My son has begun mentioning “mommy’s new friend” as someone who has been around some. Today after I picked him up from school and took him to soccer practice he mentioned that Mommy’s new friend was at the house last night. That prompted me to finally say something as I feel I have the right to know who is around my child in his home at night. To her credit, she told me and it’s her first love from high school. I think he’s a decent guy as far as I can tell from some light online stalking. It stings to come face to face with the inevitable introduction to my kid. This guy has kids too from two different relationships. So they are gonna be a very blended family. Turns out the timeline goes way back and explains why her narrative has been that I was an abusive, narcissistic, malignant husband when that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was all a cover to justify her cheating. That’s actually a relief for me because I was gaslit into believing it WAS all my fault. I don’t deny that I helped create the conditions that made her decisions easier, now I can see the greater picture and why the whole enchilada collapsed so quickly. Anyway, it’s amazing how the story can continue to develop months into the process of divorce. I’ll sleep a little better tonite knowing that she carries the weight of this and will forever. And I can now tell a different version that doesn’t paint me as a monster.