However, his visits every Thursday gave her energy. Hence, his big brother, Liam, and his wife, Emma, encouraged him to keep coming over. Jacob’s own wife, Melissa, also loved what he was doing for the family but couldn’t join them because of her work schedule.

Liam had already taken too much time off his job, so he had to work when things were relatively calm. Therefore, most Thursdays, it was just Jacob, Emma, and the girls in Liam’s home. But it was lovely. Jacob adored every moment because no one knew how long they had been with Mia.

“Well, Mia. Barbie could have a girlfriend, right? It’s the 21st century, girl,” Jacob teased, grinning and poking her stomach gently.

Ella laughed. “Yeah, a girlfriend!” she agreed with her uncle, and they all continued playing for a while, trying to decide who Barbie was dating. Jacob made special voices for other characters, and the girls ate it up.

Emma came over and smiled at the scene, grateful to have such a caring brother-in-law for her daughters. She made sugar-free lemonade and healthy cookies for everyone because Mia had to eat healthily. But no one minded, not even Ella. She was only four but understood how her sister needed to improve and tried to help.

“Hey, everyone. Let’s put the Barbies down for a while and eat some treats,” Emma said, putting the tray with glasses and cookies on the coffee table. The girls went for it, and Emma reminded Mia to eat slowly and carefully.

Jacob wished he could take them out for real ice cream, but it wouldn’t be possible until they found a match for Mia. For now, they had to find happiness in these quiet, joyful moments where she was having fun surrounded by family.

He could watch those girls for hours, but a particular phone notification went off on his phone. It was his security system. His entire home was smart, and he could control almost everything remotely. He was also alerted to almost everything happening when no one was home.

Jacob looked at the time, and his wife, Melissa, wouldn’t be home from work yet, so he frowned as he opened the app. However, something told him to step away from his nieces and Emma.

“Can you excuse me for a second, Em?” he said, and she nodded, crinkling her eyes. Jacob walked to the kitchen, pulled his AirPods out, and opened the live stream to his security camera. At first, he had no idea what he was watching, not because it was blurry. But because it was impossible.

He saw his living room, which was similar to his brother’s house, as they had gotten a deal on some furniture, but something insane was going on. Jacob saw Melissa, who should’ve been at work still, taking her tight skirt off and jumping on the lap of his brother Liam.

Jacob’s brain commanded his hands to stop the live stream and demanded to look away. But his body wasn’t listening. He was glued to the stream and the sounds of his brother cheating with his wife, and by the looks of it, they were having a fantastic time.

Finally, he was able to look away and stared at Emma and Liam’s fridge. It was covered almost completely with magnets from their travels. They had been high school sweethearts. In the center, they had Mia’s medication schedule and a calendar of future doctor visits.

Jacob hoped that looking away would help him calm down his heavy breathing, but it only got worse. He felt destroyed, He and Emma tried to cheer the girls up during the worst time of their lives while their spouses were having an affair.

The worst part is that he didn’t know how long they had been doing it. Was it the first time? His phone had never notified him like this before, even though the cameras had been installed for months after a series of burglaries around their neighborhood.

But how could they do this? How could they betray the family like this? They were all close, but Jacob would never have suspected any attraction between his wife and big brother. His thumb began to hurt, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He realized he had been holding the phone too firmly and looked back at the stream. It was still going on, and he finally closed it. The app would record it automatically. He didn’t want to wait until they finished their activities.

“Jacob, are you alright? Do you want something to eat?” Emma asked, scaring him.

“Jesus,” he said, holding his chest but putting the phone quickly in his pocket.

“I’m sorry,” she smiled.

“No, I just was distracted. No, I’m not hungry. I got an email from work,” he shook his head and grinned slightly to assure her. “Let’s get back to the girls.”

They returned to the living room, where the girls had started playing with the dolls again. They called their uncle over, and Jacob mustered his best poker face to sit with them and continue their afternoon. Mia suddenly got tired and asked about taking a nap, so he helped Emma as best he could and bid her goodbye.

Jacob pulled out of Emma’s driveway but couldn’t go further without checking his phone. He clicked on the app, and luckily, the events had ended. But Melissa and Liam were now in his kitchen, talking and… laughing.

That was almost worse than the cheating. He had spent his afternoon worried about cheering up his niece while those two acted like a happy new couple. That broke something in him, and Jacob knew there was no turning back.

Liam had been his role model for his entire life. Their father and grandfather were fantastic, but Liam was good at sports and at getting girls, and Jacob had wanted to emulate him forever. He usually failed as he was better at academics, but his big brother never let him feel bad about it.

