I changed my son’s exam score before his father saw it

Dear Delyara, My son scored far below his classmates on an important exam. He was terrified his father would punish him, and I was terrified because I knew he was right. Before my husband came home, I altered the number on the printed report. I used correction fluid and copied the teacher’s handwriting. My husband praised our son and promised him a new bicycle. My son looked at me across the table without smiling. For three weeks, we have lived inside the lie together. The school will send the official results next month. I have considered intercepting the email, inventing a system error, or confessing before the truth arrives from someone else. My husband believes fear produces discipline. He does not see how our child’s hands shake when test results are mentioned. I changed the score to protect him for one evening. Now my son knows his mother can falsify reality but cannot make him safe from his father. Every night, he asks what we will do when the real report comes. I keep saying I will handle it. I have no plan.