My dad had an affair with his co-worker, and he wants me to act as if nothing happened

Photo byKevin DelvecchioonUnsplash

It was around the middle of August when my father (M50), started talking about one of his coworkers. Her name was Sarah (F32), and at first, it seemed like nothing much to me. He talked about how she was always willing to help out at work and how she was good at her job. But as time passed, I started to get a sense that something was off. I could see it in the way he talked about her, the way he would look at his phone when she texted him. I didn't say anything, but I knew.

A few weeks later, my dad invited me to come down to his office to hang out while he worked. I used to go there all the time as a kid, so it didn't seem like a big deal. I stayed in his office room while he went off to do his work, but after a while, I got bored and decided to explore. That's when I met Sarah for the first time.

I know it's not right to judge people based on their looks, but Sarah was not a pleasant sight to me. I can't describe it any better than to say she looked like a mix between a witch and a goblin. She smiled at me and introduced herself, but I could feel that something wasn't right. I didn't trust her.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I was getting more and more suspicious of my dad. He promised to take me to the mall one day to get some new clothes, and I agreed. We stopped at a fast-food place to eat, and that's when he tried to tell me about his affair with Sarah. I shut him down immediately and told him that if he didn't stop cheating on my mom (F48), I would never forgive him.

A few days later, my mom called me into her room and showed me pictures of my dad and Sarah together. They were kissing and holding each other, and it was clear that they were more than just friends. I was in shock and didn't know what to do. I felt like my whole world had been turned upside down.

My mom and my dad went through a lot of legal stuff, and there were times when I thought they would get a divorce. After I found out about the affair, out of nowhere, my dad started sending pictures of houses in the family group chat. My mom told me that they were going to look at houses together. I couldn't understand why she would want to stay with him after what he did, but I guess love is a strange thing.

Over the next few months, I watched as my dad became a different person. He had no remorse for what he did and seemed to enjoy hurting my mom. He told her that he never loved her and that he loved Sarah. He even threatened to hurt himself if he lost the divorce hearing. It was hard to watch.

My mom and I would talk about everything that was going on, but it seemed like we were the only ones who cared. My dad would mock us and make fun of us when we tried to talk to him about it. He didn't seem to understand how much he had hurt us.

Now, everything seems to be back to normal. My dad and my mom are still together, and we're all pretending like nothing ever happened. But I know that things will never be the same again. I feel like I'm living with strangers, not my own family. I love my dad, but I don't know if he loves me.