He told Jacob that it was better to be smart than good at sports, and Jacob knew he was right. Liam encouraged him to get into tech; now, Jacob earned much more than him. However, they were family. They supported each other.

Jacob would readily offer if Liam needed something for Mia’s medical bills. Their family was there for everyone. That’s how they were raised. Never in a million years would he have predicted such actions from his big brother.

And it killed Jacob. It destroyed his undying admiration and his love for Melissa as well. He wanted a divorce, and he wanted his brother to suffer. But he had to play his cards right. He couldn’t barge into his own house and accuse them of anything.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he muttered, quoting the famous “Star Trek” line and shrugging. It was right, and he had to think. Jacob started the car and drove around, stopping to check his phone every once in a while.

Finally, Liam left, and he saw Melissa picking up everything in the living room. A quick look at his car clock told him it was his usual time to be home for dinner, so he steered his car toward his house. He parked in the garage and got out.

“Play it cool,” he told himself, nodding, and went inside.

***

“Hey, darling. How was your day? Is Mia doing better?” Melissa grinned widely at him from the kitchen. The garage doorway led to the kitchen, and he saw her cutting some onions for dinner. Jacob had to contain himself and forced a smile. How could she act concerned about Mia when she was having an affair with her father?

“She was fine. Nothing new, anyway. So, that’s good, all things considered. How about you? How’s work?” Jacob asked, trying to be discreet.

“It was fine, too. I got home a few minutes ago, so dinner will take a while. Sorry,” she added and looked at him with the most guileless expression in the world. He used to love that look, but now, it was tainted as he had no idea how often she had lied and looked as innocent as she did.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be in my office. I have to check a few things,” he replied, snapping his lips and walking away. He entered his office, doing his best not to close it forcefully, and locked it.

He had tried to come up with a plan in the car, but all his ideas seemed stupid and insufficient punishment. But his mind cleared as he walked to his desk with his incredible computer setup. He sat in his expensive gamer chair and finally relaxed since his phone had shown him the terrible scene.

Jacob knew what he could do now, as he turned his system to life and started typing. As the tech-savvy person in the family, he had installed everything Liam owned. He had done it gladly and without ill intentions, but things had changed.

He clicked on his mouse and found what he needed, developing his plan further as he got access to his brother’s home computer remotely. It was easy. Liam didn’t know the difference between a free antivirus and real computer protection, so Jacob got in there quickly and began to exact his revenge.

He accessed Liam’s work files immediately, checking a few things out, and deleted all the most recent ones, knowing that his brother had a big project coming up. However, it was not enough punishment, so Jacob deleted everything work-related he could find, hoping that Liam was stupid enough not to have any backups at his office.

“It’s not enough!” he said, clenching his teeth and hitting the table with his fist. He muttered a few expletives and went through more folders, deleting, deleting, deleting. Nothing he removed from that computer satisfied him fully.

So, he went even further, hacking into Liam’s saved passwords and accessing his files. The software would alert the bank and get his accounts frozen, which was illegal. But somehow, he felt much better.

Jacob nodded at his computer. “Yes, let’s keep going.”

He had erased everything and removed his password history, so Liam would have difficulty accessing everything he needed. Jacob also decided to delete everything and installed a virus that could corrupt any USB or external hard drive. The only solution would be to wipe the computer and install the operating system again completely.

The process only took an hour, and he heard when Melissa called him for dinner. He felt much better, so it was easier to sit with her and eat like it was just another night. He kept the conversation on Mia and how worried he was about her. But his wife also reminded him of something.

“Your parents are hosting a dinner at their house tomorrow. You didn’t forget, right?” Melissa said.

“Right,” Jacob mumbled. “Sorry, I did forget.”

“That’s fine, but I was thinking of doing something nice for Liam,” his wife continued, making Jacob hold his fork tightly. “And Emma, of course. I don’t know. What do you think?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. We could offer them some money.”

“Yeah,” Melissa nodded and sighed. “I wish there was more. I see how worried Liam is, and it’s not like him. Oh, careful.”

“Sorry,” Jacob apologized because his fork had flown away as Melissa kept talking about his brother. He stood up and picked up the cutlery. “I’m done eating. You can plan something special for them on Sunday. But don’t get Emma.”

“Of course,” Melissa smiled while shaking her head quickly. “I wouldn’t forget Emma.”

“I’m going to shower,” he shook his head and walked away from her. He thought the computer hacking had been enough, but hearing his wife’s words only drove the blade deeper. As the water cascaded down his back, Jacob knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until Melissa and Liam were exposed.

But how should I ruin both their lives? Jacob wondered.

