To hide his affair, Herman inflicts emotional distress upon his stepson. When his jilted wife, the boy’s mother, learns the truth, she calmly delivers justice. The soft melodies of Billie Holiday filled the room, the sultry voice surrounding the entangled figures on the white sofa. Herman, in his thirties, and Jezebel, his mistress, shared stolen moments in the dimly lit living room. “This is so naughty of us!” Jezebel whispered. “What if your wife comes home early? “My wife hasn’t come home early in at least a year! We have the whole morning,” Herman insisted. “The whole morning!” Jezebel echoed. “Well, in that case, best we make the most of it, Mr. Loverman. Kiss me like you mean it. “That’s not all I’m going to do; just wait,” Herman replied, tossing his sweater aside. They lost themselves in the moment, but a creaking door interrupted them. Panic gripped the pair; Herman’s wife wasn’t supposed to be back for hours. “Who is it?” Jezebel whispered. “It can’t be my wife,” Herman pleaded. “She told me she was working late. Quick, get—” The front door slammed shut, and Herman faced the music. A young voice broke the tension. “Herman? Are you here?” Herman’s son, Jake, entered, backpack slung over his shoulders.

“What are you doing home, Jake?” Herman asked angrily. “They made us go home early because of a scare,” Jake explained. “They thought there was someone with a gun in the school. Herman, who is this lady?” Jake asked, looking at Jezebel. Herman denied Jezebel’s presence. “Jake, you must be seeing things. “But I see a lady right there,” Jake insisted. Herman concocted a lie about Jake’s shock from the school scare. “Close your eyes and count to ten. If you can’t see the ghost, it can’t see you. And you see, it’ll disappear if you do that. ”Jezebel disappeared into the bedroom as Jake obediently counted. When he opened his eyes, the woman was gone. “I made her disappear?” Jake exclaimed. “You got rid of the ghost. You’re a brave young man,” Herman assured. After coaxing Jake to keep the encounter a secret, Herman allowed him unlimited screen time. After Jake left, Jezebel re-entered the room, disapproving of Herman’s actions. “What was that? You lied to your son? “Stepson,” Herman corrected. “What did you expect? Tell him about us? Admit to our affair? I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us together. ”Jezebel sighed. “Okay, cool,” she said. “That was close, though,” Herman said. “We’ll get back to what we were doing another time! “Yeah,” she agreed, kissing him goodbye. “See you later, Loverman,” she added seductively. Herman’s wife, Grace, returned home after sunset. Tension enveloped the dinner table as they sat down to eat. Jake seized the opportunity to share his peculiar day. “Mom,” he began, “we left school early today because they thought there was someone with a gun inside. “What…what happened?” Grace gasped. “It was a false alarm. Everything’s fine, right, Jake?” Herman interjected. “I’m fine,” Jake said. “But when I came home, I saw a ghost.” “A ghost?” Grace asked, concerned. “It’s just his imagination,” Herman intervened, concealing his panic. “Post-traumatic stress from the school scare.”