixing my hair I head to join them. 

After we eat Ms Racheal calls and tells me and Chris that she has invited Hope over for dinner that night so she and Mr Bob could talk to her. She shares that they are planning on ending their financial support for her divorce attorneys. She has a whole team that's working hard to fight her ex and they're expensive. However, she and Mr Bob have no plans to cut her off from their life, she will just have to stand on her own. 

I think she was afraid that I would distance myself if she was still involved with them but I wouldn't do that. They're her parents. I just won't be around at much of the same things and that's ok with me. They both still love and support me and that's all I could ask for. 

By the time evening rolls around I have managed to turn the living room into a huge bed/pillow fort. Popcorn on the ready I call the boys, all 3 of them, to start the movie. 

"Wow mom!" Noah is the first in the room, "can we eat the popcorn in here!?" 

"Of course," I say, smiling at how excited they are. 

Connor is right behind him and his face lights up at the chaos in front of him. "This is cool, can we leave it up until tomorrow?" He asks. 

"Sure we can," Chris says from behind him, "maybe you guys can even sleep in here tonight," he adds his eyes smiling. 

Everyone piles into the plush fort and finds a spot. Chis is leaning against the arm of the couch and pulls me to rest against his chest, "lean on me so you don't get a back ache." 

With my back to him he can't see the blush that's creeping up my neck and face. The movie isn't as far out of my realm as I thought it would be. I dare say I'm interested to see the other 2 now. 

The boys both go to brush their teeth and get ready to sleep in the living room fort after it ends. After tucking them in Chris takes me outside to sit on the front porch swing he and Mr Bob installed last summer. 

"How are you doing?" He asks me after we sit down and get comfortable. I instantly start crying. Everything that has happened still doesn't feel real. I'm happy I'm with Chris but I hate that me and the kids are here if that makes sense. 

He scoots over even closer to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me slightly so my head rests on his shoulder. He's warm and God he smells so good. I relax a little more into him as I continue to cry. 

Eric's response to me and my discovery of his affair, I've never seen this side of him....and I've never been afraid of him before. I didn't just lose my marriage and home, I lost the man I thought I was married to. He's completely gone in my eyes. I blubber on between hiccups. Chris leans his head on top of mine and runs his fingers through my hair. 

"I’m so sorry this happened to you and that you went through that with him yesterday. I wouldn't have thought he had it in him but the way he spoke to you at the elevator? That's the last time he will ever do something like that in front of me again. If you can't stand up for yourself right now I will. I promise." 

"Can I tell you something?" I ask. "I'm partly upset because I'm not more....upset....about him specifically. Honestly Hope hurts more. I'm almost relieved now that I caught a glimpse of that side of him that I'm away with the kids, but I feel so bad that the boys are out of their home too and I feel like an awful mom for not protecting them better from something like this. I was so naive." 

"I think you're doing a great job in a shitty situation, the boys had a great night and they are inside sleeping safely because of your actions so that makes you a good mom. I'm always right so no back talk." He says booping the end of my nose making me smile a little through my tears. 

"And as far as not feeling more devastated that he turned out to be an asshole I think that's a great thing, it'll make it easier for me." He says a little quieter. 

"Wait, what was that?" I asked, trying to sit up a little. He keeps his arms around me and starts to speak again when he hears it too. 

"What is that indeed?" he says standing in front of me, effectively blocking me from the street. 

It sounds like tires screeching, braking and accelerating. It's getting louder. Who would be racing through a neighborhood at 10:30 pm? I lean around him trying to see and that's how I catch a glimpse of the white Tesla barreling toward Chris's house. We both know who that car belongs to. Hope.