Keeping Secrets
For years, Julia Moore knew that her husband, James, was hiding something. He was always taking whispered calls in the garage, thinking that she wouldn’t notice.
He insisted on keeping the garage door closed and locked at all times, but eventually, she had enough of his secrecy.
One day, she finally decided to investigate. When she flipped his workbench, heartbreaking information about their neighbors spilled out.
Everything Changed
Julia Moore had always trusted her husband. She never thought that he would do anything to hurt her, but that all changed after they moved to the suburbs.
They had lived in their home in the suburbs for ten years, and over those ten years, Julia could sense that something had changed.
She could see something strange behind her husband’s eyes each time he interacted with their next-door neighbors.
Withdrawn
Over the years, she watched as her husband turned into a shell of the man he once was. He seemed withdrawn and quiet.
Julia would often ask him what was going on, but he would simply shrug his shoulders and say that he was fine.
But she knew something wasn’t right. Ten years after the strange behavior began, she decided to investigate.
She Planned It Out
That morning, when her husband left for work, she knew what she had to do. She had planned it all out the night before.
As soon as his car left their driveway, she rushed to fill a bucket with water and soap. Then, she decided to head for the garage.
Her intention was never to clean the garage, but she needed an excuse to look through his things. But she had no idea what she was about to find.
Nothing Unusual
That morning, she spent hours looking through the folders on his workbench, but she found nothing unusual.
She thought about all of her husband’s private calls and how he always insisted on keeping her out of the garage.
She was certain that he was hiding something in there. But as she stood back, observing the small workbench, she noticed something.
Mikaela
She had never noticed it before, but she could see some kind of folder under her husband’s workbench.
She slowly walked toward it and decided to flip it over, and as she did, the folder came into view. The word “Mikaela” was scribbled across it.
Julia was confused. Why had he written the name of their neighbor’s daughter on the folder? She decided to open it, but she had no idea what she was about to come across.
Partners In Crime
Julia and James Moore had lived in Houston, Texas, for all their lives. It was there that they met in college and married just three years later.
For as long as Julia could remember, James was her best friend and partner in crime. They were together when they had nothing.
But through the years, they worked hard to get to where they wanted to be. They had dreams of someday owning their own house in the suburbs.
The Promotion
It wasn’t until they were in their early thirties that James finally got the promotion they needed to move out of their small, two-bedroom apartment.
As soon as they began looking for a house to buy, they found the perfect place in the suburbs. Julia contacted the real estate agent immediately.
She could remember the first time they drove through the quiet neighborhood. She remembered feeling right at home.
The Perfect House
That day, they found themselves the perfect home. From the moment they stepped foot into the house, they knew they had to take it.
It was a three-bedroom house with a large living area and a beautiful porch with a white picket fence.
It was everything they had ever dreamed of owning. That day, they made the decision to buy their first house.
Welcome
Although it took some time to adapt to their new home, the first few months in the suburbs were nothing short of perfection.
As soon as they arrived, their new neighbors welcomed them to the neighborhood with open arms. They were excited to finally be part of a community.
But one household stood out from the rest on their street, and they soon became Julia and James’s new best friends.
The Holdens
Chris and Susan Holden lived right next door to Julia and James, and they got along from the moment they first met.
Chris and Susan invited them over for drinks the week they moved into their new home, and they hit it off right away.
Chris was a lawyer, while Susan was a housewife. They had recently gotten married and moved to the suburbs, where they wanted to start a family.
A Regular Basis
Over the weeks, they saw each other on a regular basis, but Julia noticed something. James and Susan seemed to become especially close.
They had grown up in the same parts of town, and they always seemed to have a lot to speak about. Julia thought their friendship was wonderful.
Usually, she would spend their nights together chatting to Chris while Susan and James had conversations of their own.
No Matter What
Although some people might’ve found it a bit strange, Julia never saw an issue with it. She trusted her husband no matter what.
For all their lives, he had told her everything, and she knew that he saw a true friend in Susan. It was no big deal.
Years passed, and Julia and James still spent a lot of time with Susan and Chris. But just a year after moving to the neighborhood, something happened.
An Invitation
When Susan invited Julia and James over for a “special” dinner, Julia knew something was up. The Holden had news they wanted to share.
That night, Julia put on a nice dress before she and her husband headed over to the neighbor’s house, unaware of the news they were about to share.
They showed up around 7 p.m. and for the first few hours, it seemed like an ordinary dinner with the Holden household. But then, something happened.
Wine
They were serving the main course when James arose from his seat and grabbed a bottle of wine, filling each of their glasses.
But as he brought the wine bottle up to Susan’s glass, she stopped him. “Actually, I can’t have wine,” she said with a grin.
