My wife Sarah’s new job required us to move to a new city. We were excited about the change, especially since our son Derril, 7, could join a soccer club, his favorite sport. At first, everything seemed great—Derril was happy, and I settled into working from home in cybersecurity.
But soon, Derril started acting withdrawn. One day, I found him crying, claiming he didn’t want his soccer coach, Mr. Sanders, to “replace” me. He’d seen Mr. Sanders hug Sarah after practice, and it made him uncomfortable. Concerned, I watched Sarah and Mr. Sanders interact from a distance, noticing their closeness.
I confronted Sarah, who admitted Mr. Sanders had been helping with a dangerous man from his past who had been stalking her. She apologized for not telling me earlier, and we met with Mr. Sanders, who confirmed the threat.
One night, Derril screamed that someone was outside his window. The police arrested the stalker. Mr. Sanders explained he’d recognized the man’s dangerous behavior from his own past. While we were grateful for his help, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right about the whole situation. Now, I didn’t feel safe and wasn’t sure what to do next.
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