Three days.

That’s how long my mother had been missing.

Three agonizing, sleepless nights. Three days of frantic phone calls, endless dread, and the sinking fear that I might never see her again.

My mother, Edith, was 67 and had Alzheimer’s. She had wandered away from home in the middle of the night while I was four hours away, dropping the kids off at summer camp.

The plan had been simple—I would drive them there, stay overnight at a motel, and return the next morning. Nate, my husband, was supposed to watch over her.

He had promised.

Then, at dawn, my phone rang.

I barely recognized Nate’s voice—it was panicked, frantic.

“She’s gone, Claire!” he shouted. “Edith—your mom—she’s missing! I don’t know how it happened! I just woke up, and she wasn’t here.”

My blood ran cold.

I had left her in his care. How could this happen?

I didn’t even change out of my pajamas. I threw everything into my overnight bag and drove home, my hands shaking the entire way.

For three days, we searched.

The police got involved. Flyers were posted. A hotline was set up. Every hour that passed felt like a year.

Nothing.

The guilt consumed me. I should have been here. I should have taken her with me. It would’ve been difficult, but at least she would’ve been safe.

Then, on the fourth morning, a police cruiser pulled into our driveway.

My heart leaped to my throat.

I ran to the window, and there she was—weak, disheveled, but alive.

Relief flooded my body.

But when I turned to Nate, expecting him to exhale in relief, his reaction made me stop.

He wasn’t relieved.

He looked… nervous.

A cold unease settled in my stomach, but I pushed it aside.

I’d deal with him later.

I threw open the front door as the officers helped my mother up the steps.

She smelled of sweat and earth, her clothes crumpled from days spent wandering alone.

“Claire-bear,” she murmured, using the childhood nickname she had given me. Her voice was weak. “Where were you? I was waiting so long.”

Tears burned my eyes as I pulled her into a tight hug.

“Mom, where did you go?” I whispered. “What happened?”

But she wasn’t looking at me anymore.

Her gaze shifted—sharp, focused—locking onto Nate.

Her frail hand lifted, trembling, and then she pointed.

“You need to arrest him.”

Silence.

The officers glanced at each other. Even Nate stiffened beside me.

“What?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You need to arrest him,” she repeated, her voice clear, steady—lucid.

This wasn’t the fog of Alzheimer’s.

This was something else.

I turned to Nate. His face was pale, his lips parted like he was scrambling for words.

“Mom,” I said carefully, “what are you talking about?”

She swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes never left Nate.

“Three days ago,” she began, her voice trembling, “I saw him. I saw Nate… in your bedroom. With another woman.”

My breath hitched.

“What?” I whispered.

“I heard voices,” she continued. “I thought it was the kids playing, so I went upstairs… but it was him. With her.”

I felt like I was going to throw up.

Nate shifted beside me, rubbing his face. “Claire, she’s confused. You know how she gets—”

“No!” Mom shouted, her voice raw. “I saw you!”

I turned to her, my hands shaking. “Mom… what happened next?”

She let out a shuddering breath.

“I asked him what he was doing,” she said, tears now running down her face. “He tried to tell me I was mistaken. He said the woman was… a homeless person he was helping.”

I blinked. “What?”

“She had red-bottomed shoes, Claire. Does a homeless woman wear Louboutins?”

My stomach churned.

And then Mom’s face crumpled, her expression shifting from anger to heartbreak.

“I told him I was going to tell you,” she whispered. “And that’s when he said—” She paused, eyes glazing over.

I grabbed her hands. “Mom, what did he say?”

“He told me…” she swallowed hard, “that I didn’t live there. That this wasn’t my home.”

The air whooshed out of my lungs.

“What?”

“He said I was confused,” she whispered. “That I was at the wrong house. That you didn’t live here anymore. He told me to leave.”

I staggered back.

Nate finally spoke, his voice rushed, desperate.

“Claire, she’s not well! You know how Alzheimer’s is! She probably saw something on TV and mixed it up with—”

I spun on him.

“TELL ME SHE’S LYING, NATE!” I screamed.

The police officers shifted uncomfortably, standing on the sidelines, but I could see it in their faces. They knew.

I knew.

Nate ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily.

“Fine!” he snapped. “Yes, she walked in on something. Yes, I had a woman over. But Claire, it wasn’t serious!”

I clenched my fists.

“You let my mother—my sick, vulnerable mother—wander the streets for three days just so you could cover up your affair?”

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked away.

Coward.

The man I married—the man I trusted—had thrown my mother out of the house like she was nothing.

“Ma’am,” one of the officers cleared his throat. “We, uh… we don’t have evidence of a crime here. There’s nothing we can do legally.” He paused. “But… you should probably rethink who you share your home with.”

I nodded stiffly.

“You can leave,” I said. “Thank you for bringing my mother back.”

As the officers left, I turned back to Nate.

“I trusted you,” I whispered.

His face softened. “Claire, come on, don’t do this—”

“Get out.”

His mouth hung open.

“What?”

I took a step forward. “Pack your things, Nathaniel. I want you gone.”

He exhaled sharply. “Claire, please—”

“We’ll talk after I pick up the kids. You can explain to them why you don’t live here anymore.”

He hesitated, then muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed his bag.

The front door slammed behind him.

I exhaled, the weight of everything crashing down.

Then, suddenly—

“Come on, Claire-bear,” Mom said, her voice soft, familiar. “Let’s go make some tea. And chocolate cake.”

I looked at her.

And I knew—the moment was gone.

Her mind had slipped back into the fog.

Tears burned my eyes.

But still, I took her hand.

And together, we went to the kitchen.

I had two weeks before the kids came home.

Two weeks before I would have to look them in the eye and tell them everything.

And I had no idea how I was going to do it.