Emily is shocked when a text message she sent to her husband about fixing a decorated bathtub panel causes him to act out of the blue. What could he be lying about inside? Emily needs to find out.
Have you ever heard those stories about people coming home and finding strange things? Recently, something like that happened to me, and what I found out changed my life forever.
A few weeks ago, one of the wooden pieces that was on our bathtub for decoration came off. Not a big deal, right? David, my husband, was away on work at the time, so I took a picture and sent it to him.
“Hey, honey, can I fix this?” I sent the picture by text.
I was expecting a normal answer, like “Sure, go ahead,” or maybe clear directions on what to do. But what I got back almost made me drop my phone.
“NOOOO! Do not touch it or look inside. NEVER.”
I was shocked as I looked at his message. David is the most chill person I know. We’ve been married for ten years, and he’s never done anything like this before.
Which made me want to know more. Fixing a panel didn’t seem to be dangerous, so why did David act like he was being threatened?
I got on my knees next to the tub and looked into the space behind the other panels, which was dark. That’s when I saw an envelope hidden behind those things.
I felt shaky as I reached inside, took out the envelope, and opened it. Inside, I found an ultrasound picture of a very small kid. It looked like a black bean. The words “Daddy, I’m coming soon” were written across the top.
My view was cloudy from tears. Not fertile. I couldn’t get rid of that word for years. I thought David and I were okay with it.
What did he do to me?
I was a mess for days. I didn’t eat or sleep much. I couldn’t stop thinking about who David had gotten pregnant with. How long had this been going on? Did I know that person?
I couldn’t talk to David about it yet because it was making me crazy. I needed to know. Not any story he might come up with to hide his tracks, but real answers. This is why I hired a private investigator.
I told Sam at our first meeting, “I need to know who she is.” “Could you help me?”
Sam said yes and took notes. “The truth will come out soon enough.”
As the days turned into weeks, my stress level rose with each passing hour. Sam finally called me.
“Emily, let’s talk.” I have some information for you.
We met in a small, ordinary café. Sam slid into the seat next to me and looked serious.
“It’s Lisa, his coworker,” he said straight away. “For more than a year, they’ve been seeing someone else.” “She’s six months along.”
The words hurt my gut like a punch.
Lisa. It hurt even more when he realized it was someone he saw every day and who had been to our house for dinner.
As I left the cafe, I thought of a way to get back at them. I wouldn’t be able to get peace by confronting David right now. I wanted him to know how bad it was that he had lied and see his perfect world fall apart.
Over the next few days, I carefully gathered proof and made plans for a big party. It was David’s birthday soon, and I had a really cool treat for him!
David was in a great mood the night of the party. He talked to other guests and laughed loudly. Every once in a while, he’d come over and put his arm around me.
He smiled and said, “Emily, you’ve outdone yourself.” This is really amazing.
I tried to smile even though my stomach hurt. “Darling, wait until you see the cake.”
He gave me a kiss on the cheek and then went to talk to one of his sisters. I looked at Lisa. I kept an eye on her and David for most of the night, but there was no sign that they were seeing someone else.
The cake was finally time. The baker put the words “Daddy, I’m coming soon” and an exact copy of the ultrasound picture on top.
Everyone let out a gasp because they thought it was a surprise pregnancy reveal. David’s eyes got big with shock, and my first thought when he looked at Lisa was that he was scared.
I told them, “I’m sorry to disappoint you all, but I’m not pregnant.” “This ultrasound was hidden in our bathroom,” I said. David is going to have a child, but Lisa, the mother, is his lover.
The happy mood went away, and the room became very quiet. David’s face was pale, and Lisa looked like she wanted to fade away.
David began, his voice shaking, “Emily, please let me explain.” I put up my hand to stop him.
“David, there’s nothing to explain.” Now everyone knows. The harm has been done.
Our family and friends just stared in shock as they tried to figure out what had happened. Some people looked away because they didn’t want to be there, while others looked at David with disgust or at me with sympathy.
Jessica, my best friend, came over and gave me a tight hug.
She said in a whisper, “I’m so sorry, Em.” “You deserve a lot more.”
Someone David works with, Mark, stood close with a group of other people he knows from work and outside of work, their mouths open.
“Dude, what the heck?” Mark finally spoke. “You made a mistake.”
Someone behind Mark told him in a stern voice, “You can say that again.”
When Mark moved out of the way, Mr. Flanagan, David’s boss, was seen standing right behind him.
He told David, “David, I hired you because I thought you were a man of principles and someone with integrity.” “I’m not sure now.”
Mr. Flanagan looked at Lisa for a moment and then gave David a hard look. “I’d like to meet with you both in my office on Monday to talk about your future at work.”
David looked like he was filled with shame and humiliation. I didn’t feel sorry for him even though he looked at me with begging eyes.
What a firm voice I had as I said, “I think it’s best if everyone leaves now.” “The party is over.”
The guests got the message and began to get their things together. As they left, some said nice things to me, while others just gave David cold, unhappy looks. Lisa sneaked out in silence, her face pale.
David tried to get my attention, but Jessica stayed behind to help me clean up.
“Emily, I—”
“Don’t do that, David.” Do not do it at all. Even I could tell my voice was cold. “You can’t change this by what you say.”
He said, “But it’s over between me and Lisa.” “Been months.” “We chose—”
“Don’t tell me that!” I yelled. “It’s too late to fix what you broke by betraying me.”
I packed my bags the next morning. I wasn’t going to listen to any more lies or excuses. I called Jessica because she had given me a place to stay.
“Are you sure about this, Em?” she asked, her voice full of worry.
I told them, “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” “I have to leave.”
David looked at me with red eyes. “Emily, let’s figure this out.” “Don’t go.”
I closed the last of my bags and looked him in the eye. “David, it’s too late. I’ve already talked to a lawyer. Our money is frozen in the bank, and divorce forms are being made. “This is the end.”
He gave up and fell asleep on the bed. A pang of sadness came over me, but the pain and deception made it lighter.
It was great to move in with Jessica. She was my rock during this whole thing. David called and texted me over and over, but I ignored all of them. After being betrayed, I needed time and room to heal and find myself again.
My family and friends came together to help me. They helped me remember how valuable I was and understand that this was just a sad part of my story. There was always Jessica with a glass of wine or a kind word for me when I needed one.
One night, she told Emily, “You’re stronger than you think.” “You’ll get through this and be stronger for it.”
It wasn’t easy to rebuild my life, but I had to. I put everything I had into my work and my hobbies, and I found old interests I had forgotten about. I started going to therapy, and it really helped.
Some even went on a mountain trip by myself, which was something I had always wanted to do but never had the courage to do. When I stood on the top and looked out over the huge area, I felt calm in a way I hadn’t felt in months.
Stay strong if you are also going through humiliation. You should get better. Things work out in strange ways in life, and sometimes the worst times lead to the best new starts.
This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.
