Part 2: I discovered my husband was having an affair with my best friend while we were all on the same airplane—and neither of them knew I was there. Instead of confronting them, I sent a small, beautifully wrapped gift to their seats.

He bent forward, his shoulders shaking.

I placed an arm around him.

Teresa wiped her eyes.

"I've cared for Eli for almost three years."

I stared at her.

"Where?"

"Mostly in Colorado. Mrs. Mercer rented a house there. Recently, they moved him to Chicago."

My stomach tightened.

Megan had told Dawson she visited her sister in Denver.

Apparently, she'd been visiting her son.

Her living son.

The child she claimed was dead.

Teresa continued.

"I thought Mr. Bennett was the boy's father."

I looked up.

"Ryan?"

She nodded.

"He visited often. Eli calls him Daddy."

Dawson made a terrible sound.

Teresa's eyes filled.

"But I found paperwork last month. Old hospital documents. Another father's name."

She looked directly at Dawson.

"Yours."

Teresa handed us a copy of a birth record.

It listed the child as Elliot James Mercer.

Mother: Megan Mercer.

Father: Dawson Mercer.

The document did not establish what had happened afterward, but it confirmed that Megan had given birth to a live child.