Or so I thought. It was just another night. A folded piece of paper slipped out from between the clothes as I sorted them. It told me a secret that would rock my world. There was no doubt that the writing was my husband David’s, but the words were not meant for me.
The letter was a message to celebrate being together for seven years. Seven years! We had been married for 18 years. My mind was spinning, putting together memories and thoughts I had never been brave enough to consider. There were late nights at work, business trips that came up out of the blue, and reasons that now seemed like outright lies.
I was angry, shocked, and hurt all at the same time. Still, I didn’t talk to him that night. I carefully unfolded the letter again and put it back where I found it while I thought of a plan.
The letter wasn’t there the next day. David must have found it again. When I asked my mother for help, she told me to talk to him about it. But I had to see for myself what was true.
David said that night that he would be working late. I should have known better. He was going to meet the woman who got the letter. I got a babysitter for our girls and went to the fancy restaurant named in the letter.
Since we always had to save money, David hadn’t taken me to a place like this in years. I saw her right away—a woman in a beautiful red dress who was drinking wine and had no idea that a storm was coming.
David had a smile on his face when he got there that I hadn’t seen in years. They said hello to each other and it was clear that this wasn’t their first meeting. It broke my heart all over again to see them.
I waited until the right time to talk to him about it. When I stood up and faced him, his face went from happy to scared. The woman looked lost as she looked back and forth between us. David’s efforts to explain himself made her even more confused.
I couldn’t believe she had been seeing him for so long without asking what he said. I didn’t understand how they could be together if they were lying to each other.
I turned around and left the place before he could explain. I told him he had to explain himself to our girls because I wasn’t going to do it for him when I got home.
That letter ended our marriage, but it also set me free from lying for years. At first, I was filled with anger and hate. Over time, though, I felt better. Since I was no longer lying, I could start to rebuild my life on my own terms.
I’m glad I found that letter now that I think about it. I needed to know that truth, even though it hurt to find out. There is one lesson that can be learnt: the truth will come out when you least expect it.
