The Disneyland Affair

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A fever had me in a daze, my head thick and heavy, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

The delivery guys voice came through the door, announcing a delivery for a Mr. Cole.

I took the bag and thanked him, a small smile playing on my lips. Id only told Cole about my fever before bed, and here he was, already sending medicine.

But when I opened the bag, I froze. Inside were condoms, lube, and a toy that made my head spin.

I had just pulled out my phone to demand an explanation when a new text message popped up.

It was from the Disneyland Resort, confirming Mr. Coles reservation at the Pixar Place Hotel.

My heart clenched.

Staring at the confirmation, I numbly opened my text thread with Cole. Just half an hour ago, hed sent me a video to check in.

Babe, even when youre not here, Im being a good boy for you.

Miss you, babe.

Babe, this is the hotel Im staying in tonight. Ill bring you back a present when Im home tomorrow.

I hadnt watched the video then, but now my fingers trembled as I pressed play. My heart pounded like a drum, the seconds ticking by as Cole panned the camera around the hotel room, showing me every corner. His voice, laced with a smile, floated from the speaker.

Its a king-sized bed tonight, babe. But if you were here, Id definitely have gotten us a suite

I paused the video.

Zooming in on the image, my eyes caught a glimpse of a heating pad on the nightstand. Disbelief washed over me. I took a screenshot and ran an image search on Amazon. The exact same one popped up.

And just like that, I shattered. I sank onto the rug, my gaze hollow as I stared at the home wed built, at the condoms and the sex toy on the coffee table.

I remembered him complaining right before he left for his business trip, "I hate traveling for work. All I want to do is cuddle with my wife."

I remembered his video call right after his plane landed, whining, "The food on the plane was terrible, not nearly as good as yours."

Id laughed at how childish he was, how the cutthroat CEO I knew from the business world turned into a big kid in front of me.

Hed just smiled and said, "Around you, I get to be a kid again."

But that same man, my Cole

He was cheating on me.

Numbly, I dialed his number.

He picked up almost instantly, his voice carrying the heavy breathlessness of someone who had just been exerting himself. "Babe, what's wrong?"

His tone was as gentle as ever, no different from any other day.

But tears were already streaming down my face.

"Cole," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Would you ever betray me?"

I choked back a sob, forcing the question out again. "Would you ever betray me?"

The tears fell freely now. I could hear a rustling sound in the background on his end, the unmistakable sound of someone else moving. Before Cole could answer, I heard him let out a low groana sound I knew all too well. It was the sound of arousal.

An overwhelming wave of betrayal crashed over me.

A violent nausea churned in my stomach, and I lurched to my feet, barely making it to the bathroom before I started retching. The mere thought of that scene was suffocating. Through my own heaving, I could hear Cole trying to mask his own state, his voice now a concerned, husky whisper.

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Are you still feeling sick?"

After a moment of silence, he said, "I'll be back as soon as I'm done here tomorrow. Don't worry, okay? Ive got to run, something just came up."

The sound of the toilet flushing drowned out the end of his sentence.

By the time I wiped the tears from my face, he had already hung up. I stared at our chat history, then at the box on the coffee table, its contents a searing indictment. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Then, laughing through my tears, I called my best friend.

"Jess? Don't you have a friend who works at Disneyland?" I cut straight to the chase.

"Cole's cheating on me."

"He's at Disneyland," I told her, my voice flat. "I need to know what kind of person hed throw away ten years of marriage for."

I hung up the phone.

I sat in the living room all night. I didn't sleep a wink.

Finally, a message from Jess came through. At the exact same moment, another one arrived from Cole: "Babe, I booked a flight for tonight. I'll be home to make you some soup. Take care of yourself!"

Below it was an emoji: [love you.]

Then, I opened the file Jess had sent. It was a picture, taken this morning, of Cole and a young woman leaving a hotel together. Another photo showed them at the park, using a VIP entrance.

Jess was furious in her message.

"That bastard is actually cheating! Is he even human? Where would he be without you?!"

I couldn't process her words. I just stared at the picture of the girl, a strange sense of familiarity creeping over me. My heart skipped a beat. I frantically scrolled through my contacts, my eyes landing on a familiar selfie.

I tapped open the chat.

There was only one message, from six months ago. The girl had added me and sent me a small amount of money with a note: [This is for your troubles, miss.]

I froze. I clicked on her social media profile and saw a new post from today.

[My crush is treating me like a princess!]

The photo was of her holding a bouquet of balloons, her smile radiant. It was a well-taken shot; the photographer had captured her perfectly. I scrolled down. A post from last night: a picture from inside a hotel room, of her cuddling up to a man's arm, winking playfully at the camera.

[He told me he's loved me all along.]

Further down.

[He said yes! Officially mine! Congrats to me, hehe.]

The picture was of their hands, fingers intertwined.

And then, I scrolled further.

The date stamp was from the day I miscarried.

[My crush said nothing is more important than me. I'll always be his number one priority.]

The photo was of her on an IV drip, a man's hand clutching hers tightly. Every post was a monument to their sweet, budding romance. But that hand I had looked at that hand for nearly a decade. The scar on the back of it was too distinct.

A scar he got because of me.

If it werent for that.

The stabbing pain in my heart was unbearable. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Cole and I had come to this.

A video from Jesss friend came through with a message: "Should I keep following them?"

I was already in the car, on my way to the airport to meet Jess. I told her friend to stay on them. Of course, I had to see. I had to know why the trip to Disneyland I'd been asking for, the one Cole never had time for, was suddenly possible for someone else.

