Alice*, 51, made a sickening discovery on her husband’s laptop
WORDS: ASHLEIGH PAGE *ALICE, KEVIN AND JODIE ARE NOT THEIR REAL NAMES. PHOTOS (POSED BY MODELS): GETTY
Eyes glued to the big screen, I reached into the cardboard bucket on the armrest next to me.
Grabbing a handful of popcorn, my hand brushed my date’s as he did the same, and I felt a tingle of excitement.
Kevin* and I were on a first date after meeting through friends, and sitting next to him in the dark of the cinema, I knew I wanted to see him again. After the film, our conversation flowed easily. Kevin was a successful businessman, seemed dependable and sensible, and after a few more dates, I introduced him to my two children.
They got along well and things between Kevin and I were amazing. So much so, that after just a few months of dating, I asked the kids if they’d be OK with Kevin moving in.
It was fast, but we were both in our 40s and we’d completely fallen for each other.
‘As long as you’re happy, Mum,’ my eldest shrugged, and I truly was.
So happy in fact, that when Kevin proposed soon after, I said yes.
DATING SITES
After we married, life became a whirlwind of working, raising the children and taking care of our dog. Then after a few years of marriage, I discovered something on Kevin’s laptop.
I was using it to do some shopping and found dating sites in the search history. I felt my heart rate quicken as it dawned on me what my husband had been up to.
‘Explain yourself!’ I seethed when he got home from work.
He’d never given me any sign he was unhappy in our marriage or interested in other women, and I’d never felt so hurt or betrayed. We were the kind of couple who held hands on the street and always made sure to kiss each other good night. It didn’t make sense.
‘It doesn’t mean anything,’ he said to me. ‘I was bored. Nothing happened. I’m sorry.’
Of course I was still upset, but what would you do? This was the man I loved, the man I had a life with. I convinced myself it was just a bit of flirting and forgave him, believing we could move past this blip.
But then, just before our eighth wedding anniversary, he started sleeping downstairs on the sofa every night and refusing to come to bed. He seemed distant and moody, giving me the silent treatment.
‘What’s going on, Kevin?’ I asked gently.
But he refused to give me a straight answer, and then he barely spoke to me at all. After a week of living with his moo