***

Friday night…

Everyone laughed as the creaking of dining room chairs scrapped through the floor. Jacob sat quickly and waited. Melissa sat beside him, and before them were Emma and Liam, who had coincidentally chosen the seat right in front of Jacob’s wife.

They’re going to play footsie right under our parents’ noses and act like nothing is happening, Jacob seethed in anger but contained it. His plan would be excused shortly. He only had to wait a few more moments.

Jacob and Liam’s parents, Victor and Marianne, sat on either side of the table and talked about how happy they were to see everyone gathered. Marianne kissed and squeezed Mia’s cheek gently and ruffled Ella’s hair.

Jacob stared at those girls, feeling only a pang of remorse for them and Emma. They didn’t deserve what was coming, but there was no turning back. After his shower, Jacob decided that he couldn’t keep quiet much longer and let them continue their romance. He needed to end the situation quickly.

“Hey! Are you listening to me?” Liam’s words broke into Jacob’s introspection.

Jacob blinked and shook his head. “What?”

“I need you to come to my house. My computer went crazy. I even got a call from the bank about suspicious activity. They froze our accounts for now,” Liam continued, frustrated. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if I downloaded a virus or Emma did. But I lost everything. I need you to get them back. Can you come later?”

“Sure,” Jacob responded automatically.

“What did you lose, son?” Victor wondered.

“Everything, Dad! It’s crazy. My boss will kill me if I can’t get some of those files back. I’ve worked so hard for this promotion. But there’s also a lot of family stuff, and I need to get down to the bank to fix whatever happened. I just didn’t have time today,” his big brother continued.

“That’s serious,” Marianne added.

“Yeah, Ma. But I’m sure Jacob can help me. I don’t know if the hackers got any of my money, but hopefully not. Bro, hackers can be tracked, right?”

“Maybe, you should call the police,” Victor suggested.

“I think the bank will investigate internally first, and then they will call the police,” Liam added, and Jacob only got increasingly impatient. He was fidgeting in his seat, waiting for the “bomb” he had planted to set off.

“Are you feeling OK?” Melissa asked after leaning closer.

“Yeah.”

“We can go together to Liam’s house,” she added, grinning.

“Fine,” he sighed and looked at his clock.

One…two…three…

Everyone’s phone pinged with a notification.

Jacob stared at Liam specifically as he grabbed his cell phone and used his fingers to put in the password. He knew immediately when he pressed the video because his eyes widened, and just as quickly, he put his phone down.

Liam began sweating and met his eyes, realizing that Jacob had done this, but there was no time to talk, explain, or excuse. The rest of their table – except for the little girls – had received the same video, and they were all playing it.

“Grandma, what are you watching?” Ella asked, and his mother looked up, hiding her phone. She knew the rest of the family was watching in awe and got up quickly.

“Girls, let’s go eat your nuggets in my room. Right now,” she said, rushing them away, but Jacob saw her giving Liam a look.

He finally looked at Emma, whose mouth was frozen in a perfect “oh,” but no sound came out. She looked up and slowly turned to her husband. “Liam, what is this?” she asked quietly, then looked at Melissa. “Mel, what is this?”

“Emma, I… it’s not real,” Melissa began, looking at Liam in a panic.

“It’s very real, Emma,” Jacob interrupted before his wife could spout more lies. “I saw them on my phone. I’m the one that sent you the video.”

“Liam!” their father called his eldest son. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Dad, I…” Liam started, looking at Jacob pleadingly. “Why would you do this?”

“Me? Boy, do you have a lot of nerve,” Jacob shook his head and took a heavy breath.

His head leaned forward, and his voice got angrier as he said, “You cheated on your wife with my wife, and I did something to YOU?”

“Jacob,” Melissa stuttered.

“Shut up,” he snapped at her and finally stood up. “Our family is dealing with the possible death of my niece, and you two decide to get it on. IN MY OWN HOUSE?”

Marianne returned to the room at that moment and was just as angry as Jacob. She went to Melissa, pulled her up from the table by her hair, and slapped her twice. The force echoed around the room, making Victor stand up.

“Marianne, stop,” he said, grabbing his wife from behind, struggling as she tried to free herself while yelling profanities at Melissa.

Jacob understood that. She had to get her anger out, and doing it on her own son was harder. Melissa seemed like the home-wrecker here—the one who had made a good father stray from his family.

Liam got up, trying to explain his side, but finally, sweet, lovely Emma followed Marianne’s example and slapped her cheating husband. Her eyes were moist, and her face had reddened as she went after him with her fists, hitting wherever she could.

