They say that secrets may ruin a marriage. When I found that my husband had secretly purchased a second home, I got ready myself for the worst. But nothing prepared me for what I discovered as I drove there. I ended myself crying at the sight, and there was nothing to console me.
Will and I were always partners in every sense of the word.
It started a few months after I became pregnant. Will began working late, but he didn’t get home until nearly midnight. At first, I told myself that he was merely worried about the baby and providing for us.
But eventually, the arguments began to wear thin.
One night, as we sat at the dinner table, I asked him directly, “Why are you working so late, Will? You’re never home most of the time.”
He didn’t even look up from his plate. “It’s just a busy time at the office, Lizzie. You know how it is.”
He finally looked up, and for a moment, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Was it guilt? Fear?
“You’re not alone, Lizzie,” he whispered, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “I promise you’re not alone.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re slipping away?” I asked, tears threatening to spill. “Every night, I lie awake wondering where you are, what you’re doing…”
He pulled his hand back as if burned. “I’m doing everything for us, Lizzie. Please… just trust me.”
A few weeks later, as Will fell asleep alongside me, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but something made me look at the screen.
The message read: “Thank you for doing this. Love you. — P. 🤗”
My heart dropped. Who was “P”? Why were they saying they loved him?
I froze, staring at the phone as if it might explode. I knew I shouldn’t, but I unlocked it anyway, my fingers trembling.
In his messages, I found a file about a second house. A SECOND HOUSE!
“What the hell?” Who was he meeting?
“Lizzie?” he mumbled sleepily. “You okay?”
I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “Just the baby kicking,” I lied, placing a protective hand over my swollen belly. Our child. Our future. Was it all built on lies?
I couldn’t sleep that night. I grabbed my car keys, my voice breaking as I whispered to my unborn child, “Let’s go find out what Daddy’s been hiding.”
An hour later, I arrived. The house was stunning—a yellow, storybook-style mansion with white shutters and a wraparound porch. It looked like something from a dream.
Before I could even process what was happening, a little boy came running out the door. He sprinted straight toward me, grinning.
“Are you here to help us?” he asked, his face glowing with excitement.
“Help with what?” I stammered, completely thrown off.
“What are you doing here, Lizzie?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“No,” I said, stepping closer. “What are YOU doing here? Why do you have this house? And who is that boy?”
“Lizzie, please,” Will begged, his face ashen. “You shouldn’t be here. Not like this.”
“Not like this? How should I be here, Will? After getting another mysterious text from ‘P’? After more nights alone? Tell me, when would be a good time to discover my husband’s secret life?”
“Then explain. What are you hiding? Where is she?”
“Lizzie, it’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “Please, just come inside, and I’ll explain everything.”
“Explain what?” I snapped, tears welling in my eyes. “Explain why you’ve been lying to me? Why you’ve been sneaking around?”
“Just trust me,” he pleaded. “Please, Lizzie.”
He stepped forward, reaching for me, but I backed away. “Don’t touch me! Not until you tell me the truth. All of it. Right here, right now.”
“Lizzie,” he choked out, “you’re shaking. Please come inside. Think of the baby.”
“The baby?” I laughed bitterly.
Despite my better judgment, I followed him inside.
Will took my hands in his, his eyes searching mine. “Lizzie, I bought this house for us. For you, me, and the baby. I wanted to surprise you.”
I pulled my hands away. “A SURPRISE? Will, this isn’t a surprise — this is a secret! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Before he could answer, my mom appeared, holding a paintbrush. “Because I made him promise,” she said softly.
“Mom?”
“We’ve been struggling, Lizzie,” she admitted, her voice shaky. “Your dad and I lost our jobs a few months ago. Will gave us a way to stay afloat. He hired us to help fix up this house. That message you saw? That was me, thanking him.”
I turned to Will, my emotions a tangled mess. “All this time, you were building us a home?”
“And helping your parents,” he said softly. “I wanted to do it right, Lizzie. Make it perfect. But I see now that keeping you in the dark was wrong. I was so focused on the end result, I forgot about the journey.”
“You should have told me. You put me through hell, Will. I thought you were cheating on me. I thought you had a secret family!”
“I know,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to stress you out. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
I stared at him, the weight of everything sinking in. My wrath began to fade, and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of love.
“No more secrets,” I whispered, pulling him into a hug. “Promise me, Will. No more secrets.”
“Never again,” he said, holding me tightly. “From now on, we build our dreams together.”
I smiled, tears in my eyes. “I think you’re an idiot. But you’re my idiot!”
He laughed, pulling me close. “I’ll take it.”
“You know,” I said softly, leaning into him, “this porch… I can already see us here, watching our little one take their first steps.”
He kissed my forehead, his voice full of emotion. “I promise you, Lizzie. This house, this family, this love—it’s everything I’ve ever desired. And I’ll never let go.”
