I thought I was planning a surprise for my husband at our summer house. Instead, I found lipstick on a mug, a woman’s shirt on our chair, and a half-burned DNA test with his name on it. Have you ever wondered if the person sleeping beside you is keeping a secret big enough to break you?
My husband, Daniel, had been acting differently for weeks.
He became distant. Tense.
Answers got shorter. His phone started staying face down.
When I asked what was wrong, he waved off.
I missed the version of him that used to kiss me in the kitchen while the pasta boiled. I missed being sure. So I planned a surprise for Daniel.
We had a little summer cabin outside the city.
Quiet. Wooded.
Full of our early memories. I decided to clean the place, cook his favorite dinner, and light a few candles.
So, I arrived just after noon.
The cabin was still and cold. I unlocked the door with one hand and held the grocery bags in the other. But I froze in the doorway.
The bed was unmade.
The kind of mess that said someone had been there in the morning. Two plates sat in the sink.
One of the mugs had pink lipstick on the rim. That wasn’t mine.
I moved slowly through the living room, not fully letting myself react.
A woman’s lavender-scented T-shirt was neatly folded over the armchair. The air felt heavier than before. I was angry.
Out of habit, or maybe fury, I started to clean.
I swept the floor. Folded the blanket on the sofa.
Reached for the fireplace poker to clear out the ash. Then I saw it.
A crumpled envelope, thick and half-burned, was buried in the soot.
I pulled it out with shaking fingers. The edges were scorched, but the center was still readable. DNA Test Results.
And there it was, printed clearly on the page…
My husband’s name! I was still holding the warm paper in my hands, though that was probably just me burning.
I didn’t understand anything. My mind went in every direction at once, but one thing became clear.
If I asked Daniel, I’d never get the full truth.
He’d deflect. Deny. Distract.
As he always used to do.
No! I have to wait.
I have to see the truth with my own eyes. ***
I didn’t have the strength to drive home.
Not after everything I’d seen.
I told myself I’d clean a little more, maybe eat something. But I never made it to the kitchen. I curled up on the couch, shoes still on, arms wrapped around a pillow that didn’t smell like me.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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