That spurred more insults from Jacob’s mother, who finally scolded her son. Victor was shouting, too, but he was trying to diffuse the situation. When everyone had their attention on Liam, Melissa grabbed Jacob’s arm.

“Jacob, honey, I can explain,” she mumbled quietly, one hand holding her sore cheek. Her eyes begged for his forgiveness, although she hadn’t apologized.

“You have one day to get out of my house, you worthless pile of trash,” he whispered, his mouth getting close to her ear. “My lawyer will send you divorce papers immediately. So help me, God, Melissa, if you try to find me, I’ll release that video.”

She stepped back, afraid, and openly sobbed, covering her face. Jacob rolled his eyes and sat back down. He grabbed some mashed potatoes and the pot roast his mother had made and dug in as the chaos continued.

He heard Emma asking for a divorce and was glad she wouldn’t forgive them. But Jacob’s eyes rose from his food to see Mia and Ella watching them. The same pang of guilt and uncertainty scored his chest, but the damage was done.

Jacob smiled at them and mouthed for them to return to their rooms. Mia nodded and pulled Ella away.

***

The ice on his scotch glass clinked as he twirled his celebration drink. Jacob was not much for whiskey, but this was a special occasion. It was Saturday morning, and he hadn’t slept. He brought Melissa home after the screaming match at his parents’ house ended and told her to pack.

She left after that, and he stayed all night drinking and toasting his victory. He must have fallen asleep on his gaming chair because his ringing phone woke him.

Surprisingly, it was Liam.

Jacob clicked his tongue and accepted the call. “I can’t believe you have the gall to call –”

“I should’ve known it was you! You did this!” Liam screamed through the phone, and Jacob’s eyes widened as he leaned forward in his chair.

“I’m not the bad guy here, big bro,” he said sarcastically. “YOU CHEATED WITH MY WIFE RIGHT ON MY COUCH!”

“MIA IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!” Liam screamed back, and painful, wet, horrid sobs came through the call. “My daughter! My daughter! You took her life away!”

A cold chill went through Jacob’s body as the anger flushed away immediately. “Mia is gone?” he asked. “No, no, no, no!”

“YES! SHE SAW AND HEARD THE ENTIRE FIGHT, YOU IDIOT! She got bad when Mom and Dad kicked me out! They rushed her to the clinic….” Liam’s cries eased as his anger returned. “And they couldn’t locate her medical records. We had a backup at home, but it was gone because of you!”

Jacob knew right away why his brother was blaming him.

“It was on our computer! THE ONE YOU MESSED UP TO PUNISH ME!” his big brother yelled. “I DON’T CARE ABOUT MY JOB. I DON’T CARE ABOUT MY MONEY. MY DAUGHTER IS GONE BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T INTERVENE IN TIME WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION!”

“No, that’s not my fault!” Jacob denied things, his nails scratching his cheek in desperation. “That’s the hospital’s fault! We have to sue them!”

“WHO CARES ABOUT THE HOSPITAL? THEY COULDN’T TREAT HER IN TIME! MIA IS DEAD! SHE IS DEAD, AND THE LAST THING SHE SAW WAS HER PARENTS YELLING AT EACH OTHER AND TALKING ABOUT… divorce,” Liam lowered his voice on the last word. His breath came quickly through the phone.

He was clearly depleted of energy, but Jacob had sat back on his computer and started clicking away. But it was useless. Senseless. It was too late. “I can do something. I fix this!” he told his brother. All the anger of the past few days was gone. Jacob no longer cared who cheated or why.

“Fix what? THERE’S NOTHING TO FIX!” Liam shouted and coughed roughly as if his throat was on fire. “You have no idea what it’s like to see your child suffering and just waiting, not knowing if she’ll get the organ she needs. I’m sorry for Melissa. I was stupid, but this was so much worse.”

“No, please,” Jacob cried, losing all his strength and falling from his gamer chair.

“I hope your revenge was worth this,” Liam said, swallowed loudly, and ended the call.

Jacob stared into the flatness of his hardwood floors, looking at the lines, and completely dissociated from reality for several hours. When he returned to earth, the pain was too much to bear, so he picked up his phone and dialed.

“Rabun County Sheriff’s Office,” a male voice answered.

“I have a confession to make,” Jacob said, swallowing thickly.

What can we learn from this story?

Revenge is never the answer, as it doesn’t change what happened. Jacob felt momentary satisfaction after his revenge, but he soon realized revenge wasn’t worth it.
Don’t make choices when your emotions are running wild. Jacob acted without proper thought and altered the lives of everyone in his family because he was too angry.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.