Robert, 32, a husband and father, has been comfortably balancing work and family life with his wife, Candice, and their five-year-old son, Samuel, affectionately known as “Sam.”

Robert and Candice have been married for eight happy years. Initially, both worked, but for the past five years, Robert has been the sole provider for their family while Candice has been a stay-at-home mom.

So, while Robert worked until 7 p.m. five days a week, Candice took excellent care of the home and of their son.

However, things took a puzzling turn when Robert noticed a change in Sam’s behavior towards Candice. Whenever she tried to kiss him or hug him, he would do his best to avoid her presence. Robert was aware there was something wrong going on. He couldn’t undestand why his son felt so distant when it came to his mother.

A few days passed by and Robert decided to talk to Sam.

“Sam, why have you been avoiding your mom recently?” Robert asked one day while Candice was out of the house, running errands.

“Mom has changed. She has a secret and doesn’t want to share it with me,” Sam answered, his face reflecting confusion and sadness.

“What do you mean? What secret?” Robert asked, afraid of his son’s answer.

“When you are at work, she often cries in her room. When I walked in there and asked her why she was crying, she screamed at me and told me to go. She was holding a photo, but as soon as I walked in, she put it into the green box and hid it under the mattress,” Sam tried to explain.

Robert was shocked. He couldn’t help but wonder what could make his wife so sad, and what was in that green box Sam talked about.

“How often have you heard your mom crying?” Robert was eager to learn.

“This week she’s been crying almost daily. She thinks I don’t pay attention, but I still hear her and see her swollen eyes. But now she locks the door to her room and when I come to the door and ask her what’s the matter, she acts as if nothing has happened. I don’t like it, Daddy. You need to do something about it,” concerned.

“Don’t worry, son. Your mom probably has a reason for it. I’ll talk to her,” Robert reassured Sam. But deep down he was worried because he had no idea what was going on with his wife.

Two talked for a short while when Sam went to his room to play with his toys.

Although he was aware his action wasn’t appropriate, Robert couldn’t help but check under the mattress and look for the green box that made his wife sad.

Inside, there was some jewelry and a photograph.

The photo featured a happy family, but what caught Robert’s attention was the resemblance between the man on the photo and Candice. At that point, Robert’s mind went to the darkest places. Could Candice be cheating on him? Why did she have that photo of that family Robert has never seen or heard about before.

With the photo in his hand, Robert decided to confront Candice.

“Candice, do you have a secret lover?” he asked directly, with a trembling voice.

“What? Rob, what are you talking about?” Candice answered defensively.