My Husband Gave Our Son His Laptop but Forgot to Delete His Secret Photos From It
Brian discovered a password-protected folder labelled “PRIVATE” after requesting to use his father’s computer. He was overcome by curiosity and was able to deduce the password for the folder. But what was within astounded him.
The eighteen-year-old Brian was deep in concentration on his assignment at the quiet Greenwood home. After a difficult day at college, Alex, his father and Brian’s instructor in economics, looked tired when he got home. Amanda, Brian’s mother, worriedly said, “You look exhausted,” as she welcomed Alex.
Alex groaned, talking about the obligations of the conclusion of the semester. “It’s been a long day,” he said.
The topic of Brian’s time at college came up during supper with the family. Brian replied, “Classes are good,” and then, a little nervously, “There’s this girl, Elizabeth White, but she seems to avoid me.”
At her remark, Alex stiffened. Elizabeth White? Brian, you should avoid her at all costs. With uncommon sternness, he declared, “She’s not a good influence.”
“Parents, why? What is the issue with her? Astonished, Brian inquired.
“She’s known to be quite frivolous… seen with various boys.”
Brian felt dejected. Elizabeth truly appealed to him. “Either way. I’d like to use your laptop later, dad. My own is behaving strangely,” he observed, changing the subject.
Alex said, “You can use it anytime, of course.”
Brian sat in front of his dad’s laptop the next morning, having the entire home to himself. He came found a “Private” folder that was password-protected out of sheer curiosity. He was shocked when it truly opened the folder and revealed what was within, remembering “Rocky0710,” the date of their pet dog’s birth.
As Brian clicked on the first photo, his heartbeat accelerated. It showed his father and Elizabeth holding hands warmly against the backdrop of the ocean. Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek in a different photo.
Brian was now struck with reality and understood why his father had always opposed Elizabeth.
“How could he?” Feeling heartbroken and startled at the same time, Brian muttered.
The more Brian considered how his dad had betrayed his mother, the more enraged he became. His concern was that his mother would not be able to accept the reality about Alex. However, Brian was also motivated to exact revenge on his father for his actions.
Weeks passed, and Brian continued to hide his sentiments as he worked out a strategy. He determined that getting his revenge during the graduation ball would be ideal.
There was a lot of enthusiasm on the ball night.
Brian eventually took the stage, his secret weighing heavily on his shoulders. He spoke up and declared, “Today, I’m going to share the truth about my dad.” There was a loud gasp in the hallway as he stated that and the images of Alex and Elizabeth appeared on a large screen.
The room began to fill with whispers, and Alex got up and moved towards the stage. He stammered out, “I’ve been unfaithful to both my son and my wife for a long time.” His confession was weighing heavily on his tongue.
Alex continued to speak despite Carla Thompson, the principle, trying to stop him. It’s not what you believe, though. I’m not dating Elizabeth… Everyone gasped as he revealed, “She’s actually my daughter.”
“Mrs. Thompson, the college director, is her mother,” Alex continued.
Mixed emotions erupted in the hall as everyone attempted to process what Alex had just said.
It turns out that Alex and his wife, Amanda, had a major dispute eighteen years ago, when Brian was still a baby. After learning from his friend Adam that she was dating someone else, he became enraged with her. “How on earth did you do this to me? To ourselves? I looked at your pictures with that guy.” She got a scream from Alex.
Like she wasn’t at fault, Amanda was shocked. She wasn’t, in actuality. She even attempted to clarify that she was at a friend’s house and that everything had been misinterpreted.
Alex, though, was uninterested. Angrily, he stormed off to a neighbouring pub in an attempt to ignore his problems. The drink server made an attempt to cheer him up, but it was Carla—his former coworker and a professor at the institution where Alex served as principal—who asked him to come to her birthday celebration at the bar that evening in order to divert his attention.
When the party came to an end and the evening progressed, Carla noticed that Alex wasn’t feeling well and offered to take him to her house. They kissed and spent the night together after having too much to drink.
The following morning, when he awoke at Carla’s house, Alex felt terrible about everything that had transpired, especially what he had said to Amanda.
When he arrived home early in the morning, Amanda became concerned. “Alex, what’s been going on? She said, obviously agitated and alarmed, “You smell like alcohol.”
To conceal his actions, Alex made up a fiction about his location. He turned away from Amanda and remarked, “I was just at a mate’s place and lost track of time.”
Amanda then opened up about her reality. “Remember those pictures we took at the hotel with that guy and me? To clear up any confusion, she pointed to some receipts and stated, “Well, he was planning a surprise for your birthday.”
Alex felt terrible and acknowledged Amanda hadn’t done anything wrong, so he apologised to her. “I truly apologise. I ought to have trusted you more.” But he didn’t want to aggravate her further, so he didn’t tell her about his own error.
After Amanda declared, “From now on, let’s promise to believe in each other,” they made the decision to start afresh. Taking a fresh start, Amanda’s first priority was making sure Alex had an amazing birthday, and she gave it her all. Friends, family, and coworkers were all laughing and telling stories at the party; even Carla was having a fantastic time.
However, that changed when Carla pulled Alex aside. She said, sounding quite serious, “We need to talk.” Alex then went outside with her. She then made a shocking announcement: “Alex, I’m pregnant, and it’s your baby.”
Alex gasped. If his one-night stand became public knowledge, his reputation would be ruined. Carla therefore came up with a scheme: “I’ll get away, have the baby, and then give it to a shelter.” I would like to take over as principal when I return. This is not the child I desire.”
As Alex said. Alright, Carla. He made a significant choice that would alter their life, saying, “We’ll do it your way.”
As Alex concluded telling his story to a group of professors and students, Brian’s eyes filled with tears. Shocked by the discoveries, the hall fell silent.
Elizabeth became enraged and lost control. She walked up to Alex and said, “You told me that my mother died and that you never knew that you had a daughter when I found you!”
“Elizabeth, I was terrified. With a look of forgiveness in her eyes, Alex said, “I couldn’t face the truth about the shelter…about leaving you.”
Elizabeth, however, slapped him back and bounded out in response. With a man who had lied to her and his family, she had no desire to work with them.
“I want to never see you again,” Brian angrily declared to Alex. “You’re a liar and a traitor.”
He also fled the hall in disgust. In the middle of all of this, Amanda was so overcome by the disclosures that she suffered a heart attack and passed out. The audience parted in shock and concern as the rescue team hurried in.
Alex sobbed on a bench by herself as the paramedics carried her away. Telling the truth was his attempt to make things right, but it ended up making everything worse. Brian was unable to forgive Elizabeth for his treachery, and Amanda became quite ill due to the stress of the situation.
As he sat there that calm night, Alex realised that he had upset a number of people by his decisions. It appeared to be quite difficult to put things right again. One step at a time, he would have to acknowledge the hurt he had inflicted and work to earn back their trust.