Julia’s eyes grew wide when she spotted the smile on Susan and Chris’s faces. Then, Susan broke the news.
Becoming Parents
“We are expecting our first baby!” she revealed with a wide smile. Julia was overjoyed for the couple. She knew how badly they wanted to be parents.
But when her eyes trailed toward James, he looked like he had just seen a ghost. His face had gone pale as he stood there wordlessly.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked in the softest voice, staring down at Susan. Julia instantly thought this was strange.
Having Issues
But she thought she knew why he’d had such a strange reaction. At the time, they were having some issues around the topic.
Julia had always told James that she didn’t want any children, and when they got married, he promised never to push her to have one.
But at the time, he had made it increasingly clear that he wanted a child. She assumed he was upset that his neighbors were having what he couldn’t have.
He Was Quiet
But from that night forward, something in James changed. When they went home, he didn’t say a word to his wife.
Instead, he headed straight for their bedroom and went to sleep. She could tell that something was bothering him.
But Julia expected him to be back to his usual self in the morning. She had no idea that their lives were about to change.
Stressed
After that night, James was never really the same again. When he awoke the following morning, he seemed unusually stressed and worried.
Julia tried to speak to him about it, but he refused. He was upset about something, and he didn’t want to speak about it.
Julia tried to be there for her husband, but he was in some kind of depressive spell. As the years went by, James’s behavior only became stranger by the week.
A Weekly Basis
Over the years, Julia and James saw the Holdens on a weekly basis, and they watched as their daughter, Mikaela, grew up.
James seemed especially fond of the little girl. Whenever they were over, he would play with her and speak to her about all kinds of things.
During those years, his bond with Susan only grew stronger. But behind closed doors, James was a different man.
Not The Same
Long gone were the days when James and Julia would sit in their living room, speaking for hours on end about anything and everything.
The only time she ever saw him smile was when the Holdens were around. Julia always wondered if he resented her for not wanting to have any children.
But as the years wore on, James began doing all kinds of strange things that didn’t make much sense to his wife.
Woodwork
Over time, he converted their garage into a workstation. In his free time, he began experimenting with woodwork.
James would make coffee tables and dining room sets in their garage and sell them on the internet. It was a fun little hobby.
But there was one problem that didn’t sit right with Julia. She wasn’t allowed anywhere near the garage.
An Excuse
Whenever James wasn’t around, he would lock the garage door and take the key wherever he was going.
When Julia asked him about this strange habit, he simply shrugged his shoulders. “I just don’t want you to hurt yourself with any of the equipment,” he said.
But Julia wasn’t sure if her husband was telling the truth. It didn’t make sense. But one night, something strange happened.
Working In The Garage
That night, Julia was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for herself and James. He had been working in the garage all day.
It was just after 7 p.m. that she finally turned the stove off and went to call her husband for dinner.
She quickly walked toward the garage door, but as she did, she heard something rather unusual from outside the garage door.
She Couldn’t Hear
She could hear her husband’s voice through the door, but she couldn’t make out what he was trying to say.
He mumbled and whispered, trying to make it as difficult as possible for someone else to hear what he said.
Julia was curious. Who was he speaking to? She decided to press her ear against the door, and that was when she heard it.
Checking Up
She could faintly hear her husband’s voice, but she could barely hear what he was saying. “I just want to check up,” was all she could make out.
Who on earth was he whispering to in the garage? She decided to raise her hand and gently knock on the door.
But as soon as she did, she heard her husband scramble. “I have to go,” he said. She could hear him slamming a drawer shut.
A Question
James rushed to the door, and a second later, he swung it open. Julia was confused when she saw his shocked expression.
“Dinner is ready,” she told her husband with a slight frown on her face. “Who were you just speaking to?”
He frowned as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Oh, uh,” he fumbled his words. “I was just on the phone with a colleague.”
She Didn’t Buy It
Julia didn’t buy it, but she decided to let it go. The pair headed for the kitchen, but as they did, James locked the garage door behind himself.
Julia knew something was up, and she was getting tired of feeling like her husband was hiding something from her.
She kept her suspicions to herself as she stared at her husband from across the dining room table. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
Cold Eyes
“It’s Mikaela’s eighth birthday this weekend,” he mentioned casually, trying to ignore his wife’s cold eyes as they followed his every move suspiciously.
The mention of Mikaela’s name seemed to work as a smile played on her lips. “Yes, I saw the invitation to her birthday party,” she said.
“I will go to the mall tomorrow and get her something nice,” she said. If only she knew the truth about the little girl.
Back To Business
That night, as soon as they were done with dinner, James left the dinner table and returned to the garage.
Julia was left to sit by herself in front of the television. But she wasn’t paying any attention to the show she had put on.
