Target of Affection

Chapter 9: Hidden Truths and Unspoken Hearts

Lois sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the crumpled sheets. The house was quiet now, save for Peter's loud snores from the other side of the bed. She'd spent years pretending this was normal, but tonight, the weight of it felt unbearable. Everything in her life felt like it was crumbling, and the one person she thought might understand—Naomi—was part of the very mess she'd created.

Lois glanced over at Peter, his oblivious face buried in the pillow. He hadn't noticed her pain. He never did. How could he, when he was so busy being... Peter? She thought back to all the times he'd brushed off her feelings with a joke or a clueless comment. The nights she'd cried herself to sleep, wishing she could be anywhere but here.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and her heart skipped a beat. It was Naomi.

**Naomi**: Are you okay? I've been thinking about you.

Lois stared at the message, her fingers trembling as she typed out a response.

**Lois**: I'm not sure. I don't know how much longer I can do this.

She hit send and placed the phone back down, her thoughts racing. The affair had been her escape, but now it felt like a trap of its own. How long could she keep lying? How long before it all came crashing down?

---

The next morning, Meg was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and scrolling through her phone when she noticed her mom walk in. Lois looked tired—more than usual. Meg hesitated, watching as her mom moved about the kitchen, her movements slow and distracted.

"Hey, Mom... are you okay?" Meg asked quietly.

Lois froze for a moment, then forced a smile. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just a lot on my mind."

Meg nodded, but she could tell something was off. Lois had been distant lately, and there was a sadness about her that Meg couldn't quite place.

As Lois turned back to the stove, her phone buzzed on the counter, and out of habit, Meg glanced at the screen. Her heart dropped when she saw the message.

**Naomi**: I miss you.

Meg's mind raced. Naomi? Wasn't that the woman from Target? The one her mom had mentioned before? Why was she texting her mom... like that?

Lois quickly grabbed the phone, but not before noticing the look on Meg's face. There was a tense silence between them, both of them unsure of what to say.

Meg's voice was small when she finally spoke. "Mom... what's going on?"

Lois looked at her daughter, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd been so careful, or at least she thought she had. But now, Meg knew something was wrong.

"I... I don't know how to explain this to you, Meg," Lois said, her voice shaking. "It's complicated."

Meg swallowed hard, feeling the walls closing in. "You're cheating on Dad, aren't you?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Lois felt tears welling up in her eyes as she nodded, unable to lie to her daughter any longer. "Yes. I am."

Meg didn't know what to feel—anger, sadness, confusion. It all swirled together in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She looked at her mom, the woman she'd spent years resenting, and now all she saw was someone just as lost as she was.

"Why?" Meg's voice cracked. "Why would you do this?"

Lois wiped at her eyes, sitting down at the table across from Meg. "I don't know how to explain it, Meg. Your father... he's not a bad person, but he's never really been there for me. He doesn't see me. And Naomi... she made me feel seen. She made me feel like I mattered."

Meg looked down at her coffee, her hands trembling slightly. "So, what now? Are you going to leave him?"

Lois sighed, the weight of the question pressing down on her. "I don't know. Part of me wants to, but... your father, he has this way of making me stay. He'll do or say something so stupid, but then I can't bring myself to walk away. I'm trapped, Meg."

Meg nodded slowly, trying to process everything. Her mind flashed to Riley, and suddenly, she understood more than she wanted to. The fear of being hurt, the fear of being left behind—it all made sense now.

"I get it," Meg said quietly. "I get why you feel trapped."

Lois looked at her daughter, her eyes softening. "Do you?"

Meg took a deep breath, her heart pounding. She hadn't planned on telling her mom about Riley—not yet, at least—but now it felt like the right time. "I... there's someone. Someone I like."

Lois blinked, surprised. "Really? Who?"

"Her name's Riley," Meg said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She's... she's different. She's nice. But I'm scared, Mom. I'm scared of getting hurt, of letting someone in and then having them leave."

Lois reached across the table, taking Meg's hand. "Meg, I understand that fear. I live with it every day. But you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be with someone who sees you for who you are. Don't let fear stop you."

Meg felt tears well up in her eyes as she nodded. "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

The two of them sat there in silence, the weight of their secrets and fears hanging between them. For the first time in a long time, Meg felt like she wasn't alone. They were both trapped in their own ways, but maybe—just maybe—they could find a way out together.

---

As the day wore on, Lois couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that clung to her. She'd confessed to Meg, but she hadn't yet faced the hardest part: telling Peter. She looked at him now, lounging on the couch in front of the TV, completely oblivious to the storm brewing around him.

Peter turned to her, grinning. "Hey, Lois! Guess what? I found an old VHS of my high school football game! Wanna watch me fumble the ball over and over?"

Lois sighed, her heart heavy. She loved Peter in her own way, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough—for him or for herself. And now, everything was falling apart.

But then, Peter said something that stopped her in her tracks. "You know, Lois... you're the best thing that ever happened to me. Even when I screw everything up, you're always there. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lois's throat tightened, the tears she'd been holding back finally spilling over. She wanted to leave, wanted to find happiness with Naomi, but how could she walk away from this man who, in his own strange way, loved her more than anyone else ever had?

She turned away, wiping her eyes, and whispered to herself, "I don't know what to do."

---

Upstairs, Meg lay on her bed, staring at her phone. Riley had texted her again, asking if she wanted to hang out. Meg hesitated, her heart torn between fear and the faint glimmer of hope that Riley represented.

Finally, she typed a reply.

**Meg**: Yeah, I'd like that.