On the plane, my mind raced. I imagined storming up to them and slapping him. I imagined a screaming match with the girl, forcing Cole to choose. I imagined calmly walking up to him and telling him I wanted a divorce.

In the end, I did none of those things.

Jesss friend got me through a side entrance, and I found myself standing near the carousel. And there he was. Cole, holding a camera, a gentle smile on his face as he filmed the girl. She blew him a heart-shaped kiss, and he, in turn, made the same gesture backa gesture hed never once made for me.

The girl, sitting atop a white horse, shouted, "Cole, I love you!"

She yelled, "I love you more than anyone in this world!"

And I heard Coles voice, clear as day, call back.

"I'll love you too. Always."

I stood there, hidden behind sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, less than three feet away from them. I felt like a thief, spying on someone else's happiness, listening to the man who had shared my bed for a decade declare his undying love for another woman.

And I was nothing but an outsider.

My fingers trembled until they were numb, the feeling spreading to my chest, where it felt as if a dull blade was being forced into my heart, twisting and tearing until all the warmth bled out, leaving only a dry, gaping wound.

Tears blurred my vision.

My body was shaking uncontrollably. Just as Jess was about to charge at them, I grabbed her arm and dialed Coles number. I watched him pull out his phone, glance at the screen, and then look back at the girl who was now getting off the carousel.

He declined the call.

Once.

Twice.

A third time.

The girl walked over to him. "Who was that?"

Then, she saw my name on the screen and her face soured. "Aren't you ever going to divorce her?" she pouted.

"If you don't, I'll always be the other woman, hiding in the shadows. Cole, I don't want to be a mistress. I don't!" Her voice rose to a whine.

I watched Cole decline my call again, then pull the girl into a hug. "Okay, okay, my little princess. How could you ever be a mistress? You're the treasure of my heart."

"Then what is she?"

Cole fell silent, and my own heart squeezed tight.

Yes, what was I?

I held my breath, waiting. Then I heard Coles voice, dismissive and casual. "We've been together for ten years. There's been nothing between us for a long time. It's just... obligation. And after she lost the baby, I felt guilty."

"But I promise you," Cole said, his voice firm. "Before your birthday, I will be in your social media posts, officially. How does that sound?"

The girl beamed, throwing her arms around him and planting a loud, wet kiss on his cheek.

The sound hit me like a sledgehammer, crushing the last sliver of hope I had for him.

As they were leaving, Cole sent me a text to explain himself: [Babe, I'm still in a meeting. I'll call you back when I'm done.]

Then I watched him put his phone away and follow the girl back to their hotel. A little while later, she posted again, truly a princess in her castle.

The photo was of her wearing a tiara, holding out her hand as a man kissed the back of it. Even without his face showing, the sweetness was palpable.

Her caption read: [My crush promised me the most amazing birthday party ever... He's going to make me a real princess!]

I looked at her post and let out a sharp, mocking laugh. Then I took a picture of the Disneyland castle and posted it myself.

[Ten years together, and you're still the one by my side.]

The picture was of me and Jess, smiling together.

It didn't even take a minute.

Coles call came through.

He sounded frantic. "Babe, you're in L.A.? Why didn't you tell me?"

His voice was tight with anxiety. When I didnt answer, he grew more agitated, his eyes darting around as if he was terrified of spotting me. He was testing the waters.

"I thought we were going to come to Disneyland together. Why did you go by yourself?"

I found it hilarious.

I had asked him to take me at least five times, and every time, he had an excuse, always leaving me with a vague, "Later," or "Some other time."

He always said, "Babe, we have all the time in the world. I want to work hard now while we're young, to build a better future for us."

And I actually believed he loved me.

Maybe he did, once.

But love can curdle. Over time, it can collect filth and rot, spawning uncertainties that lead to days like today.

"Babe," Cole said, so preoccupied that he ignored the girl who was tugging at his arm. He walked out of the hotel, scanning the area.

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Babe, do you want me to come pick you up?"

I watched him scurry around like an ant on a hot pan, savoring the sight for a moment before I calmly told him, "No, that's not necessary."

I didn't tell him when I was coming back, like I usually would have. I didn't ask when he was coming home, either. He was the one to ask.

"So, are you coming home today?" The panic in his voice was unmistakable. "Or are you staying in L.A. for the night?"

I glanced at him from my vantage point and said with a small smile, "We'll see."

I hung up and watched as Cole, visibly on edge, bundled the girl into a car and drove off. I was in a car right behind them. The taxi I was in wasn't a coincidence; it was my arrangement. I had a clear view of the girl throwing a tantrum in the passenger seat. "You're still scared of her, aren't you?"

"So what if she's here? Is she going to eat us?"

Cole didnt know he was being watched. He simply silenced her with a kiss. After they landed, I followed them.

He dropped the girl off at an apartment, and I realized with a jolt that it was a property we had bought right after we got married. It had been sitting empty all this time, or so I thought. I never knew he was using it as a love nest.

I watched Cole return to our home.

He sat in the living room, staring blankly at the box of condoms I hadn't moved. Then, as if remembering something, a look of horror crossed his face. He snatched his phone and frantically dialed the girls number. Through the security camera feed on my phone, I watched him interrogating her.

I heard her sobbing on the other end, and I heard Coles voice soften as he tried to comfort her.

"Even if she knows, it doesn't matter. We were going to have to face it sooner or later."

He was right.

Sooner or later, we would have to face it.

So when Cole called me, I was at a hotel, finalizing plans.