The Silent Surrogate: A psychological suspense thriller by N.L. Hinkens

Author:N.L. Hinkens [Hinkens, N.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781947890107
Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing
Published: 2019-09-16T23:00:00+00:00

30

October 25, 2008

I finally broke down and drove two hours to my parents’ place yesterday to tell them the truth about your addiction. I spared them the explicit details, but I didn’t minimize the extent of the problem. They were speechless at first, confused, not believing what they were hearing. That’s what happens when someone is blindsided by news like this. You always came across as the perfect spouse, the consummate professional who had everything together. After I answered all their questions, and explained that I was going to leave you, they got angry. Mom yelled at me, completely distraught, and then she burst into tears. “I don’t understand,” she sobbed over and over again. “How did this happen? How could you have let this happen under your own roof? My grandson deserves better than a broken home.”

I felt so helpless as I watched the tears rolling down Mom’s face. I relate to her distress only too well. I've wrestled with those same tangled emotions for the past few months—that three-pronged pitchfork of frustration, confusion, and rage. And the never-ending questions. What could I have done differently? Why didn’t I realize it sooner? How is all of this going to affect Jonathan? I don't have any good answers.

I wish I knew what drove you to addiction. Were you discontent? Were you missing something in our relationship? You’ve never offered me a good explanation. I thought all along we were happy together, you, me and Jonathan. As far as I was concerned, we had it all.

Dad was more stoic in his response. Twenty years in the military taught him a level of self-control Mom has never been able to master. He asked all the practical questions. Had you ever been arrested? Are you dipping into our savings to fund your habit? Did you ever put Jonathan in harm’s way? I hesitated a moment too long before answering that last one. He knew I was hedging, reluctant to throw you under the bus. His drawn expression masked the storm of emotions inside, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, searching for a way to make things better like he always does. But he can’t make this better. Only you can do that.

After Mom had calmed down a bit, we discussed the situation. Bouncing a few ideas off my parents helped clarify things for me moving forward. I feel like I have a solid game plan now. Before I left to drive back home, they assured me of their support and even offered Jonathan and me a place to stay if we needed it. They want to help in whatever way they can. They're disappointed in you and hurt for me, of course. But more than anything they're scared for Jonathan. And they should be.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.