Page 60 of Dear Debbie

“I’m tired,” I say. “I’m going to bed.”

I push past him, through the living room into the stairwell. I expect him to follow me up to the bedroom, but he doesn’t. He stays in the living room, and that’s where he spends the rest of the night.

47

FROM DEAR DEBBIE DRAFTS FILE

Dear Debbie,

I think my husband might be cheating on me.

I can’t be entirely sure, but all the red flags are there. He is completely uninterested in having sex with me and has been for several months now, even when I try to initiate. Sometimes I’ll call him during the day and can’t reach him at times when he should be available. On another occasion, he told me he was going out with friends, but when I texted the wife of one of these friends, she said her husband was home with her. And worst of all, I have smelled perfume on him that definitely was not mine!

When I ask him about it, he becomes very defensive. He says he feels hurt that I think he would do something like that.

What do you think? Do you think my husband is cheating on me, or am I being a “jealous wife”?

Sincerely,

Worried Wife

Dear Worried Wife,

I agree that a lot of your husband’s behavior is concerning for infidelity. Unfortunately, when a man is cheating, it is common for him to become overly defensive when confronted.

If you are highly suspicious that your husband is cheating on you, one thing you can do is search to see if he has an alternate phone that he’s using. Along those lines, he may have an alternate email address. If you can’t find anything on your own but you’re still suspicious, you may want to consider hiring a private investigator. If your private investigator turns up signs of infidelity, you may then want to consider hiring a lawyer. Or a hit man.

So as you see, you have many options.

Debbie

48

DEBBIE

The next morning, I make sure to wake Cooper up before the girls come downstairs. It won’t help matters if they discover their father sleeping on the couch. He looks at me with bleary eyes, then stumbles upstairs to take a shower or catch up on the sleep he missed during the night. He’s holding his back—the sofa is not the most comfortable place to sleep.

Lexi seems to be in slightly better spirits than last night. She isn’t crying at least. But like Cooper, she looks tired. She probably tossed and turned a lot during the night, but thankfully, she never discovered that her phone was missing. I managed to return it to her nightstand without waking her.

Izzy, on the other hand, is in a great mood. She’s back on the soccer team, and she doesn’t have to deal with a coach who is always putting her down. I should have gotten rid of Coach Pike ages ago.

I scramble up some eggs and put them on toasted English muffins. I have been making myself fiber cereal every morning, but I throw caution to the wind and make myself an English muffin with eggs as well.

“Would you like a ride to school again?” I ask the girls as I lay the plates of food down on the kitchen table.

“Yes,” Izzy says eagerly. She’ll never turn down a ride.

Lexi, who isn’t even wearing her headphones this morning, nods as well. “Sure. But I’ve got a physics test first thing in the morning, so I can’t be late.”

“Do I ever get you there late?” I challenge her.

She flashes me a grudging smile. “Not too often.”

“Try never.” I return her smile as I join them at the table. I am, in fact, habitually prompt. “Anyway, finish your food, and then we’ll go.”

Lexi looks down at the three plates in front of us, then over her shoulder at the stove. “Aren’t you going to make a plate for Dad?”

Well, that’s quite the loaded question. I open my mouth, not entirely sure how I’m going to respond, and that’s when the doorbell rings.