She was too busy thinking about her husband and the clear signs that something was going on and he was lying.
Fast Asleep
That evening, as she lay in bed, her mind raced. James was fast asleep beside her when she had an idea.
She slowly got out of bed and approached the jeans he had been wearing that day. Reaching into the pockets, she quickly grabbed the key for the garage.
That night, she had given it a lot of thought, and she had a plan. She was going to finally get the answers she had been begging for.
Her Plans
Julia barely slept that night. She was too busy thinking about the next day and what she had planned to do.
She had it all figured out. As soon as her husband left for work, she was going to “clean” the garage and have a little look around.
He had been hiding something for years, and she was getting sick of wondering what was going on. She was determined.
She Waited
The following morning, she awoke when her husband’s alarms went off. He usually left for work quite early, and she wanted to get to business as soon as he did.
That morning, she spent time in the kitchen, sipping coffee as she waited for him to leave. She was desperate for the truth.
Eventually, he grabbed his keys and headed for the front door, unaware that she had taken the key from his pocket.
Down To Business
She watched through the kitchen window as her husband pulled out of their driveway and disappeared down the road.
As soon as she was sure he was gone, she rushed to fill a bucket with water and soap. Then, she decided to head for the garage.
Her intention was never to clean the garage, but she needed an excuse to look through his things. But she had no idea what she was about to find.
A Deep Breath
Julia headed straight for the garage, digging the key from one of her pockets. She unlocked the door, taking a deep breath before she stepped inside.
She knew that she was invading his privacy, but she thought she had no other choice. He wasn’t being truthful, and she needed answers.
Julia headed straight for his workbench at the back of the garage, hoping and praying that she would find the truth.
Nothing Unusual
That morning, she spent hours looking through the folders on his workbench, but she found nothing unusual.
She thought about all of her husband’s private calls and how he always insisted on keeping her out of the garage.
She was certain that he was hiding something in there. But as she stood back, observing the small workbench, she noticed something.
Mikaela
She had never noticed it before, but she could see some kind of folder under her husband’s workbench.
She slowly walked toward it and decided to flip it over, and as she did, the folder came into view. The word “Mikaela” was scribbled across it.
Julia was confused. Why had he written the name of their neighbor’s daughter on the folder? She decided to open it, but she had no idea what she was about to come across.
What Was Going On?
She was beyond confused when she opened the folder and found a few small pictures of the young girl.
Why on earth did James have pictures of the neighbor’s eight-year-old child? But then, she found a small folded note.
She slowly opened it, but as soon as she did, her eyes widened. What on earth was she looking at?
The Truth
She read the note aloud to herself. “My dear James,” she began, her eyes filled with confusion as she read what appeared to be some kind of love letter.
“I miss you dearly today. Each time I look at our daughter, I think about you. She has your eyes,” she read. What on earth was going on?
But then, she read the name at the bottom of the note, and her heart sank. “Yours truly, Susan,” it said.
The Pictures
The folder fell to the ground, sending photos of Susan and Mikaela flying all over the place. Julia felt like she had been wounded.
That was when she realized the truth. Susan and James had been having an affair, and little Mikaela was his daughter.
Suddenly, it all made sense. That was why he seemed so distressed when she said she was pregnant. He knew that he could have been the father.
Leaving Him
Julia didn’t bother cleaning the pictures off the floor. She didn’t care if her husband saw what she had found.
She headed straight for her bedroom and began packing her things. After what she had found, there was no way she would stay.
For hours, she walked back and forth, packing her things as tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t believe it.
Waiting For Him
When James came home from work that evening, all of her things had already been packed into her car.
She waited in the driveway, and as soon as he got out of his car, he spotted the streaks of tears on her face.
As soon as he asked what was going on, the words began spilling out. She was furious and couldn’t hold back.
I Did Everything
“For years, I put everything into our marriage. I did everything to keep you happy, but it didn’t matter. You cheated on me,” she cried.
“I saw the folder, James. I know what you and Susan did! You are a cheater and a terrible man,” she said, letting the tears pour down her face.
“I’m leaving you,” she said and headed for her car. He tried to stop her, but it was too late. She was done with him.
Divorce
James begged her to stay, screaming after her as she sped out of their neighborhood, but the damage had been done.
She went straight to her sister’s house, not once looking back as she left the man who had broken her heart.
She filed for divorce the very next day. James was devastated, but she refused to take him back. He had destroyed her.
Moving On
Julia knew it would take some time to move past what had happened, but she knew that someday she would be happy again.
Chris learned about the affair and left Susan. Her relationship with James fell apart. In the end, they were all left brokenhearted.
But Julia knew that she would be okay in time. She moved on, never looking back on the man who broke her heart.