My Husband Told Me His Mistress Is More Important Than Our Children. He Didn’t Know I Was Recording The Whole Conversation. How Do I Make Sure He Never Sees Them Again?

Thursday, I brought Jake to the same office. He was more nervous than Mia had been, asking me if he had to talk about Daddy and Gloria.

I told him he could talk about whatever he wanted, that Curtis was there to help him feel better. Jake went into the office holding Curtis’s hand, looking small and scared.

This session was longer, almost an hour. When they came out, Jake looked exhausted.

Curtis asked to speak with me again, and this time his face was more serious. He said Jake’s session was harder because Jake didn’t have the words for his feelings yet, being only seven.

But Jake had drawn a picture during their time together, and Curtis showed it to me. The drawing showed our family, but Lance and Gloria were on one side holding hands, and the three of us were on the other side with a thick black line separating the two groups.

Jake had drawn the line over and over, making it dark and heavy, creating a wall between his father and the rest of us. Curtis said the drawing spoke volumes about how Jake understood the family split, how he saw his father choosing Gloria over him and his sister and me.

He said he’d keep the drawing for his files and continue documenting both children’s progress and distress. I started keeping a detailed journal of every single interaction after that.

When Lance missed Jake’s soccer practice on Saturday because he was taking Gloria to dinner downtown, I wrote it down with the date and time. When Lance told Mia he couldn’t attend her school art show because it was the same night as Gloria’s gallery opening and obviously Gloria’s event was more important, I documented his exact words and Mia’s reaction.

When Lance promised to take the kids to the park on Sunday but spent the day with Gloria instead, leaving them sitting by the door waiting for him until I finally told them he wasn’t coming, I wrote down every detail. I took photos of the kids’ disappointed faces, text messages from Lance cancelling plans, and times he showed up six hours late smelling like Gloria’s perfume.

I created a file on my computer with everything organized by date, every broken promise and every choice he made that hurt our children. Jillian told me this documentation would be powerful in court, showing a pattern of neglect and broken trust that no judge could ignore.

Two weeks into therapy, Curtis called me to his office without the kids. He sat me down and told me both children were showing clear signs of emotional distress directly related to their father’s behavior and Gloria’s presence in their lives.

He said Mia was developing anxiety about going home, worried about what Gloria might criticize or throw away next. Jake was having trouble sleeping and had started acting out at school, getting into fights with other kids when he never had before.

Curtis said the damage was real and measurable, and it was getting worse the longer they stayed in that environment. He offered to write a professional assessment for custody proceedings, a detailed report about what he was seeing and how Lance’s choices were harming his children.

I accepted immediately, thanking him for being willing to help us. He said he’d have the assessment ready within a week, and it would clearly state that the children needed to be removed from the situation for their mental health and well-being.

That weekend, Lance made his big announcement. He came home Friday night with Gloria and gathered us all in the living room like he had important news to share.

He said Gloria’s lease was ending next month and it didn’t make sense for her to get a new place when she was at our house all the time anyway. He said she was moving in with us permanently and we all needed to accept it.

I felt my stomach drop and felt rage build up in my chest. I told him absolutely not, that Gloria was not moving into our house where our children lived.

Lance looked at me with a cold expression and said I didn’t get to control his life anymore. He said this was his house too and he could have whoever he wanted living here.

Gloria smiled at me from behind him, and I knew she’d been planning this, pushing for this, wanting to take over our home completely. I didn’t argue anymore that night because I knew it wouldn’t matter.

Instead, I went upstairs and called Jillian, telling her what Lance had just announced. She said this was actually good for our case because it showed Lance prioritizing his mistress over his children’s emotional well-being in their own home.

She told me we should let him proceed while we prepared to file for divorce and emergency custody. I grabbed my phone and dialed Jillian’s number with shaking hands.

She answered on the second ring, and I told her what Lance just announced about Gloria moving in. There was a pause; then she said,

“This is actually perfect for our case.”

She explained that Lance moving his mistress into the family home while the kids are living there shows he’s putting his relationship before their emotional well-being. She told me to send her an email tonight documenting my objection to Gloria moving in, making it clear I told Lance no and he’s doing it anyway.

Then she said,

“We let him proceed with this terrible decision while we file for divorce and emergency custody.”

Her voice was calm and strategic, like she’d seen this pattern a hundred times before. I thanked her and hung up, feeling slightly less panicked now that I had a plan.

That night after Lance went to bed, I sat both kids down at the kitchen table. Mia clutched her stuffed rabbit and Jake kept picking at a loose thread on his shirt.

I told them Daddy had decided Gloria is going to live with us starting next month. Mia’s face crumpled immediately and Jake just stared at the table.

I reached across and took both their hands, telling them Mommy is going to make some changes to keep them safe and happy. Mia looked up at me with tears streaming down her face and asked if we can leave instead, if we can go somewhere without Gloria.

I squeezed her hand and promised that yes, very soon we will have our own place where it’s just the three of us. Jake asked if Gloria will throw away more of our stuff, and I told him she won’t get the chance because we’re leaving before she can hurt them anymore.

They both hugged me tight and I felt their relief mixed with fear, knowing I needed to move fast. Saturday morning, I started looking at rental houses online while Lance was at the gym with Gloria.

I searched for places near the kids’ school so they didn’t have to change districts and lose their friends. Most places were too expensive or too far away, but then I found a small three-bedroom house just four blocks from their school.

The rent was more than I was paying now, but I could afford it if I picked up extra shifts at work. I called the landlord and arranged to see it that afternoon.