"Excuse me," the older woman said carefully. "We thought this was private."
"It was," I replied. "My name is Margaret."
"Oh…" The older woman knotted her fingers together. "You're... his wife."
"Yes. And you're his mistress, aren't you?"
"Mistress?" The older woman asked sharply. "How can you call me that? You knew about us. Thomas told me you had an arrangement. He told me you'd been separated for years. That you stayed legally married for insurance and appearances. He said you both agreed divorce would hurt the boys."
The older woman knotted her fingers together.
"And you believed him?" I almost laughed. "We didn't have 'an arrangement,' and we weren't separated. He told me that he worked late. He told me our finances were tight. Never once did he mention visiting and funding a second family."
The older woman pinched the bridge of her nose. The younger woman moved closer and stared at me. She had Thomas's eyes.
"He didn't tell you about us at all?"
I shook my head.
She looked at the older woman. "Mom, that means she doesn't know the rest of it either."
The older woman pinched the bridge of her nose.
"The rest of what?"
The older woman straightened. "He was going to leave you this year, after he retired. That's why we didn't attend the funeral. We thought we might not be welcome."
I swallowed. "He died two weeks before he could retire."
Silence settled over the unit. We stood there, staring at each other, Thomas's lies hanging over us. He'd never intended for me to find this place... the failsafe was for them. In case they needed it.
My knees gave out before I could stop them. I sat and pressed my hands to my face. Forty-two years collapsed inward all at once — every anniversary, every hospital visit, every Thursday night I waited with dinner in the oven.
I felt foolish. Old. Replaceable. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to lock the unit, drive home, and pretend I had never seen any of it.
Then the younger woman stepped forward.
"The rest of what?"
"I'm… I'm Sofia, and this is my mom, Elena."
"He was your father?"
Sofia nodded. "We genuinely thought you knew, Margaret. I'm so sorry you found out like this."
"Me, too, but now… now we need to figure out what happens next."
***
Three days later, my sons sat across from me at the kitchen table. I told them everything.
