You felt your 17 year old daughter sit on the other end of the couch but didn't look up from your book. “Hey mom?” she asked. “Hmm?” you mumbled, still not looking up. From the corner of your eye you saw her shift uncomfortably. “I was at the store earlier and I know you and mama say not to look at magazines because what they say isn't true, but I um...here, just look.”
She pulled the book out of your hands and replaced it with a magazine. Your heart dropped to your stomach when you saw the cover. The picture was a little blurry, but you could still make it out. It was Demi and she was clearly kissing someone, someone who wasn't you. “Demi Lovato: Breaking Wife's Heart?” was the caption.
“Was this on any other magazine?” you asked shakily. She nodded in confirmation. “Look, mom. It could just be photo-shopped.” You sighed heavily and set the magazine on the coffee table, cover down. “Can you watch your little brothers? They just went down for a nap, but I have to go out.” On any other day she probably would have said no, thinking it's lame to baby-sit them. But today she gave you a small smile and agreed, getting up to go to their room. She stopped as she reached the stairs, turning around to look at you. “I'm here if you ever need to talk about it.” It was a simple statement but it meant so much. It meant that if what was on the cover was true, that she was choosing to support you over Demi.
It was only 1 pm, so you knew Demi would probably be at the studio. Without a second thought, you grabbed your keys and the magazine and went to your car, intending on confronting Demi about this. You made it to the studio in record time, probably breaking several speed limits. When you stepped out of your car you were instantly swamped by paparazzi. You ignored them as usual, but one thing they said caught your attention. “Y/N, why doesn't Demi realize how good she has it with you?”
Despite your awful mood, you managed to smile hearing that. If what was on the cover was true, than at least people weren't blaming you. You walked in to the building and the lady at the front desk instantly recognized you, telling you that Demi was in the break room.
You saw Demi before she noticed you, because she was completely focused on her phone. You realized you hadn't planned this at all, so you just stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before clearing your throat. Demi glanced up and smiled when she saw it was you. “Y/N! What're you doing here?” Her cheery tone made you want to believe everything was okay, but you just needed to be sure.
You dropped the magazine on the table in front of her, sitting down on an empty chair. You watched her face carefully to see her reaction. Unfortunately, Demi had the best poker face you had ever seen. She appeared completely calm as she took in the cover. “Where did you get this babe?” she asked as she looked over at you.
“Haley saw it while she was out earlier. Demi, is it true?” You looked at her and prayed with everything you had that she would say it wasn't. Instead, she stood up and grabbed the magazine, walking over to the trash and dropping it in. “She should know better than even reading stuff like that.” Your heart sank as Demi completely avoided the question.
She didn't sit back down, choosing instead to open the fridge and rummage around inside. “Are you hungry? There's a few things in here you would like.” Her calm tone both angered and unsettled you. “Demi. Answer the damn question. Is it true?” It seemed like hours passed before she finally answered. “Yeah, it is. But you have to underst-” That was all you needed to hear.
You got up without saying anything and started leaving, only to be stopped by Demi gripping your arm. “What?” you snapped, choosing to be angry instead of upset. You tried to shake her hand off of you but she only held on tighter. “Would you believe me if I said it was a mistake?” You rolled your eyes at her stupid question. “It depends. How long has this mistake been happening?” You glared at her until she looked away, probably too ashamed to even make eye contact. “About a month” she mumbled.
You felt tears spring to your eyes at her admission. “A month?” you choked out, willing yourself not to cry. “The twins just turned one and you're out messing around. Does our life together mean nothing to you? I know we've been through rough times like when we adopted Haley and you took time off to be pregnant...but never once did I ever consider cheating. Am I not good enough for you? Is that it? Please tell me Demi, because obviously something's wrong.”
Demi loosed her grip on your arm just enough for you to pull away. She chewed on her bottom lip while staring at her feet, figuring out what to say. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “The first time was a mistake. We had just gotten into an argument over something stupid and I had already been in a bad mood. I went to a club and met this guy and one thing lead to another...I just couldn't stop it. Every time after that was just a stupid decision on my part.”
You could tell she had more to say but you didn't want to hear it. “Fuck you Demi. You could have stopped it but you made the choice not to. Now you've ruined everything.” You shook your head in disgust at her, wanting to leave but deciding not to. “I'm so sorry Y/N. He means nothing to me, you're the one I love and want to be with. What can I do to make it better?”
You stared at her, obviously she wasn't getting how serious this was. “Why should I believe a word you're saying? I don't trust you at all, for all I know you've been fucking around with him for years. I can't believe you.” She reached up to wipe away your tears, but you shoved her hands away and did it yourself. “Please just tell me what I need to do” she begged, her tone sounding desperate.
You didn't know what to say to her. You felt like your heart was shattered, yet you still loved her. Deep in your heart you knew that she really did love you and you loved her too. The problem was that she had broken the trust you had in her. It was going to take a huge effort on her part to regain it.
“You have to stop it. Right now. I want you to text him now and tell him that you're never going to see him again. Then when we get home you need to talk to Haley, because she was the one who found out first. She's mad at you and I don't blame her. And since I love you I'm going to forgive you, but we need to go to couples therapy. You can't blow it off either. Okay?” She nodded too fast for your liking. “I'm serious Demi. Only do this if you want to save our relationship. Do you want that?”
She paused, but only for a moment. “I want you and our family more than anything in the world, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you trust me again. I know you don't believe me right now, but I promise it won't ever happen again.” You wanted to kiss her right now but managed to hold back. Your relationship with her had almost been completely broken, and kissing would only make it seem like everything was okay. “I want you too, and I promise you I'll stay by your side as long as you still want me there.”
